#but only eugene and snaf

[antigonenikk]

-to the state fair-

Fandom: The Pacific

Pairing: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge

Summary: the mortar squad adopts a mini-horse as their mascot in the first months of okinawa.

“Instead of replying, afraid he might start screaming, he keeps his silence. Head buried in Myrtle’s side, he lets Snafu rub his dirty hand over the nape of his neck, just like he would with the pony. Tender and with too much force. Like he’s not used to gentleness. The panic inside of him does not pass.”

Warnings: bittersweet, mini-horses, tender homoerotic moments

Burgie is the one to find her. She’s tiny. Maybe the tiniest horse Eugene has ever seen. Her head comes up to Gene’s elbow, and her coat is a silky smooth brown. The color of the deer he used to spy on in the forests near his home as a child. At first, no one knows what to do with her. Burgie looks just as lost as the rest of them, holding her wooden bridle, standing in the middle of a muddy road on patrol. But with no fighting going on in those early days, it was quickly decided that she could be allowed to stay at camp with them.

She grew on them quick. Burgie was prone to reading to her before they had to head to their foxholes for the night. Jay, hesitant at first, was constantly checking her feet for injuries, hovering like a mother-hen over her shoulder the minute she seemed thirsty or hungry or tired.

Snafu, Eugene thought, had taken to her the fastest. He seemed to have a supernatural connection to old Myrtle, as they had lovingly dubbed her. In the morning when they all sat down for chow, Snaf could be found leaning against her hide, whispering french into her ear. Before patrol he would pat her on the nose. Once for good luck. Then run back a second time for a quick kiss. The other’s might have razzed him for it, but Myrtle had become their mascot. And each of them loved her with a fierce devotion you reserved only for the dearest of pets. She wasn’t just sweet, but strong too. She would carry boxes of ammo strapped to her back for the squad, meandering down steep inclines with dogged determination. Eugene had never liked horses in particular. But Myrtle was special. She reminded him of a character from an old Jack London story. Hearty and full of love and hope, navigating a world torn asunder by man’s sickness.

One night, he joined Myrtle and Snafu at the cliffside by their camp. Artillery fire could be heard from halfway across the island. But for now, things were peaceful. The sun was setting, gusts of cool air were blowing through the pine trees and into their faces from the Sea. They took turns feeding her sugar rations, petting her muzzle, and talking about home.

‘My mama took me once, to the State Fair. Had a pony like Myrtle there. Not as brave as our gal o’course. But I remember sitting there for an hour. With the goats and sheep and ponies and all. Everyone else, my brothers, went on to the rides. But me and mama stuck together….”

It was said in a lilting drawl. With stops and starts. As if Shelton was scared Eugene was going to judge him for a simple childhood memory. He could feel those eyes on him. Blue and wide and lovely like a girl’s. He wanted to fidget. Wanted to touch. Wanted to be anywhere else. Wanted to move closer to Shelton’s wiry body, radiating heat.

Eugene had never been to the State Fair. Just the circus. But he can imagine going there with Snafu, the two of them. Eating funnel cakes and riding the Ferris Wheel and letting themselves get trampled by little barnyard animals. The thought makes him so homesick he could cry. He feels a bit like Dante, overlooking the entrance to hell. Nowhere to go but down and down and down. He doubts, deep in his heart, that he’ll ever get to see something as simple as the circus again.

Snafu must be able to tell he’s upset. Because when their hands brush over Myrtle’s coat, almost touching, Snafu moves to place his calloused palm on his wrist. Eugene exhales, inhales the scent of pine again. When he turns to look he sees an expression on his friend’s face he knows all too well. More than affection, less than grief. Something beyond loss or desire. Beyond spoken words.

The sky is purple, red and pink striations marking out the warmth of Shelton’s skin. Eugene looks down to Myrtle and wishes they could bring her home together.

‘I’ve never been to the State Fair.’

Snafu cracks a grin at his admission.

‘Yeah?’

He nudges Eugene’s shoulder.

‘I could take you, if you like. When all ‘dis is over.’

He chokes on his own tongue. Lets the moment rest. Can’t let it rest.

‘You think we’re going home?’

A look passes over Snafu’s face then. And it makes Eugene regret ever bringing it up in the first place. Myrtle whinnies and Eugene presses his face to her flank, chilled by his own fatalism.

‘You’re going home, Sledgehammer. You’re going home.’

He says it with such conviction that Eugene can’t possibly contradict him. He says it like he knows it’s true. Like he’s willing to do just about anything to make it happen. It doesn’t make him feel less afraid. He doesn’t want to let go of Shelton. He doesn’t know what he would do if the other man died, especially trying to save him. Because that’s what he means. Shelton doesn’t think he’ll make it. Because he’s determined to die to make sure that Eugene does.

Instead of replying, afraid he might start screaming, he keeps his silence. Head buried in Myrtle’s side, he lets Snafu rub his dirty hand over the nape of his neck, just like he would with the pony. Tender and with too much force. Like he’s not used to gentleness. The panic inside of him does not pass.

Two days later Eugene stares Myrtle down, her black eyes wide open and beseeching, full of uncomplicated love. He gives her a single sugar cube ration. And feels himself tearing up. They march out again today. And everyone has agreed. It’s not safe for her anymore. Not with them. The others have gone ahead, each giving her their own private goodbye. Snafu stands waiting for him, machine gun over his shoulder, a living ghost. Eugene pats her once and places his face to hers. If he closes his eyes, with Myrtle in front of him, and Snafu at his rear, he almost feels like he’s home. Like there is hope for the future. Possibility. He imagines the scent of powdered sugar. The sound of children laughing and carnival rides. The flashing neon lights of a game being won. And then he opens his eyes and the moment is over.

He and Snafu walk in silence, down past the cliffside where they sat together what feels like a lifetime ago. Time bends, and snaps, and comes back together. For a moment, Snafu’s pinky hooks together with his own. Then they separate again, and continue marching. Eugene hopes beyond anything, beyond his own will to live, beyond his desire to see Snafu through the war, that that damned little pony doesn’t die. At least not where he can see it.

[lewis-winters]

my love if you are still taking requests could i pls have some hcs on K Company (Sledge, Snafu, Burgin, Leyden, De L'Eau, Ack Ack and Hillbilly) and how they would survive a slasher movie (particularly Scream franchise if you have seen it?) absolutely no pressure if u dont feel inspired or interested in writing this ! x thank uu

I've only seen the first one, tbh, so I'm not as well versed with the whole franchise, but I've seen my fair share of slasher movies, so I think I'll give this a go! But I'll be operating on the idea that they're in a slasher film together, so unfortunately, not all of them are going to survive. Sorry! It might not be exactly what you asked for!

1) Andrew Haldane and Eddie Jones - Oh no they don't make it. In fact, they're the dead girls who haunt the narrative. Particularly Andy. But Eddie, too, because Andy would not be dead if Eddie had not died first. They were each other's greatest happiness, and inevitable doom. Their romance is the tragedy, and sets the stage for all the shit that's about to go down next.

2) Bill Leyden - practical, smart, pragmatic, you'd think he'd survive, but he's too skeptical, you know? But he's too logical. Almost to a fault. At first, he wields it as his own weapon against the fear, but slowly it morphs from weapon to shield. Then slowly, from shield to outright denial, and as the tension rises and rises, he struggles to keep from breaking until, finally, he crumbles beneath it. Not completely, but just enough to give their killer an in. He's not surviving the night, unfortunately.

3) Jay De L'eau - he is though! Jay's surviving! out of pure dumb luck! He's so quiet, so small and so unassuming, that the killer will forget about him until it is too late. He's the last minute save you wouldn't expect, the car that comes crashing against your slasher, sending him several feet away and far enough to buy everybody else some time, or the shadow that brings something heavy down upon the slasher's head, enough to knock him out and pull everybody else to their feet, crying 'Run!'. He's the guy they find at the end, maybe in the post-credits scene, hiding beneath the rubble or tucked away amongst the shadows, safe and traumatized. But generally untouched.

4) RV Burgin - I don't think he's surviving. He wants to get out, no question. But he's not desperate enough to throw people under the bus, and maybe that was his mistake. He stops running because someone tripped. Turns to look back because someone calls out his name, reaches out to him. Or makes it out, but then realizes his is a hollow victory if he can't manage to take his friends out with him, too. Man, he should've just run, but that's not who Burgie is. He might come back in the sequel though, maybe in a post-credits scene added by the producers after the test screening audiences demand that he be alright bc they love the character too much.

5) Merriell Shelton - ok if there's a likely candidate for the 'someone from the original group who was the Slasher all along' character, it's Snaf; turns out he was Ghostface this whole time! but that feels like too much of an out and a little unfair, so I'll just say that he'll make it almost all the way to the end, but he's going to slip up. And it's going to be because he's so tired. He's so afraid under all that anger, but he's just so tired, too, and it only takes one little slip. One little swing too late. But make no mistake, he fights back. He will be remembered very fondly because he fights back, and the tragedy of it lies in how close he was to getting out. He was so close. But not close enough.

6) Eugene Sledge - FINAL GIRL FINAL GIRL FINAL GIRL ENERGY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? OF COURSE HE'S FINAL GIRL he's standing over the bloody corpse of their tormentor and he's the only one in his right mind to shoot it more than once to make sure it's dead. He's the one whose rage far surpasses that of the slasher. He's the who comes out of this ordeal alive and fully changed, covered in blood, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator, and smoking his pipe at the steps of the house or the entrance of the summer camp; red and blue emergency lights flashing over his face as someone puts a blanket over his shoulders.

[gingerwerk]

for eugene in his time in the service, it was always him, oswalt, and bill and after snafu hears his shit on oswalt, snafu has to stop and think about how for him he has his own trio, him, jay, and burgie. and he tries to think about how it would be, to go through his time and have his boys at his side and then right before theyre free, one of them almost dies in a humvee explosion and he doesn’t know if they’ll ever be the same and the other gets fucking blown to smithereens twenty feet away from him and snafu honestly doesn’t know if he would have made it long without them. 

and snafus just kinda like, damn eugenes stronger than all of us and also kinda thinks about how eugene probably doesnt realize how strong he is 

at some point snaf brings it up to burgie one night, maybe months later when things are better, and he explains that bill got hurt and sent home and bill and eugene lost a friend, with eugene being right next to him when it happened.

he’s just like ‘i tried thinking if that were me... now, im under no illusion, i Know the only fucking reason im sitting here right now is because of you and jay.’

[freebooter4ever]

A continuation of this fic in which Snafu deals with seeing a lot of naked butts in the marines on a regular basis and remains unimpressed by the whole thing until he sees Eugene in the showers. Eugene, of course, is too busy staring transfixed as Gunny Haney srubs his genitals raw with a bristle brush to notice Snafu's scrutiny.

Now Snafu's got a bit of a crush and a slight fascination with seeing Gene wet and soapy, that he believes is unrequited so he decides to do the mature thing and hide. (this is 100% dedicated to that one gif of poor sledge stripping down to his bare bottom, and also that sledge staring at naked haney in the showers is true fact)(im writing this for stress relief pls forgive me)

Eugene finds him. Snafu thinks he's being sneaky by slinging a makeshift hammock onto the roof of one of the bunk tents. There's a small(ish) palm tree leaning low beside the tent, and it's easy to lasso the top of the tree, cinch the rope tight, and tie the other end to the tent roof. Snafu then gingerly climbs into the hammock, curls the edges round himself, and hides there like a cocoon. The hammock sags a little and Snafu can feel the stiffer canvas of the tent brushing up against his ass. The weighty bulge of his butt must show on the tent roof canvas because an hour or so into his nap, Snafu is woken up with a prod to his right butt cheek.

Someone is poking him with the hard end of a broom.

He tries to adjust to take his weight off the roof of the tent, but his movement only serves to give his location away even more. He hears the tent door slap shut against the wooden frame, and the gravel crunch as the person doing the poking walks around outside towards the tree.

"Snafu I ain't shimmying up a palm tree for your sake," Eugene calls to him, "If you want my mother's baby food get your ass down here."

Snafu chooses to remain quiet. He doesn't know how Eugene can tell it's him. Surely, the boy is guessing. There's no part of Snafu sticking out of the hammock to identify him. Unless Eugene has memorized the imprint of Snafu's ass.

While Snafu is considering the implications of Eugene recognizing him based on the tent roof molding around Snafu's butt, he hears the leaves of the palm tree rattle and shake. He sticks his head out of his hammock and sees Sledgehammer scooting up the tree trunk inch by inch.

"Thought you said you wouldn't shimmy?" Snafu asks him.

"I guess I made an exception," Eugene says. He hits the top of the tree, extends a leg to brace himself on the tent, and then flops into the hammock.

Snafu's world is thrown into chaos.

For one thing, the hammock was not built to hold more than one person. For another thing, Eugene isn't particularly coordinated. If it weren't for Snafu's expert handling of the rope, they would both be on the ground with smarting asses. As it is, they're smushed against each other so tightly it's hard to tell where one body begins and the other ends. Eugene manages to get his elbows on either side of Snafu and extends his arms enough that their heads are at least not knocked together.

Snafu glares at him mightily. "It's too hot in here for two people, Hammer," he insists. He can already feel sweat pooling in the crevices of his body and running down his skin.

"Don't worry, I'm not staying," Eugene tells him curtly, "Eat your mush." He pulls a jar from his pocket and drops it on Snafu's chest.

"Good luck leaving," Snafu comments, "Pretty sure we were already glued together from sweat five seconds ago."

Eugene moves his arm and sure enough the sweat between their bare torsos gives a loud 'squelch' and feels like it rips Snafu's skin off with it. "Sorry", Eugene mumbles.

"While your arm's down there, wanna fetch my spoon?" Snaf asks.

"Sure…" Eugene says, only slightly hesitant. He feels around Snafu's pants, accidentally gets a little frisky in some areas - "Sorry!" he says, and then finally finds the correct pocket and retrieves the spoon.

"Thanks," Snafu moves his shoulders and shoves his knee up between Eugene's legs so there's more space between their bodies. He sticks the spoon in his mouth, unscrews the jar, and shovels a spoonful of beets out.

Eugene's hand ends up cupping Snafu's thigh for lack of anywhere else to go. He settles in and watches Snafu eat.

"Don't know why they call it baby food," Snafu drawls with his mouth half full, "When I was a baby all I got was the water from cabbage soup. This shits practically gourmet. Wasted on babies. They can't taste shit anyway."

"When I was little the only thing I'd eat was broccoli," Eugene says.

"More proof kids can't taste shit," Snafu shakes his head.

"Says the person who is eating beets like they're ice cream," Eugene comments.

"It sure 'beets' that dog food the Marines call hot chow…" Snafu grins.

Eugene rolls his eyes, but he smiles anyway.

Snafu finishes his baby food, drops the jar into the hammock somewhere around their feet, and tries to get comfortable.

"Snaf, that jar rolled behind my leg!" Eugene complains, "Why'd you drop it?"

"Why do you care? Thought you weren't staying?" Snafu reminds him.

"Well, like you said… I'm stuck," Eugene says. He fishes around for the jar, almost accidentally knees Snafu in the nuts, finds the jar, and tosses it out of the hammock. They hear it hit the ground with a thud.

With the jar gone, and all their pressing problems solved, they don't really know what to do next. Snafu eyes Gene with suspicion. He doesn't know what Gene wants here. Wordlessly they come to an agreement where Snafu shuffles around with Eugene guiding his elbow and hip placement until they find a position they're both comfortable with. Eugene's nose is pushed up against Snafu's ear and he can hear him breathing, as well as feel his chest rise and fall.

"Hey Snafu?" Eugene asks quietly. His lips brush against the ridge of Snafu's jaw.

"Hmmm?"

"You stink less than the others," Eugene says, "Want to bunk together while we're stuck on Pavuvu this month?"

"Sure," Snafu murmurs.

"You know, it'd be godamn impossible to have sex in this hammock," Eugene observes quietly.

"Why the fuck are you thinking about fucking?" Snafu asks, "It's too damn hot."

"I'm just saying, I don't know how the navy boys do it," Eugene comments, "All those years with nothing but ship hammocks."

"I'm sure they make do," Snafu says evasively and eyes Eugene to make sure the boy hasn't gone crazy.

Eugene looks like his normal, innocent self - the kind of guy who has never had an impure thought outside of a few lingering stares in the showers. Eugene sighs, and twists his hand into the fabric of Snafu's pants.

"What'cha doing there, Hammer?" Snafu asks nervously.

"You keep wiggling," Eugene complains, "I'm trying to nap."

Snafu turns his face again and sure enough, Gene's eyes are closed and his hand in Snafu's pants keeps Snafu's hip trapped tight against Eugene's.

"I guess if it's too hot for sex, napping is the next best thing," Snafu agrees, trying to not sound too disappointed.

They both fall asleep in the hammock. Snafu's body easily connects with Gene's in a way that's got him feeling lazy, like a rag doll. And as Snafu drifts off he thinks about how he's come a long way from kicking Sledge out of his tent two months ago.

That week Sledge and Snafu claim a two person tent adjacent to Burgie and Jay's, but after Jay gets reassigned to another company, and Burgie shoves his cot against the farthest wall of his now private tent, it almost feels as if Snafu and Sledge are in their own little world.

Not to mention it gives Snafu a front row seat to watch Sledgehammer shave every morning and write in his damn diary every night.

Sledge enjoys thinking, and seems to be productive about it. Snafu prefers distractions. If he can't find any activity to busy his mind, he'll invent one. Maybe that's why the image of Eugene naked and wet in the showers plays over and over on repeat. Especially when Eugene's daily hygiene routine is happening.

Sledge catches Snafu staring at him while he finishes shaving once, and Snafu thinks he's gonna get slugged in the face but instead Eugene just grabs the comb from Snafu's distracted, slack hand and starts brushing Snafu's hair himself.

Snafu doesn't say anything, afraid he might break whatever spell was making this dream come true.

Sledge slowly works through every tangle in Snafu's curls. It takes Eugene about three times as long to do it as Snafu, especially as he is incredibly delicate and reluctant to tug on Snafu's scalp even a little bit. It feels good - Eugene's deft fingers running through his hair, shifting the strands back and forth to work out knots.

"You have a palm frond in here, Snafu" Sledge observes, "When's the last time you actually showered?"

"What do I need to shower for? Thought you said I smelled good?" Snafu quips.

"You do, but that's got nothing to do with cleanliness," Eugene argues, "Answer the question."

"We went swimming yesterday, remember?" Snafu says. He closes his eyes, recalling the image of Eugene running excitedly towards him down the beach, butt naked, his dick bouncing.

"I mean with soap," Sledge sighs.

"You're as bad as Haney," Snafu complains. He pitches his voice lower and mimics, "The health of the corps…"

"Haney has a point," Sledge argues.

"What's the point if we're all just gonna get dirty again, anyway?" Snafu asks.

"The point is literally your health," Sledge says

"Might be time to shave it all off," Snafu shrugs, "I'll follow pops' lead. Go bald."

There's a sharp, painful tug on his scalp. "Shit, sorry!" Sledge says with genuine concern, "I lost focus, my hand slipped." He sets the comb down and massages the spot on Snafu's head where he yanked too hard on a knot of hair.

It feels good - those gentle fingertips taking care of him. Sledge needs to stop, or soon Snafu will have other problems. To impede Eugene's efforts, Snafu leans back against Eugene's chest and settles into his arms comfortably. Now Sledge can't reach Snafu's hair. The entire back half of his curls are mashed against Sledge's shirt.

"Snaf…" Eugene says. His voice takes on that amused tone he always uses when it's just him and Snafu and no one else around.

"Hmmm," Snafu grunts. He refuses to open his eyes.

"Are you sleeping on me again?" Eugene asks.

"No, you're sitting on my cot," Snafu corrects, "And it's my cot I'm sleeping on."

"And I'm supposed to sit here doing nothing while you catch up on beauty sleep?" Sledge asks.

"You'd be surprised how many core muscles you work sitting up straight without a backrest," Snafu replies.

"You saying this is a workout?" Sledge sounds like he's about to laugh.

"Sempre-fi," Snafu declares.

"At least let me get my book," Sledge barters.

"Hmmmmm," Snafu responds.

"Snaf…" Eugene places his hand flat against Snafu's side and the gentleness startles Snafu so much he sits up straight in an instant. "I'll be one second," Eugene says.

Snafu slumps forward and waits.

Sledge returns, a book in hand. One Snafu doesn't recognize. It must've come from Leckie's collection. Sledge tends to disappear at night sometimes, and the one time Snafu followed him out of curiosity, he discovered Sledge and Leckie having a philosophical discussion over books.

Snafu can't say he was surprised but he was a little disappointed. Any confirmation of which way Sledge swung would have been nice

"Up," Sledge taps Snafu's knee with the book.

"Sledgehammer…" Snafu immediately follows orders, but compliance doesn't mean he's not confused, "What're you doing?"

"I'm too lazy for a work out," Sledge admits, "Sit down." He pats the cot in front of him.

Snafu does.

"Now scoot back," Sledge beckons temptingly.

Snafu does that too. He leans far enough back that he's nestled between Eugene's legs, with his head lolling against Eugene's shoulder.

"Now sleep," Eugene advises.

Snafu falls asleep in Eugene's arms. Something that's becoming a bit of a habit. It happens more regularly than either of them would like to admit.

One morning Snafu wakes up - not pleasantly in Eugene's arms - but from a particularly egregious wet dream featuring Sledgehammer in no clothes at all. Snafu sits bolt upright, heart racing, guilt choking his throat, and looks around the tent to find the man himself already awake and lathering his chin with shaving cream in front of their tiny mirror. Hammer's pants are slung low around his hips, and his back is bare. Snafu has a choice - he can either stay here and torment himself by watching Sledge shave, or he can retreat outside into the hot sun.

He chooses the sun, and squats down in the dirt with his back against the tent. He squints and stares into the sky blindly.

Unfortunately for Snafu the sun doesn't choose him. A summer squall opens up and unleashes a downpour. Eugene emerges from their tent with spots of shaving cream still on his face and a bar of soap in his hand.

He's also completely nude.

Eugene tilts his face to the sky, exposing the pointed line of his jaw, while he lathers up the soap and rubs it down his body. The rain runs rivulets along Sledge's skinny neck and pools in his collarbone.

Snafu can't take his eyes away.

Eugene's as thorough as Haney in his cleanliness, but he's softer. Eugene's wrists rub little circles all over his skin with the soap, even behind his knees. He takes his time, and stretches a little when he washes under his armpits. His belly shifts with the reach and accentuates the V of his groin, leading lower to where Snafu sees Sledge is most definitely a natural redhead, before the rain slicks everything down, dark and smooth.

And Snafu just sits, struck dumb and entranced, and tries to remember to breathe on occasion. If this is attraction, Snafu isn't sure how most people survive experiencing this feeling on a regular basis.

Eugene palms the soap and swipes it across his belly, and around his hip toward his ass (the one spot he hasn't lathered up yet, Snafu observes).

Snafu is filled with a sudden desperate urge to squish the skin of Eugene's butt cheeks. Getting to watch it happen is the next best thing.

Eugene moves too fast with the soap though, because the little bar pops out from between his hand and body and goes flying in the direction of Snafu.

Snafu follows the soap's trajectory and watches as it skids to a stop at his feet.

"Whoopsi daisy," Sledge says and turns around to find it.

Snafu focuses his eyes and thoughts purely on the soap.

"Snaf?"

He looks up to find Eugene smiling at him with amused confusion.

"Your uniform's getting soaked," Sledge points out, "Why're you out here?"

Snafu hurriedly tears his gaze away from Sledge and notices that, yes, Snafu himself is wet to the bone from the deluge. He hadn't even noticed. He bends down, grabs the soap, and lobs it over Sledge's head so Eugene has to turn around and dive to catch it.

Of course Sledge catches it, his hand eye coordination is superb.

Before Eugene straightens up, Snafu disappears inside their tent. The scramble between his seat outside and his cot is barely eight feet, but still Snafu is breathing hard. The wet uniform he's wearing is too constricting, so he rips it off over his head. He squats down onto the bunk and grips his head between his hands. He needs to forget.

Too soon, Snafu hears the rain on the canvas roof pitter patter to a stop, and Sledge ducks back into the tent.

"Damn rainstorm quit and I'm still soapy," Sledge complains, "I think I'll have to go to the showers to get it off." He stands naked in the middle of the tent, completely without a care.

"My eyes have gone yellow again," Snafu groans, "I've got a fever, I'm hot all over." He runs his hand over his face and tries to get his breathing under control. Somehow, despite the heat, he's shaking.

Sledge puts his soap away in it's neat little container and turns around with a sigh, "Snafu, you and I are the only two in the whole company who've yet to land ourselves in the hospital. Of anyone, we're the least likely to have your so-called heebie-jeebies."

"Says you who won't even check my eyes," Snafu bemoans.

"I have checked your eyes. I've been checking your eyes," Sledge protests, sounding annoyed, "Hard not to when we live right on top of one another." Sledge deftly hooks a towel around his waist and picks his way towards the tent entrance, "I'm going for a proper shower, see you at chow."

"I'll die," Snafu warns, "and you'll get stuck with some replacement who doesn't know his rifle from his gun, and then you'll be sorry."

Sledge rolls his neck and looks at Snafu, obviously fed up. He drops the tent flap closed again and walks back to Snafu's cot. Sledge crouches down in front of him and places his hands on Snafu's knees. "Snaf, you need to stop fixating on this. I think you're giving yourself anxiety."

If it's anxiety that's making Snafu's breaths come in short shallow stutters, he's all for getting rid of it.

Sledge very patiently brushes a stray curl off Snafu's forehead and stares into Snafu's eyes as requested. Sledge's own ginger hair is still wet - plastered to his head with bits in the back sticking out like a cockatoo. And his lips are bright red. And slick with rain. And altogether too close to Snafu's face.

Snafu stares back, unable to get any words out. He might not have thought this through all the way.

"I don't see any yellow," Sledge promises.

Snafu rolls his eyes to the ceiling and tilts his chin up, "There's not enough light in this damn tent." When he dares a glance back down, Eugene is no longer checking his eyes. His lips are parted and he's staring at Snafu's neck in a way that's got Snafu going all feverish again. "How can you see a thing?" Snafu demands.

Eugene chuckles at Snafu's stubborn refusal to believe him. His hands rub over Snafu's thighs in a calming manner. He smiles fondly at Snafu and says, "We're all dying, Snaf. But I swear I'm not gonna let the fear of it get you before anything else does. Don't you dare crack up on me. I ain't relying on some replacement."

If Snafu were the crying type, he might have tears in his eyes. With Eugene's hands on him, Snafu's legs splay open farther on their own accord. As if Snafu unconsciously wants Eugene to notice how laid bare and vulnerable Snafu feels with Eugene right there, invading his space.

Eugene's eyes follow the movement of Snafu's knees and drift downwards till he notices the mini tent in Snafu's damp shorts. Eugene's fingers dig painfully into Snafu's skin and his back stiffens.

Immediately panic overrides all thought and Snafu starts, "Gene, it's not…"

Instead of letting him finish, Eugene surges forward and covers Snafu's mouth with his own.

And like that, with one sudden burst of understanding between them, Snafu gets his first real kiss.

Before this Snafu didn't understand what the fuss was about kissing. Two people mash their faces together and it gets boring after one minute. No matter how many times Snafu tried, he never shared the interest or excitement other people displayed. His partners were enthusiastic, and Snafu went along with it, because why not.

Not so with Eugene. Eugene kisses Snafu and all Snafu can think about is kissing him back. He grabs Eugene's shoulders and pulls him in as intensely as Eugene is pressing forward.

Eugene shifts them so that rather than topple backwards over the edge of the cot, Eugene lays Snafu down across it. He palms Snafu's ass, lifts him closer, and rolls their hips together.

It's almost too much, and certainly not helping with Snafu's labored breathing. He feels too hot for his own skin, let alone to be touching Eugene's bare chest and arms and neck as well. He breaks the all consuming kiss and twists away to take a gasping breath. He holds Eugene's shoulders firm and warns sharply, "Gene."

Eugene freezes abruptly and relaxes his hold, looking to Snafu for direction.

Snafu folds Eugene's floppy hair out of his face and behind his ear. It doesn't stay there. When the reddish lock of hair flaps back down into Snafu's eyes again, they both laugh.

Snafu uses his hands to smooth Eugene's still damp hair against his head where it finally sticks. Eugene leans down to touch their foreheads together. His eyes close and the two of them pause, bodies interlocked, Snafu's heart rate slowly returning to normal.

After a few minutes, Snafu's skin starts to feel less like a cage, and his breathing calms. He takes a breath, tips his head up, and in his eagerness accidentally bumps his nose with Eugene's.

"Snaf," Eugene whispers affectionately with a smile. He runs his hand down Snafu's hip and squeezes his thigh.

Snafu tentatively places a gentle kiss on Eugene's lips. Eugene responds in kind, keeping things soft and gradual.

Snafu sets the pace. He's the one who tugs Eugene's towel out from between them so he can feel all of Eugene's skin. He's the one who briefly bucks Eugene off his body so he can shimmy out of his wet pants. A very difficult feat, but one he manages without tipping the cot over.

Through it all Eugene kisses Snafu everywhere, and smiles at him every chance he gets. He isn't given very many chances cause Eugene's lips are magnetic, and Snafu seems to have a very hard time parting from them.

Everything ends more abruptly than expected.

Snafu figures Eugene is done with him after that - that he'll get up and head to the showers like Sledge planned to do all along. Instead Eugene curls his leg between Snafu's thighs and cradles Snafu's head in his arms. He kisses Snafu delicately, and runs his hands through his hair. Snafu feels as neatly wrapped up in Eugene as the pencils in their makeshift case.

"Think we both need that shower, now," Eugene points out fondly.

"One round and you're all wore out?" Snafu taunts, though he doesn't have the energy to sound convincing.

"Yes," Eugene states, unashamed, "I feel put through the wringer, Snaf. Not just today, but the day before and the day before that and so on. Like all those weeks I spent thinking of you just got twisted up till something snapped and it all came swirling straight. I'm so damn dizzy, I can't even focus…"

Snafu smirks sideways at Gene's awkward honest rambling, cups his hand to Eugene's cheek, and kisses him silent. Snafu feels amazingly calm. That fizzing beneath his skin is gone completely. He's languid and pliant under Gene's hands.

"God, Snafu," Eugene whispers breathlessly, running his hand down the length of Snafu's waist, "You've been on my mind since that first stubborn 'taken' came out of your mouth months ago."

Snafu gives him a confident, heavy lidded smile, that's maybe a little bit too self satisfied.

Eugene's expression turns suspicious, "You knew, didn't you?"

Snafu laughs and shakes his head, "Just wishful thinking."

"On my part?" Eugene asks.

"Mine," Snafu confesses.

"What'd you wish about?" Eugene holds eye contact.

Snafu shrugs and turns away to try and find his cigarettes.

"Snafu…." Eugene furrows his brows with worry.

"Shelton," Snafu says, "Merriell Shelton. Don't call me that, though."

"Why're you telling me your full name, then?" Eugene asks, "If you don't want me to use it?"

"You should know who you're getting into bed with," Snafu passes him the cigarette.

"Are you saying you trust me?" Eugene asks.

Snafu shrugs.

Eugene scoffs. He grounds the cigarette into the dirt, and tackles Snafu on the cot. The damn thing flips, sends them both tumbling to the ground, and Eugene uses the distraction to straddle Snafu's waist and pin him down.

"I love you, Snafu," Eugene says, all casual, like he's describing the weather, "I have for some time now."

"Yeah?" Snafu asks with a grin. He pushes his hips up so Eugene can feel him hard against his ass.

"For goodness sake, quit it with the distractions, I'm trying to be serious," Eugene rolls his eyes, "You're impossible."

"Impossible to love, maybe," Snafu taunts, still wiggling.

Eugene eyes him with a devilish look no good Christian boy should ever wear, and responds to Snafu's goading by making out with him obscenely.

For someone with very little experience in libido, Snafu becomes an overnight sensation and Eugene quickly becomes the one thing Snafu can't live without. They try to maintain an appropriate distance around other Marines, for fear of being caught and transferred like Jay (or worse). But otherwise, every minute they're alone Snafu can't keep Eugene off him. Eugene holds onto Snafu like he's precious, and Snafu gets his fill touching Eugene's skin. It's astounding, the differences between life before Eugene and after. Pavuvu seems like an entirely new place, and not altogether as bad as Snafu thought it was.

For the first time since they met, they are separated for three whole days when Eugene is sent out on training maneuvers. Snafu is given a reprieve due to his seasickness and still-healing wound.

When Eugene gets back from Guadalcanal, Snafu is losing at solitaire on his cot and pauses in his game. He glances up at Gene stepping through the door, and smiles because he knows what's coming.

Eugene surprises him, though. No intense makeout session. He drops his pack at the foot of the cot and, without asking, neatly gathers up the playing cards. He places the cards in a stack on the floor next to his pack and then lays Snafu down on the cot. He physically positions Snafu’s hands and legs, and climbs onto the cot beside him. Eugene tugs his own shirt over his head, bunches it up, and shoves it on top of Snafu's collarbone like a pillow. Eugene lies atop Snafu and shifts both of their limbs till he is comfortable.

All this is done in dead silence, and with the assumption - or more accurately the knowledge - that Snafu will let him. And after all that, finally satisfied, Eugene heaves a great sigh as his entire weight falls on Snafu like a sack of flour. Snafu carefully wraps his arms around Gene and rubs his back.

"What happened?" Snafu asks nervously. It was supposed to have been simple training maneuvers. Boring as shit, no actual danger.

"I've been offered a spot in the officers candidate school. Might land me a desk job," Eugene murmurs. He lifts himself up on weak arms in order to look Snafu directly in the eye, "I turned them down."

"What…?" Snafu is stunned. He stares blankly. This is something Snafu never considered even in his worst nightmares - the prospect of losing Gene without also being the one to watch him die.

"I said no," Eugene breathes. He sounds relieved, and certain of himself.

Eugene's voice already makes it very clear there's no argument here, but Snafu feels compelled to try anyway. "Why?" Snafu asks, eyes wide.

"I'm not leaving you," Eugene states. He stares Snafu down for another few minutes, till he is certain of Snafu's acceptance of his decision, and then rests his head on Snafu's chest.

Snafu cradles Eugene in his arms. His first instinct is to shake Eugene silly until Eugene agrees to go home and become a desk jockey where he'll stay safe for the rest of the war. But Snafu doesn't know when the war will end. From their vantage point it feels infinite - this monotonous slog across unchanging terrain, only peppered with the occasional miserable sea journey. And if Eugene makes it through training before the end of the war… well… officers don't have a long life expectancy in the pacific. If an officer or medic wears any signifier of rank, they immediately become a target. Both he and Eugene have watched their own regiment go through a number of officers, one after the other, replaced with untried green men straight from bootcamp or college. Eugene would become one of them.

Plus he'd be sent to a new company, leaving Eugene without Snafu to protect him. Heck, if enough time had passed, Snafu might be too dead and buried to keep Eugene alive even if he was reassigned to the same company.

"Shit, Sledge," Snafu mutters, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Eugene reacts suddenly to the sound of his name. He digs his fingers into the flesh of Snafu's waist and clambers around on the cot until he can stare Snafu down. "I'm not leaving you," Eugene insists.

"You said that already…" Snafu points out.

"You called me 'Sledge'," Eugene accuses, "You haven't called me 'Sledge' since that day I kissed you."

"Eugene… I…" Snafu says quietly.

"I'm not leaving you," Eugene repeats. His hands move from Snafu's waist to his shoulders and Gene grips him desperately, "Don't you dare check out on me."

"Gene…" Snafu reaches up to brush away the tears tracking down Eugene's cheek. "Don't you want to be something better than cannon fodder?" Snafu asks, "Hell, you might get back home, spend a few months expanding that already overlarge brain of yours, and then get told the war's over..."

"My parents would agree with you," Eugene says bitterly. He hides his face in Snafu's neck. "They told me life would be more beautiful for me as an officer."

"When'd they tell you that?" Snafu asks, confused, "You wrote them a letter that quick?"

"1942 - Before I quit college and enlisted," Eugene says, "They tried to stop me."

"You never finished college?" Snafu is trying to remember if anyone told him Eugene was a college graduate, or if he just assumed so because of the 'college boy' nickname.

"No I never finished," Eugene chuckles, "I quit my sophomore year because I was afraid the war would end before I'd get a chance to do my part. Naive little idiot."

"You willingly chose to join up as an enlisted man?" Snafu asks.

"Mmmm," Eugene agrees, "And my parents were wrong. Life has never been more beautiful than now. Don't think they anticipated you."

Snafu squirms uncomfortably.

"Hey," Eugene scolds, "Stop that."

Snafu raises his eyebrows innocently.

"I can feel you arguing with me," Eugene claims.

"I said nothing…" Snafu retorts.

"Snaf, I never thought I'd get something like this," Eugene confesses, "I knew I'd find companionship, that was a given. That I'd probably grow old with a friend - some woman who'd have kids with me, care for me, and I'd care deeply for her. But I never thought I'd find this. And I'm a selfish asshole, always have been. I refuse to give you up."

"You don't have to give anything up," Snafu says, "Just gotta leave for a little while."

"Absolutely not," Eugene refuses, "That's not how this would work and you know it." He takes a deep breath and lays his head back down on Snafu's shoulder to get comfortable again. "I'm sticking with you to the end… whenever… whatever that will be."

"I can't believe you gave up college for this shit," Snafu mutters, "That's…" he searches for the right way to say it, "... You're a true Marine, Sledgehammer."

Eugene snorts, "It was less altruism and more vanity. I could never have lived with myself if I hadn't gone."

"Still…" Snafu says consideringly, "... You know, back before Peleliu I didn't have much hope for you. You being a rich kid and all. But you did good. You surprised me. And I guess that might explain it. That you volunteered. That you quit college. Before your parents approved."

Eugene actually chuckles fondly in response. "Snaf," he says, his breath tickling the hairs behind Snafu's ear.

"Yeah?" Snafu asks.

"Turn your head a little so I can kiss you," Eugene requests.

Snafu doesn't comply immediately. He takes a few breaths. Thinks about how, with both of them on the line, either of them could get hit, and this thing between them could end without warning. The threat of not enough time hangs over them constantly. So if Eugene wants a kiss, Eugene gets a kiss. Snafu turns his head.

Their lips meet. Eugene squeezes Snafu tight. And then all the energy seeps from him. He presses a tiny last kiss to Snafu's jaw, and curls around him to take a nap.

Snafu settles his hand protectively over Eugene's neck and watches him slowly relax.

Eugene is fast asleep within minutes.

Snafu holds Gene for a couple hours during his nap that afternoon. Anyone could walk into the tent and discover them. It’s incredibly dangerous, the risk they are taking. Impossible to disguise the nature of their relationship with Gene’s leg slung between Snafu’s, and his head nestled in the crook of Snafu's neck.

Snafu isn't exactly used to this role. He doesn't think he's ever been a comfort to anyone before in his life. Eugene Sledge who always makes sure to be there in support for all the guys… comes to Snafu for help before anyone else. He trusts Snafu, over everyone.

Snafu should push him off. They should not be lying together like this in plain sight. But Eugene is sleeping so well. Big time war hero Merriell Shelton's gonna get himself court martialed. All because a beautiful boy says he loves him.

[infinitegalahad]

Idk I’ve been feeling pretty down lately. Something cute, angsty, and smutty with a jealous Merriell Shelton and fem reader ?? You can have fun with it

Doux Comme Des Bonbons

Pairing: Snafu x Gender Netural! Reader

Summary: Snafu has a tendency to always wound up into trouble. Regardless, you still manage to put up with him.

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Implied sexual harrasment, jeleous! snafu, cursing, fighting, but very minor! 

A/N: Of course I can! I feel you, hope this cheers you up! ❣️✨ I’m sorry this came so late. I’ve been studying for a few tests. I promise to work on a few requests this weekend though! I love the requests though, keep them coming in! This one was a little longer than expected. Snafu is my favourite himbo. The title translates to “as sweet as candy” bc this is fluffy-is. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

“Snafu, he’s just a classmate!”

Snafu slammed the door to your apartment building. If school and work weren’t hard enough, this had been your breaking point. As much as you loved your Cajun boyfriend, he was an absolute handful. It was like taking care of a manchild who you loved one minute, the next you wanted to scream in his face. Whenever things were peaceful between you, it was bliss. Endless worship, cuddles, cute french nicknames, romantic and steamy nights. It was anything a partner could ask for.

But when all hell would break loose between you two, it would be full-on discord.

“Classmate ma’ ass. Prissy lil’ fucker. I’ve seen ‘da way ‘dat preppy boy looks at you.” Snafu annoyingly badgered. He followed you around your apartment. Stopping at the kitchen counter, you spin on your heel to look at him straight in the face, a hand on your waist and an angry pout proudly displayed on your face. “ ‘Dat Chris or whatever his n-”

“Chad. His name is Chad.” You corrected.

The Cajun groaned as his calloused hands grasped onto the counter. He was extremely aggravated with hell in his eyes. “Whatever. I don’t like ‘yah hangin’ ‘round him. Chad kept starin’ at you like you were a piece of meat. Tried to fuckin’ steal ma’ seat next to you! ‘Dat lil’ sunva gun tryin’ to sit next ‘ta ‘ma Cher!”

Chad wasn’t someone you considered a friend or acquaintance. He was someone who was in your lecture who happened to be one of your friend’s inner friends. Whenever you would go to study, Chad would always tag along. He mainly wouldn’t study and would pester the hell out of you. He had even followed you to Snafu’s jeep, which proceeded to Snafu almost running him over. Thankfully you had convinced Chad not to press charges.

There was no denying he was a total asshole. He wore the brighetst polos, cheated on every test, and did whatever he pleased. Snafu was convinced that his parents paid his way into college. It baffled you how you’re best friend could even consider someone such as Chad a friend. His whole purpose of being alive was to annoy you. Snafu surely didn’t care for him. But you only had the class for another two months, and then you would be rid of Chad.

Two months had gone by and Chad’s advances had begun to slowly die down. He was aware that you were dating Snafu, who he deemed a man out of your league. It was true, but you loved Snafu with every part of your soul. Snafu was not your everyday boyfriend. It was like dating a man child off of his ADHD medication. He was a somewhat (but still young) man who worked in lumber, a little rough around the edge with a thick Cajun accent. You were a teacher’s pet with a kind heart and gentle presence. When your friend Eugene had set you up, you’d never thought it would work. But date after date, the two of you only grew closer. Within three months, you had moved into Snafu’s apartment since you could barely afford to live in a shitty dorm. When Snafu had offered his home to become your home, you knew you had fallen in love with him. As much as Snafu was the occasional pain in the neck, he was yours and you were his.

Also in those two months, your professor had invited you to a semester party after you had finished up exams. The university you attended was celebrating his retirement and had invited the whole school. Not wanting you to be alone, Snafu tagged along. He looked amazing that night; his wild curls tamed with copious amounts of gel, a white collared shirt, and dress shoes that were crisp. It would have been a lovely night if Snafu had simply kept his mouth shut, which he struggled with.

-----

Walking arm and arm with your Cajun boyfriend, you were literally the belle of the ball. The amount of compliments you had received on your outfit was impressive. You had to thank your friend for the simple, yet elegant outfit.

One of your classmates had stopped to compliment your outfit. After a short discussion, you and Snafu continued your way to your assigned seating. Smiling at one of your classmates, Snafu pulled you in closer to his body.

“Relax Snaf,” You smiled as you leaned your head onto his shoulder. “Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“Whaddya talkin’ ‘bout? I’m fine. Justa’ lotta guys comin’ up ta you-I don’t blame them ‘doe. But if the-”

“Y/n!”

Snafu was cut off by your friend Hana. Best friends since birth, the two of you were inseparable. Same neighborhood, same high school, and same world-renowned university. Hana knew you better than your own parents at times. You left Snafu’s link to go give her a hug. Hana walked over and gave Snafu a pat on the back, knowing him quite well. You could tell she was a little standoffish with him since she thought he was way out of your league, but was glad to finally see you happy.

“Someone's looking dapper tonight!” Hana commented, patting Snafu’s shoulder. Snafu chuckled and nodded back, complimenting Hana’s (hideous) pink coral slacks. You saw Snafu’s confusion at how bright the pants were. Hana, even if she was your best friend, was a drastically different person from you. “Glad you brought him along, y/n. You guys look so cute together!”

Snafu stood right beside you. Feeling a firm hand on your waist, he looked over and gave you a devilish smirk. “Hana, my cher right here is ‘da real belle of the ball? They don’t even have to try-they just always look flawless.”

While being flirty, Snafu’s sweet side was starting to break through. The three of you chuckled as you gave Snafu a peck on the cheek. Cooing into his ear, “Merriell Shelton, you’re one heck of a kiss up.”

“What? I’m only speakin’ the truth.” He defended.

Hana smiled along at that, giving you a small wink. “Snafu is only speaking the truth. You guys are looking for your table?”

You nodded in response. The banquet hall was small and full of people. It was also dark which made it near impossible to find your assigned seating.

“We’re actually at the same table! Allow me to lead the way.” Hana stated. Snafu and you followed here through the crowd to the table. It mainly contained your classmates and a few of their families and friends. Everything was at peace until you saw a flash of a preppy patchwork suitjacket. It took a minute to process before it hit you and Snafu.

It was the one and only Chad.

Chad had been conversing with his friends.Upon seeing you, he let out a bostieorus laugh with his other preppy friends. Snafu felt immeidntly threatened in his presence, his hold tigenthing at your waist. He was trying to act tough but came off more as a child who’s favoruite toy was going to be taken away. As Chad stood up to come greet himself, you leaned over with your teeth gritted into a smile.

“Don’t say a damn thing. I can handle this.”

The tension between Chad and Snafu was evident. Here Chad was a young and egotistical frat boy who thousands of girls would squirm after. Here Snafu was, a bug-eyed Cajun with a heavy accent and one hell of an attitude. Chad still seemingly wasn’t over the fact that he was almost run over one time by Snafu. He even lightly joked about it, which didn’t sit well with any of you. This only caused Snafu’s burning hatred for Chad to grow even more. Chad was the gasoline and Snafu was the flame. Unfortunately, you and Snafu were placed right next to Chad and his friends. Hana was right next to you and knew that this wasn’t going to end well with the prepster and Cajun. Snafu would swing around the cheap whiskey in his cup and glare down Chad whenever he would even dare look at you. You hated the fact that Snafu was acting like this just because of Chad. The inner immature child in Snafu was beginning to show when Chad began to talk politics. It led to a passive aggressive agreement before you became the mediator before someone got a black eye.

Chad was busy talking to his goons when Snafu turned to you, a hand on your thigh. You placed your hand, squeezing it as you leaned in. “Bab-”

“I don’t like him. Prissy little bitc-”

“Merriell!” You scolded. “Langug-” Snafu smirked as he leaned in to whisper into your ear. “I ain’t a Proctologist, but I know an asshole when I see one. Do people think he’s straight? With those pink tight pants, it’s sendin’ another message.”

A snort escaped your mouth as you leaned into the Cajun’s shoulder. He did have a point though. What did people see in Chad that was so attractive?

Snafu noticed that you were amused by his humor. That devilish smirk you knew all too well was plastered on his face. “We should bust outta here, ditch the party and go back home. Watch a ninety day fiance. I like what’s on ‘da outside, but i wanna see what’s on ‘da inside…”

Snafu’s fingers crawled closer to your stomach. You bit your lip in response, your cheeks burning. It was so hard to resist him all dressed up and neat. Two could play this game.

“What the hell am I ever gonna do with you, Merriell Shelton?”

“Beats me, (Y/p) (Y/l/n).” He purred into your ear. It was definitely starting to become harder to resist him, especially when he called you by your professional name. But you had to contain yourself and watch over Snafu for another hour.

Your professor had walked over, interrupting your intimate moment. It was mostly for the better. Snafu had a chance to talk to your professor and learn more about the class you had been taking. He chatted up a storm with Snafu, who seemed integrued. Snafu wasn’t one for learning whatsoever. But anything that his partner would do was of interest. Your professor had even complimented Snafu saying that he had found a lovely partner. As he walked away, Snafu stood by and grabbed your drink to go get a refill. You attempted to get up but Snafu put a hand on your shoulder, holding you down.

“Sit down, darlin’.” He stated, saying a hard d in his creamy Cajun voice. “I’m takin’ care of my smart lil’ student.”

The next few events happened too quickly for you to process. Once Snafu had left, Chad had scooted into his seat. You could smell the vodka on his lips. He began to be his typical self, but got much more invasive of your space. You mostly ignored him as he talked about how rich his family was and his summer house on Nantucket. Hana wasn’t there, so you were stuck until Snafu came back.

Chad began to insulet your boyfriend. It started out as nothing more than a drunken rant, but things slowly came to tug at your heart. He began to make fun of his appearance, calling him “bug-eyed” and “dirty looking skin”. He made fun of his work occupation, outfit, almost anything and everything about him. It was definitely an uncomfortable situation. Where the hell was Snafu?

The breaking point was when Chad had wrapped his arm around you, asking you “What the hell do you see in that loser?”

The next events were full of discord. Snafu had come over, furious. He had yanked Chad out of his chair, yelling in his face. Chad began to cry, threatening to sue you and Snafu. He had also thrown pathetic insults at Snafu, which only made Snafu’s burning hatred brighter. Everybody had their eyes on Snafu, you, and Chad. Embarrassed, you grabbed Snafu and dragged him out of the venue. It was best for the both of you to leave before the police were called. The last words you heard before leaving were Chad’s drunken cry.

“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer next day! Hope you both get evicted from your shitty little apartment! You people are so evil!”

------

“You could have just ignored him!”

“Like hell! He had yah’ hand ‘round you, tryin’ to s-”

“Oh for the love of god!” You cursed. “I could’ve handled that on my own. You didn’t have to yank him out of his chair!”

“I did have ‘ta! He was assaultin’ you! You’re my c-”

“Merriell, do not cher me. This is serious,” You hissed. All you wanted to do was go to bed and escape this horrible nightmare. “He could charge you for assault. Even if it was minor, you did try to run him over with your car. There’s no way you could stand a chance against that. If you had let me handle it, it wou-”

Snafu raised his voice, “Y/N! HE WAS HARRASIN’ YOU! TRIED TO PULL DOWN ‘YER PANTS! WHAT ‘DA HELL DID YOU THINK I WAS GONNA LET HIM DO? YOU JUST NEED TO FUCKIN’ LISTEN SOMETIMES!”

His sour tone definitely made your whole body go numb. When Snafu raised his voice, you knew he was mad. He was usually pissed off at the world, but it was chilling to hear him scream. His eyes widened as the gel in his hair began to wear off; his unruly curls began to show. You stepped back, feeling tears sting at your eyes. Snafu, upon seeing this, freaked out. He had been irritated the whole night. The last thing he wanted was to see you all upset. Your lip began to quiver as warm tears streamed down your cheeks. The Cajun’s face softened, walking over to apologize. He had fear all over his face. You were the person he loved the most yet at times he had no idea how to comfort you. Emotions weren’t his speciality. He grew up greedy and selfish since it was all he knew. When he had met you, Snafu had truly changed. He didn’t know how to describe it, but you had made him a better person. You gave him hope that the world wasn’t such a shitty place.

Turning around, you walk upstairs and block out everything. Your eyes are full of tears, blinding your vision. Snafu followed after you, begging for forgiveness. He was like a lost, heartbroken puppy. Instead of heading towards your shared bedroom, you decided to hide away in the bathroom. Slamming the door, you back into the wall and slowly slide down. All you wanted to do was just let your emotions loose and not have to think about absolutely anything. You just wanted to be alone with your tears and nothing more.

-----

The tears eventually stopped with your vision cleared. You could feel the dry makeup under your eyes. Your arms and legs felt numb as you were backed to a wall, staring into the shower. What did your professor think? It was horribly embarrassing for you. There was no way you and Snafu could win a lawsuit against Chad. He knew the power he had over the both of you. It was going to be an absolute nightmare. Hana was most likely blowing up your phone with notifications. What di-

Your thoughts went away when you heard the bathroom door open. It was the one and only Snafu who had the look of a sad puppy. He normally wasn’t this soft, but his face was ridden with guilt. You didn’t even react when he walked over and sat right next to you, his thigh right next to yours. Staring at the wall, he let out a sigh. His big blue eyes were right on you.

“Cher,” His fingers trailed onto your chin as he gently turned your head. Your face was destroyed with ruined makeup. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Guilt was all over his face. But there was no time to be whining, all he could do was attempt to make things right.

“Come on,” Snafu cooed. Grabbing your hand, he gently led you up to look in the mirror. This was the second time you saw yourself in the mirror that night. You looked like you had been hit with a tornado. The once neat outfit had been wrinkled, your neatly gelled hair wispy and falling apart, and your face covered with runny makeup. Snafu had gone through the cabinet to grab some makeup wipes. His fingers titled your head to him as he ran it gently over your face. Instead of fighting back, you let him remove the makeup from your face. He made sure to clean off every little bit from your foundation to your lipstick. As he reached your eyes, he peeled off one of your fake leashes and jumped back.

“Sacre bleu!” He cursed, throwing the eyelash into the sink. Snafu was a man who was scared by nothing, except for a fake eyelash. You bit your lip, trying to hold back a chuckle.

“ ‘Da fuck is dat thing? Fuckin’ spiderweb lookin’ bitch. Looks like it has a damn life of its own...” Snafu ranted as his words slowly turned into french. He turned over to you, biting your lip as you held back a laugh.

A smirk appeared on his face as he placed his hands on his hips, “You’d wear this shit?”

“Hana gave them to me.” You shook your head, smiling. He did have a point; they looked like spiderwebs. “I know, they're ridiculous.”

You felt Snafu’s calloused hands grab your waist and halt you on top of the bathroom counter. “Well atleast you make them look hot. Speakin’ of hot, you looked amazing tonight…” He looked down before looking right back into your eyes. “Listen, I’m sorry darlin’. Just seein’ him bother you made me livid. Ain’t no one gotta treat my cher like ‘dat. Especially ‘dat vineyard vines lookin’ prissy.”

You let out a sigh, leaning into his shoulder. “God, his suit was awful…”

“Fuckin’ blindin’. Like, pick a struggle with ‘dat middle part and layerin polo shit…”

A snort escaped your mouth. Snafu wasn’t wrong; Chad looked even worse than he usually did. It was always bright, blinding colors matched with even brighter, more hideous clothes. Snafu’s hand gently caressed your hair as you leaned onto him.

“By the way…” You cooed into his ear, “I’m not condoning what you did, but hearin’ you rip Chad to pieces was kinda hot...”

“Want me ta’ do it again? I’d love to see his little face all scrunched uppa’ ‘gain.”

“God no,” Shaking your head, your hands fiddled with his unruly curls. “If you do, i’m gonna take away all your cigarettes. We can’t handle the lawsuit that’s coming.”

“Y/n, hate to break it ‘ta yah, but I’m not a rule follower. Can I atleast run him over with ‘ma car? Or steal his trump sign?”

“Snafu Shelton, what the hell am I going to do with you?”

Snafu wrapped his arms around you, holding you close. He held on tight, like a child holding a teddy bear. “Stay with me. Right here, right now.”

You smiled into his shoulder as the two of you were wrapped in each other's arms. Snafu was certainly a handful, but you loved him more than anything in the world. He was truly willing to do anything to protect your honor and make you happy. That was a true man, not a boy.

“Ok, your chokin’ me Snaf.” You stated. Moving his arms, Snafu looks at your eyes as you rubbed them. “What time is it?”

“Ten? Darcey and Stacey are on.” He said, grabbing your hand as he led you out of the bathroom into your bedroom. “We can poppa’ few beers and order from Shanghai.”

An relieved sigh escaped from your mouth. Alcohol and chinese food were the perfect cure to a horrible night. “Thank freakin’ god. Anythin’ to forget this god awful night.”

You walked away to throw on your sweatpants and one of Snafu’s flannels on. Suddenly, his hand grabbed yours as he pulled you back to whisper into your ear. “Can’t wait ta’ see you outta’ dat pretty lil’ number ‘ya got on.”

An over exaggerated gasp escaped your mouth as you playfully (gently) slapped his face. A snarky laugh escaped his mouth. You rolled your eyes as you walked over to change. “Keep it in ‘ya pants, soldier.”

“Sorry. Whenever I see yah, I lose control darlin’.” Snafu smirked devilishly. “Can’t help it that you're smart n’ sweet. Just like candy.”

“Seriously, what the hell am I going to do with you?” You repeat yourself as you finish changing. It baffled you how you could handle Snafu. He was a manchild at times.

The Cajun grabbed your waist and began to tickle you. You fought back as you held back your giggles. Carrying you to the bed, he laid you down as the two of you held each other. His hand drew careless figures into your back as you nestled your face into his neck. He placed a kiss into your face, gently sighing into it.

“I love you, y/n.”

“Love you too, you dirty bastard.”

[anothers-trash-my-treasure]

HC thats the real truth: Snaf is so skinny coz he only eats Eugenes dick

LMAOOOO

Yes. Absolutely, that is 100% fact.

Gene will ask Mer if he’s hungry yet and that little slut would look his boy up and down, say “you could say that” and proceed to suck his dick on the kitchen floor.

[auroralightsthesky]

The Pacific/ Avatar AU Headcannons

Robert Leckie- Waterbender, also Southern Water Tribe. Leckie was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster and waterbenders are often emotional as well. Plus those eyes man!!! Those damn eyes!!!

Bill “Hoosier” Smith- Waterbender from the south as well!! I don’t know why but for whatever reason I can’t picture Hoosier as anything else but a waterbender. 

Runner Conley- possibly a firebender. He’s got the build for it but then again I could be wrong.

Chuckler Jurgens- tall bean is an airbender. His personality lines with Aang’s perfectly.

Sidney Phillips- Waterbender and healer, he always has to patch the others up after the Earth Rumble tournaments or after a fight. 

Eugene Sledge- Earthbender. Sledge is basically Toph. People underestimate him because of the heart murmur but once he’s in the Earth Rumble arena or in the thick of battle people learn quickly why he’s called “Sledgehammer.”

Merriel “Snafu” Shelton- ah, how could we ever forget this scary bean?  Snafu is Foggy Swamp through and through. During their journey through the Serpent’s Pass, Gene almost drowned and Snaf jumped in to save him. Sledge mistook him for his girlfriend and accidentally kissed Snafu on the cheek but after realizing his mistake, he told Snafu that “You can go ahead and let me drown now”. 

RV Burgin- another earthbender. At first I thought Burgie would be a waterbender but I looked into it a little bit more. Tough doesn’t even begin to describe Burgie. He took over leader after Eddie and Ack Ack got killed and was described as always being tough minded (according to the wiki page). If that doesn’t make him an earthbender then I don’t know what does. 

Jay De L’Eau- yet another earthbender (I know there are one too many water and earthbenders). Jay was one tough little sucker despite his breakdown in Episode 7. He competes in the earthbending tournaments alongside Sledge and Burgie too, just to show people that he may be a small bean but he can still kick some ass. 

Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane and Edward “Hillbilly” Jones- both waterbenders, one from the south pole the other from the Foggy Swamp. These two would flood a whole island just to kill to kill their enemies. 

John Basilone- Firebender through and through. John is one of only three in the group who can bend and redirect lightning. Manny, JP and the others know not to mess with him or Speirs for this very reason. 

JP Morgan and Manny Rodriguez- Firebenders and John’s best friends from the Firebending Academy. These three would not only be deadly in an Agni Kai fight, but can you imagine them plus Speirs during Sozin’s Comet? That firestorm would be visible for miles. 

Chuck Tatum- MY OTHER SWEET BOI IS A WATERBENDER!!! I know redheads probably aren’t common in the Southern Water Tribe but after watching Episode 8 of The Pacific, this lil bean gave off MAJOR Katara vibes. He can create ice prisons (and turn the inside of the ice to pure liquid) and even heal himself, which comes in handy every time John, JP and Manny go at it because one of them once burned his hands........badly. Even Sobel was impressed when he saw his healing powers. Which is a good thing because.....

Steve Evanson- is a hard headed, cocky, stubborn as fuck earthbender!! The gang has pretty much lost count of how many times this kid has gotten himself into trouble for running his mouth, but damn can he pitch a rock like nobody’s business. Steve goes absolutely balls-to-the-wall in a fight and when the dirt flies, it flies.

Lena Riggi- all hail the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors!! Lena would definitely fit in with these girls and if people mess with her or John, the gloves come off. 

Vera Keller- another Kyoshi Warrior. Vera definitely gave me Suki vibes after watching both series. 

Stella Karamanlis- Stella is basically Princess Yue. She had a short relationship with Leckie because she felt that it was her duty to save the Moon Spirit and didn’t want him or the others to get killed. 

[detectivecutiepantsandhisbabyfox]

I’m well aware no one will probably read this now as it’s been embarrassingly long since I updated it, but here’s a snippet of the insanely late new chapter of my fic “That’s the Way it’s Gonna be Little Darlin’”

The inside of the house was eerily still as they made their way up the large staircase; only the sounds of their footsteps on the wooden staircase and the almost continuous rolling thunder breaking the silence. Sledge followed slowly behind Burgie and Don, peering at the multitude of horse paintings adorning the walls.

The rain pelted against the large window at the top of the stairs, blurring the view of the sprawling fields behind the house. Eugene could see a few stable hands running to a large barn; now a red smudge in the distance.

Eugene felt a pang of jealousy; had those boys shared bunks with Snaf? Listened to him regale stories of being in the Marines? Had they been witness to Snaf’s habit of walking around half naked? Shared his smokes? His beer? Had they seen him gentle and peaceful as he slept; a complete opposite of the Snafu that was crude and sneering during the day?

Eugene swallowed thickly.

Did they know about him?

“Eugene?” Don was looking at him carefully as he tore his eyes away from the rain drenched fields.

“You comin’ son?” Don tilted his head towards the long corridor; Eugene could see Burgie heading into one of the rooms, shouldering his bag as he went.

Eugene stared at Don. Should he be here? He was beginning to worry what sort of mess he might have got himself into. Or what Snafu had gotten them into.

“No........no one knows.........’bout me.....right” Eugene’s eyes slid back to the window, Don’s following, and understanding dawning.

“The boys? Nahhh. Merriell wasn’t stupid”

Don realised his mistake as soon as it was out of his mouth “.....isn’t.....stupid. He isn’t stupid,” he corrected himself, watching as Eugene frowned out the window.

Should be up tomorrow or beginning of next week. But you know me...don’t hold me to anything. I ll only let you down 🙈

[cajunroe]

sledgefu + paranormal!au ft. ghost hunter!sledge + demon!snafu ↳ever since they met, gene’s noticed little things about snafu that give him pause and make him wonder about the man’s past. but he doesn’t want to lose the friendship and companion he’s gained. not to mention the fact that snafu was the only person who showed genuine interest in gene’s dream of ghost hunting. the occult had always interested him but everyone else in his life thought he was crazy for trying to pursue the goal of finding proof of the paranormal. and as they reach two years of ghost hunting, gene thinks they might be right because every time something has happened, snafu had been at the ready with a logical (mostly) explanation. then, on what’s supposed to be a normal investigation, gene finds out the paranormal is all to real and all too close by.

read below or on ao3

Gene always thought there was something odd about the ease in which Snafu handled terrifying situations.

When they were stuck in a house supposedly haunted by a murderer, Snafu did nothing but laugh every time Gene jumped when he swore something tried to grab him.

When investigating an abandoned asylum with tons of recorded activity, and Gene was certain he heard someone whisper his name, Snafu just claimed it was an open window and continued walking like Gene’s heart hadn’t nearly exploded in fear.

And now, in the middle of what was a routine investigation, where a chair has clearly flown across the room after Gene asked for a sign of a presence, Snafu’s only reaction is:

“Gravity is a strange thing, Sledge.”

Gene’s on the ground staring at the broken chair, mouth open, and heart-pounding.

He looks up, and as Snafu shrugs, Gene loses it.

“What in the goddamn hell is your damage, Snafu? That chair nearly took off my damn head and I know you didn’t throw it at me! Could you cut the skeptic shit for one second and just help me figure it out?”

He knows it’s harsh, but he can’t stop freaking out long enough to care.

They’d been doing this for two years and Snafu’s calm indifference had slowly been driving him crazy, not to mention the fact that it’s the reason Gene’s slowly fallen in love with the man.

 He wipes his eyes harshly and when he opens them, Snafu’s in front of him, holding onto his arms.

“It’s alright, Sledge,” Snafu states, concern evident in the way he says Gene’s name.

“No, it ain’t Snafu! Whatever is here just tried to kill me! I won’t even be right again.”

Snafu stood abruptly then and when Gene looked up, he swore Snafu’s eyes were as pitch black as the night outside.

“You’re right about one thing there, Gene,” Snafu replied with cold intensity, the cadence in his voice making is deeper, darker, and making Gene’s hair stand on end, “Whatever is here did just try to kill you.”

Gene’s certain his heart will stop because there’s no way it can handle the major fluctuations it's experiencing tonight.

There’s no way Snafu just admitted to something paranormal, supernatural happening.

They’d been doing ghost hunting for long enough for Gene to be 100% certain about one thing: Snafu didn’t believe in ghosts, demons, or anything paranormal. As a die hard skeptic, Gene was always curious why Snafu had been so ready to join Gene on his mission to find proof of the paranormal. Even when they met at an occult bookstore, Gene wondered why the man had stopped to ask him what he was reading. He thought he was trying to pick Gene up, but when Snafu made no move, Gene launched into what he was looking for. Snafu had listened to him for hours, the day they met, and they’d been friends ever since. Still, despite being so close, Gene always felt like Snafu was reticent like he was hiding something. When he thought too hard about, late at night in another dingy motel room, Snafu asleep in the bed beside him, he chalked it up to his natural speculative nature and would eventually fall asleep.

Now, though…now he’s wishing he’d looked deeper.

Snafu is circling the room, feeling different spots of the wall like he’s searching for something.

“Snaf, what’s going on?” He wishes his voice were steadier, but the fear suddenly gripping him tight won’t allow it.

“Gene, you have always been honest with me. Seems only fair I’m honest with you.”

Gene swallowed heavily, his instincts telling him to run, but his curiosity forced him to stay.

“I ain’t who you think I am.” He declared as though the statement managed to be Gene at ease in any way.

“For once in your life, Snafu, make some fucking sense. Please.”

He watches a fond smile form on the brunette’s lips and despite being scared shitless, Gene’s still in love with him.

“My name’s not really, Snafu.”

“No shit sherlock.” Gene snaps, he always got ornery whenever Snafu was intentionally invasive.

And Snafu, he just laughs and keeps searching the room.

He stops suddenly, crouching in the middle of the room, hand running along the floor.

Snafu looks up quickly, smile bright, but feral as he lays his hand firmly on the ground.

But Gene can’t recognize anything beyond the fathomless pools of black that encompass Snafu’s eyes.

“My real name is Seire, Eugene. I’m a demon.” Then Snafu’s hand disappears into the floor and when it reemerges and Snafu stands, he’s gripping a creature. Half it’s head is missing and its skeleton is covered in the thinnest, greyest skin Gene’s ever seen. He can’t breathe, can’t look away and when it snarls and reaches its razor-sharp claws towards Gene, he doesn’t even flinch.

Snafu holds it in his grip, with ease, by the throat as it tries to scream but fails.

“This looks like one of, hmmm,” Snafu turns his head to the side taken in the creature as though deep in thought, “one of Raum’s little leeches, huh?”

The creature gets one ear-piercing shriek out before Snafu tightens his grip again.

“Guess the rumors about him trying to move up were true. Thought he’d have enough gall to face me himself.”

The creature tries to speak and Snafu lightens his grip just enough for it to speak.

“Not you.”

Gene both hears it and doesn’t hear it, like a whisper passing by him.

Snafu’s eyes shift from Gene and back to the creature in sudden understanding.

They weren’t after Snafu, they were after Gene.

“Little pet. Weakness.”

Snafu’s face turned serious, severe and he tightened his grip again and Gene watched as the man he loved held demon spawn in his grip like it was nothing. He’d never been more attracted to Snafu since they met.

“You’re wrong.” Snafu replies, a torrent of barely controlled anger held in tense shoulders.

He pulled the spawn closer to him, watching as the creature snarled and tried to escape Snafu’s grip.

He looks to Gene with a soft smile then looks back at the creature.

“Love is strength.”

Gene’s heart skips a beat and Snafu must be able to hear it because he laughs like he always did where Gene was concerned.

“I have a message for Raum when you get back down there.”

Gene hears another whisper that sounded have of a snake’s hiss and a surprised “What?”

Then the creature bursts into flame and without a sound, it’s gone, and Gene is left alone with Snafu. His best friend. The one he loves. A demon.

For the first time in his life, he’s the one in doubt, the one questioning what’s real or not, what he saw with what he knows.

He doesn’t know why, but the first thing he needs an answer to is…

“So, you love me?” He asks, still trying not to lose his mind.

He hears another laugh, this one breathy as though the demon was nervous.

“You find out I’m a demon, Prince of Hell, as a matter of fact, and your first question is whether or not I love you?”

Gene presses if only ease his mind of this one thing.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Snafu sighs and its wistful nature makes Gene look up and stare.

“Hard not to, Gene. All my time in existence and I’ve never wanted something as much as I want you.”

Snafu replies gently, like someone who’s seen too much but is still in wonder with the world.

He sits down on the splintered, dusty floor in front of Gene who was still attached to the corner he was in.

Gene takes a deep, shaky breath, shocked more at his acceptance and handling of the last half hour than over the fact that the man he loved for two years loves him back and at the fact that the man who loves him isn’t entirely a man, but a demon.

Still.

“A lot of things about you make a lot of sense now.”

“Like what?” Snafu asks, voice lilting at the end in genuine curiosity.

Gene smiles at that.

“Your indifference to all of this,” Gene gestures around the abandoned house, “the way you talk sometimes like you’re adopting speech from another time, your overt politeness.”

“That’s just a southern thing, Sledge, not an immortal thing.”

Despite his better judgment, Gene laughs as he grabs Snafu’s hand surprise to find it can be just as gentle as it is deadly. The heat of the touch warms Gene from head to toe.

“I don’t know if I like your real name so much, though.” He states with a grimace ad smiles when Snafu rolls his eyes.

“Neither did I, at least not up here. Snafu was the first nickname anyone ever called me up here and it just stuck.”

Gene links their fingers, mind racing and following eight thoughts at once, the greatest of these being –

“Hell of a nickname.”

Gene’s eyes widened when he realizes what he said, but Snafu just looks at him with intense adoration and fondness.

It's easy then, to shut off his brain, and follow his heart.

He crawls the little space between them on his hand and knees, then watches as Snafu just waits for Gene to commit. It heady and the way Gene’s heart is racing is making him dizzy with lust and power. He lifts Snafu’s chin an inch higher and locks their lips together harshly. It’s an aggressive and powerful first kiss with biting teeth and hot breaths, and Gene feels like not even the fires of hell could be so hot.

He breaks apart with a gasp, reality crashing in at the worst time, but not keeping from holding a breathless Snafu close.

“Are there gonna be more of those things?” He asks, breathless himself, but demanding.

Snafu looks ashamed for the first time in all the time Gene’s known him.

“Yes and it's my fault, Gene. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stay away from you and you wouldn’t leave no matter how hard I tried to get you to because I couldn’t.”

It all clicks and Gene pushes Snafu so hard he falls back onto the floor.

“You asshole! All the hauntings? That was you?!”

Snafu looks guilty but still satisfied, and how Gene never saw the bit of the devil in Snafu, hell never know. Love truly must be blind.

“Tricks of the family trade,” Snafu shrugs, humble and shy. Gene has to take a moment to let that sink in. A demon, shy and humble at their supernatural abilities.

“But yeah, it was me Gene and you’re so damn persistent and brave that you just kept coming back for more. You’re a reckless idiot and I fell in love with that.”

Gene laughs despite himself, disbelieving but full of so much happiness, lust, and lingering fear, that he could hardly believe this was his life.

“Guess I’m gonna have to add exorcist to my resume.”

Snafu stares for a long moment before bursting into laughter. Gene joins him after a moment and he’s never felt lighter.

Despite it all, the love that Gene feels for Snafu is sacred.

And while Snafu may have more oddities than most, his love for Gene is the most natural thing in the world.

They would make it work, make it last, even if it meant going through hell itself.

[lewis-winters]

Hi! i really enjoy your daemon au and i-ve gone and watched the new his dark materials series because of it. i love your take on daemons and was wondering if you have nymore headcanons for the other boys? what's luz's daemon? liptons? how do you pick their names? are there any daemons who Re the same sex as their humans? you dont have to rwply if you dont want to i just wanted to tell you i enjoy your world very much!!

Oh, hi! I’m glad you’re watching the new His Dark Materials adaptation! It’s pretty good, huh?

I do have headcanons for not just most of the boys but for the world itself. Though I also call it His Dark Materials!AU alongside daemon!AU it’s actually more the latter than the former. The only things I carried over into this AU from the original world of His Dark Materials are the existence of daemons, the fact that daemons are made of Dust particles, and the existence of witches. The magisterium or any kind of theocracy doesn’t exist. The authority and the angels also do not carry over. Instead, our own religions exist, but there’s just as much emphasis on spiritualism and mysticism as there is on moralism, which I believe would be the natural development of religion in this world where your soul/daemon, the spiritual aspect of you, is literally there for everybody else to see.

All of the boys have small or medium sized daemons, the biggest probably belonging to that of Ron and Tab, who have an Ocelot daemon and a sheepdog daemon respectively. The reason for this being that small or medium sized daemons are easily carried and they, alongside bird or other kinds of flying daemons, are preferred by the airborne. You still gotta jump out of a perfectly good airplane largely undetected. Can’t do that with an elephant daemon. 

Ok. This got real long so I’m putting the rest under the cut. tw: mentions of death, trauma, and mutilation.

Some of the younger boys’ daemons haven’t settled. Miller, Hashey, Garcia, and Jackson. Hashey and Garcia’s settle in Hageneu. Miller and Jackson never get the chance.

Shifty’s daemon, Myrtle, is a Capybara. But he doesn’t know that. Every time somebody asked him what his daemon was, he’d shrug, say ‘Don’t rightly know,’ then leave it at that. What can he do? Capybara’s aren’t native to Virginia and he’s never been out of Virginia. Webster was the one to tell him that Myrtle was a Capybara because he’d read about them in a book somewhere that one time. Myrtle was startled by this and said; “I thought I was some kind of dog!” that was one of the few times she ever spoke out-loud during the whole war.

As I’ve said before in this post, Lew’s daemon is a chameleon named Amalthea. For all of the events of episode 9, Lew kept her in his pocket and that scared almost everybody shitless, because it made it seem like he was walking around without a daemon. The replacements assigned to them around that time, like O’Keefe, thought he didn’t have a soul. He never bothered to correct them because that meant letting Amalthea out, and the idea of her being in the open and vulnerable made him especially ill. He’d rather people thought he was soulless than allow himself and Amalthea to get hurt again. Which is so Lewis.

Skip has a hummingbird daemon named Ilaria, which is a name that means happiness and joy. This daemon-human duo wasn’t hard for me to figure out. It just fits.

Malarkey’s daemon is an artic hare with a summer coat named Felis. She’s settled, but after Foy and after losing Skip and Alex and Buck, she changes again. Subtlely, of course, and not wholely. She stays an artic hare, but instead of a summer coat, she permanently has a winter coat.

It’s not uncommon in this world for your daemon to change after severe trauma. I bet as the field of psychology expands, so does the understanding of trauma’s effects on the soul expand. There’s many studies on the changing of once settled daemons in relation to soldiers’ PTSD.

Buck’s daemon, a male bald eagle named Romulus, changes entirely. Still a bird, but instead of an eagle, he turns into a snowy owl. Before the war, he was a chatty daemon. After, he barely speaks and only does so to Buck and, very rarely, to those close to them.

Eugene Sledge’s male daemon, Daecon goes from a blood hound and gets turned into a Luzon bleeding heart-- which, I know is on the nose but it’s just. It’s such a cool bird, ya’ll. I’ve seen one up-close and ever since that day, I have not known any peace. The shift would be painful and would happen very slowly. It was actually horrific and was a trauma in and of itself. That was the last time they ever changed, though.

I also headcanon that the longer you’ve been settled, the harder and more painful the shift.

Merriell Shelton’s daemon settles in Gloucester. Into what, I’m not sure yet, but a part of me thinks she’s settled into some kind of big cat from the rain forests. Either a cloud leopard or a jaguar. Her name’s Charlotte but he calls her Lottie. Don’t ask me why. It just fits.

That being said, I have some Thoughts about people with big cat daemons. They’re usually aloof. Like, they make a very impactful first impression but they’re mostly solitary individuals who are weird af and difficult to get to know. It takes a really special person to tame a human with a big cat daemon. Once you earn their trust, that’s for life. They’re also really self-assured and are very secure in their sense of self. There is almost little to no tension between big cat daemons and their humans, and if there is, it gets explosive.

Ron Speirs has a big cat daemon, a female Ocelot named Aurele. She never talks, not even to Ron. They have this silent gaze/telepathy going on. Ron also takes on a couple of animalistic traits because of it. They could also... stretch their bond really far? Which is scary as fuck. People think he’s the son of a witch who, in her desperation to make him immortal, made him go through the ritual that allows a witch and her daemon to part for long periods of time and great distances. This is not true. Ron and Aurele just have really high pain tolerance.

Eugene Roe, on the other hand, is the son of a witch. His maman, however, did not make him go through the ritual because he’s not her first son. She knows the pain of outliving her sons well. She loves him all the same but understands that he will die well before her. Eugene’s daemon is a male kinkajou named Louis. Which is both a surprise and also not. For much of the war there’s a lot of tension there. Louis craves connection with others, Roe needs isolation to keep their sanity. It kind of turns into this thing where, if you wanted to comfort Roe or be close to him, you’d have to go through his daemon instead.

Babe’s daemon is a squirrel. A very chatty female russian squirrel named Abigail. They talk to each other a lot, and Abby talks to other people a lot too. Sometimes, she even answers in lieu of Babe. They’re both very blunt and very out there, no hiding with Babe and Abby. It used to get them into a lot of trouble with the nuns at school, who believed that daemons are only meant to be seen and not heard. A+ Catholic repression.

George’s daemon was a little tricky to me. I know his daemon is female and that her name is Thalia. I also know that she can fly. My first thought was: Parrot, either a hyacinth macaw or a white cockatoo. But, I also really like the idea of George having a Butterfly daemon. Particularly one that looks like a leaf when her wings are folded up but is brilliantly jewel toned when she opens them. In the end, I opted for George entering the army, having not settled just yet, and he and Thalia are this kind of double-act, where she shifts into whatever form is necessary for the punchline of the joke. She only settles into a parrot (idk still what kind) after their first jump and all the excitement in Carentan. A gradual thing. They don’t even notice until just before the jump in Holland. When they miss someone, Thalia will mimic that person’s voice. First, it was George’s mama and the voice of her daemon, both speaking in rapid fire portugese. Later on, in Austria, Thalia starts imitating all the friends they’ve lost. Sometimes she’ll sound like Skip. Other times, she’ll sound like Bill. It takes a very long time for her to break this habit. To the point wherein she and George don’t even remember what her real voice sounds like.

Lip’s daemon settled really early and is a female Bonobo named Jane. Has been since he was ten and made man of the house. This, like Skip and Ilaria, was very easy for me to figure out.

Dick’s daemon is a Caracara raptor bird. I’m still figuring out the specifics so she doesn’t have a name yet. Sorry.

As mentioned, Tab has a sheepdog daemon named Marisa who enjoys keeping him and everybody else in check. Have you met a sheepdog? They will literally herd you. It doesn’t matter if you are not a lamb or a sheep. They will nip at your heels until you go where they want to go. That’s Marisa. She’ll nip at Tab’s heels, she’ll nip at everybody else’s heels. If you are going somewhere she does not want you to go she will make sure you know her displeasure. 

It is also super funny when she looks Tab in the eye and goes “Down, boy.” It never fails to make Tab go red and make everybody else laugh. 

Harry’s daemon-- and don’t get mad at me-- but Harry’s daemon is a Scottish Terrier named Saoirse. He carries her around strapped to his chest during jumps. It’s fucking cute. Don’t say that to their faces though because they will lose all respect for you. It’s a daemon suited more to a teacher than it is to a soldier, that’s for sure.

Bill’s daemon is a pit-bull named Darla. Scary looking one, too, with a very bawdy sense of humor. She will growl at you and pretend to bite and you will be very scared but she only does it as a joke. She’s honestly really cool. When Bill and Babe are walking around together, Abby likes to perch on top of Darla’s head. It’s adorable. Sometimes, when Abby gets too much, Darla carries her around in her mouth. It’s still cute. But only to them, everybody else finds it vaguely horrifying.

I know there’s this taboo of humans not touching other humans’ daemons but it’s kinda difficult in such close-quarters like theirs. It is also heavily implied in the original text of Philip Pullman, that the no-touching thing is a cultural thing. Like, I think in religions that deal a lot in repression like Catholicism or Protestantism, the touching of another’s daemon is a no-no and is only reserved for the most intimate of relations (i.e. marriage). But I feel like religions such as Judaism, Wiccan, Paganism, or even some branches of Folk-Catholicism encourage touch/celebrate that connection between two humans. Neither of these two beliefs are wrong, of course. It’s just a cultural thing and they carry with them both pros and cons.

I bet Lieb grew up very used to his daemon being touched by his mother and father or older siblings. It’s not taboo to him, though he recognizes that it’s taboo to others. He doesn’t get it though, and is constantly rolling his eyes every time somebody gasps when they accidentally touch someone’s daemon.

A lot of the boys just kinda ignore the touching daemons thing until they get used to it.

I’m not sure what Lieb’s daemon is or what her name is, too. I know she’s a social kind of daemon-- not solitary like a big cat or a reptile (like snakes). I thought maybe a wolf, but a wolf daemon is too... large and there are a lot of connotations attached to it. I think Lieb’s daemon is something medium-sized and unassuming. Not a dog. Not a domestic cat either. A part of me thinks flightless bird, but no. Not that either. Give me time. I’ll figure her out. As of now, I’m thinking either a marsupial or a canidae/fox but not quite. She’s a mammal, that much I know. Just don’t know what kind.

Grant’s daemon is a male domestic cat named Saladin. He’s either an Abyssinian or a Bengal. Either way, he’s really cool. Like super cool. They’re both super duper cool.

And... that’s kinda it. That’s all I have for now. I’m really sorry it got so long, anon. I get really excited when talking about daemons. It’s character study but with animals! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to ramble. This is where I leave you.

[ramimedley1981]

Ok you're L E G E N D A R Y, you hear? there could not be a better start to a weekend than a fluffy little fic!!! My day has been a little crappy and this srsly turned it around for me<333

Lol lol lol I love how Snaf goes from I absolutely can't miss work for any reason at all to “I don’ know Gene,” --- “I might jus’ not survive before ya get home.” xxDDDDD HELLO GENE HE MAY DIE YOU KNOW ???

Also Eugene laying out Snafu's fav sweats&tshirs?? Like not only does he have favorite ones (awww) but Eugene knows which those are? Thats cute as shit!!! I need to know everything about their domestic life!! (Yellow kitchen, ok got it. They have a fluffy comforter, nice. Snaf likes to wear hoodies, cute...)

But I do totally feel for Snaf you know chickenpox as an adult has to be mf horrible experience. At least he has Eugene to make sure he eats and the itch is taken care of, panicked Snaf just can't take any care of himself at all

I’m so glad you like it! 🤗

[gingerwerk]

one of my friends from hs that i still talk to was a marine and just got out a couple months ago and this his first veterans day out so his entire snapstory today is just him seeing all the free shit he can get today and honestly? respect the hustle  

[freebooter4ever]

The Shelton’s Christmas Card 1949 | Art Prints | Sledgefu Masterlist

Dear Burgie,

Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I realize this is a month late. It is entirely my fault. I gave the film to Snafu to take into town and develop. And then the canister sat in Snafu’s truck for three weeks before either of us realized. Snaf is watching me write this or else I would blame him more harshly. 

My beloved Snafu requests I add that the reason he was distracted was because he was too busy building tiny houses for my garden. Ever since we moved up North to “Wild Country” (as my mother calls it), my more delicate plants have taken a real beating during winter. At first I used tarp to cover them, but then Snaf found some old wood in the lumber yard, and he got one of his ideas. Two months later we now have a miniature town in my garden. Snafu gave all the little buildings names like “General Store” and “Library” and “Saloon” (Snaf’s favorite). And every morning I expect to go outside to water only to discover the squirrels having a gun fight in the middle of our tiny Main Street like we are truly living in the “Wild West” my mother fears so much.

Snafu insists I include his schematics in this letter, and that I tell you to tell Florence that the little houses are hollowed out underneath with no bottom so they can be easily fitted over any plant size and lifted off depending on the weather. I tried to tell him Texas has no such cold problems like we do in Oregon, but no dice. He insists. Take it up with him.

Okay, Snaf’s gone away now that he is satisfied with the contents of my letter, and I can write freely. I do love Snafu so damn much, Burgie. I don’t know how we four - me and Snaf - you and Florence - got so gosh darned lucky ending up like this. When the snow thaws you guys will have to come visit us again. You know how much Snafu and Florence enjoy taking that gaudy boat of his out on the river to catch no fish.

Inside the big package with this letter is a wooden fire truck Snaf carved and built for Rommy Jr. I supervised and made sure none of the moving parts were too small to break off so it should be safe, but now you are aware of what’s inside that box so if you want to wait to give it to him in a year when he turns five, you can.

The apron in the box is for Florence. I sewed it specially with her in mind. I know she doesn’t like any flounces so I left those off, and the ties are short enough that Rommy Jr. can’t grab onto them when he’s toddling around. I hope she likes the sunflower pattern. It felt very bright, and sunny, but still no nonsense. I’m learning to sew aprons very well because Snafu has a tendency to cook in the nude, and at least this way he has one bit of cloth between the fool’s delicate skin and extremely hot grease. Unlike Florence, Snafu likes when I sew flounces and ruffles into his aprons, so I’m getting to experiment with all kinds of stitching. Please don’t tell Snafu or Florence I told you any of this.

All our love to the family, and the kangaroos, and cattle,

Eugene and Merriell

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

How about fun sex tropes number 3 w sledgefu? 😊

3. sex on a countertop/tabletop/sink because we couldn’t wait to get somewhere with cushions

I wanted to do something with the quarantine, so this is a modern-ish AU. Also, hopefully you like my chosen hard surface! I love Sledgefu but do find it difficult bc the Sledgefu writers in this fandom are … pretty much actual gods.

I loved writing this though, so thanks for the request 😊

* * * * *

Gene was done.

Completely over it.

His classes had been cancelled for the remainder of the semester, and he was suddenly filled with a sense of purposelessness.

“Gene. If ya don’t find somethin’ to do, I’m gonna have to find somethin’ for ya.”

Normally, Snafu’s words would have been suggestive, dirty actually, except that he really was tired of Eugene acting like a Victorian dandy in distress.

He would sit down to read, then stand up with a dramatic sigh as he tossed his book back on the couch. He’d putz around the apartment, opening doors then closing them, like he was looking for something. He’d clean the bathroom, then the bedroom, grumbling all the while about Snafu’s dirty laundry being everywhere but in the hamper, and in Snafu’s defense, it was usually only an errant sock or maybe the shirt that he had just taken off for the day.

Sometimes, Gene would head into the kitchen and start cooking something, only to have some minor step in the recipe go wrong and the entire dish would be tossed in the trash.

That didn’t just annoy Snafu; he hated it. Food was not ever something to be wasted.

So, when Gene started pulling ingredients out of the cupboard, it was Snaf who snapped his book shut with a sigh.

“Stop, Gene,” he commanded while walking into the kitchen.

“You tooold me to find something to do,” Gene whined.

“Not waste food.”

“Fine,” Eugene snapped and began putting the strewn ingredients back into the fridge and the cupboard.

“Put ya overshirt on.”

“Why?” he said, crossing his arms and pouting in a way that made Snafu want to slap him or kiss him—when Gene was difficult like this, he wasn’t sure which option would actually make him feel the best once it was done considering he’d only ever tried the kissing.

Snafu ran a hand through his curls, which were bordering on wild thanks to the quarantine. Eugene had offered to give him a trim, but he had only eyed his boyfriend warily, thanking him, but deciding to wait for the barber to open.

Gene’s hair was longer than usual, too, but it suited him. Snaf loved to run his hands through it, pushing it back from his forehead and just feeling the way the silky, auburn strands fell from his fingertips as he pulled Eugene’s hair up and away from his face.

“Because I asked ya to.”

Gene huffed but made his way to the bedroom. Snafu grabbed a light jacket from one of the hooks near the front door and checked the pocket for the keys to his truck. Reaching back to make sure he had his wallet, he slipped into his shoes and waited for Eugene to emerge.

“Where we goin?”

“I’ll tell ya when we get there.”

Eugene frowned, but Snafu saw something come alive in his eyes, something he hadn’t seen since the first few weeks of the quarantine when Eugene realized that he was locked inside with his boyfriend without anything to do for days and days except make love.

It was wonderful, a damn near divine experience for them both until the days droned on into weeks, then months, and they both began to realize that something like this was going to alter life as they had known it forever.

Gene followed Snafu out of the apartment, doubling back to make sure the door was definitely locked.

They drove in a comfortable silence for the first hour, the radio quietly singing but not much louder than the sound of Snaf’s truck rumbling down the highway.

During the second hour, Gene started getting antsy: shuffling in his seat, resetting his seatbelt only to adjust it again in a few more minutes, opening the glovebox for no reason and shuffling through whatever Snafu had crammed in there.

Maybe this is worse than wastin’ food, Snafu thought as he watched Gene in his peripheral.  

When Eugene adjusted his seatbelt for the third time in a row, Snaf turned his head to look over at him and ended up smiling at the way his hair caught the last rays of the dying sunlight, looking golden at the edges, like a halo on a deeply ripened strawberry.

“Talk to me, Gene. Ain’t dat wha’ we do?” Snafu asked before reluctantly turning his eyes back to the road.

Gene said nothing for several minutes, and Snaf didn’t push; he knew how this worked, how stubborn Eugene Sledge could be.

After two more sighs and another snap of his seatbelt, Gene started talking.

He fumbled through his words at first, restarting his sentences and trailing off with a frustrated, “You know what I mean,” until suddenly, he found the right metaphor for what he was feeling and then he couldn’t stop talking.

Gene talked for the next hour of the trip, talked until his mouth was dry.

But god be damned if he didn’t feel better, like he had just purged himself of a gut full of rotten meat.

“Can we stop at the next gas station? I’m parched,” Gene asked, his voice raspy, but his tone light.  

“I think ‘bout a lotta those things, too,” Snaf said quietly as he slid his hand over to flick the turn signal, the ticking filling the truck in the silence after his statement.

“How—how come you don’t let it . . . eat at you? I feel like I’m just raw with worryin.”

Snafu was quiet for a moment, his eyes checking the rearview and the side mirror as he switched lanes to catch the exit.

“I jus’ figure as long as I’ve got you, nothin’ else really matters. Sounds stupid, don’t it?” Snafu said with a soft laugh.

No—no it was not stupid at all, Eugene thought, realizing he wanted to do nothing other than to kiss Snafu silly for saying the most brilliant thing he had ever heard.

And once the truck was in park, Gene did just that.

He tore off his seatbelt and slid to the center of the truck, almost smacking into Snafu as he turned to see what the hell had gotten into his boyfriend, but he didn’t have to wonder long because Gene planted his lips on him in a searing kiss.  

He pulled on Snafu’s lower lip with his teeth, sucking it into his mouth before he tilted his head and thrust his tongue inside, earning a moan of approval from Snafu.

Snafu’s tongue swirled around Gene’s, his mouth open wide, wanting to taste every inch of the man who meant so much to him.

Eugene was almost in Snaf’s lap when Snafu closed their kiss, gently pushing Gene away.

“Thought you was parched?” he panted.

“I am—but I guess not just for soda,” Gene grinned.

Snafu laughed and shook his head. “Come on. We got a long drive back. Let’s get some caffeine.”

Eugene clutched at Snafu’s shoulder. “This is . . . it? We’re not going anywhere?”

“No, cher. I jus’ needed ya to talk to me. Didn’t know how else to get ya to do it.”

Eugene’s face burst into the first genuine smile Snafu had seen in over two weeks.

“You sly sonofagun,” Gene said, still grinning.

“Gotta stay on ma toes with you.”

“I could kiss you.”

“Ya already have.”

“I could kiss you forever.”

“Genie, dat’s all I’m eva gonna need,” Snaf said, leaning over to press a soft kiss to Gene’s lips. “Come on—now I’m parched.”

Stocked up with drinks and snacks, the boys began their drive home, this time with Eugene sitting in the middle of the cab, leaning into Snafu’s shoulder as the conversation flowed freely amidst their glances and their laughter that now filled the cab, drowning out the music.

But after a while, it wasn’t enough for Gene to just lean into Snafu; he had started with his hand mid-thigh, an act of sweet affection more than sexual suggestion, but the affectionate gesture shifted quickly to the latter when Gene’s fingers began to flex, crawling up Snafu’s thigh higher and higher until the Cajun’s foot hitched on the gas.

“Wha’chu doin, boo?”

“Touchin’ you.”

“We makin’ poetry now?”

“Pull over ‘n we can sure make somethin,” Gene said, leaning over to capture Snafu’s earlobe between his teeth.

Snafu made a noise in his throat and took the next exit.

“There,” Eugene said, pointing to the sign that signaled a pull off for a nature preserve.

Snafu drove over the winding roads until he found a secluded turnoff, perfectly bottlenecked by tall, bald cypresses. He drove a ways into the clearing, cut the engine, and cracked the window.

“Nice out he—mmf,” Snaf began before he got cut off by a red head in his lap, squeezing between him and the steering column, the horn emitting a short beep, but neither of the boys caring as they kissed, intense and deep, lost in something they both had been badly missing.

“Want you so much. Need you Snaf,” Gene puffed out between kisses.

Snafu pushed Gene back a little, the horn again reminding them of their tight position.

“Think we need more room?”

“Ya gotta get off ma lap first,” Snaf replied with a smirk, giving Gene’s ass a light smack before he wiggled back to the middle seat.

After his feet plopped onto the dirt, Snafu pushed up his seat to pull out the sleeping bag he kept there.

“Gene,” Snaf spoke up before the red head could slide all of the way out of the cab.

He angled his curly head toward the glovebox, and Eugene popped it open, rummaging through it to find the tube of lubricant.

The boys settled in the back of the truck, and it was clear that Eugene needed to take control by the way he was immediately on top of Snafu, and it was clear that Snafu was open to whatever it was Gene needed by the way he was sighing underneath him.  

Popping open Snafu’s jeans, Gene reached in and palmed his hard cock, rubbing and twisting until there was pre-cum slickening his thumb.  

“I wanna fuck you so bad, Snaf. Bury my cock in you.”

“Do it, Gene. Miss ya so much.”

Popping the top off, Gene smeared lubricant on his fingers and crawled back over Snaf, spreading his legs with his knees and quickly working Snaf’s dick and opening with each hand. Eugene quickly jerked Snafu off, his hand flying over Snafu’s hard cock, twisting at the tip just the way he liked until he was spilling hot cum all over his stomach and Gene’s hand.

Before Snafu’s breathing had time to even out, Eugene slickened up his cock with the lube and positioned himself at his entrance, pushing slowly until Snafu breathed, “Fuck me.”

Eugene groaned, low and animalistic, and thrust into Snaf’s heat, both of their eyes squeezing shut at the intensity of the sensation.

“Gene,” he breathed, laying back on his elbows and looking up at the night sky, his throat bared and Eugene’s eyes raked over Snafu’s body, thinking he had never looked sexier.

“You’re beautiful,” Gene breathed as he began to move, slowly, caught up in everything that was Snafu.

Snafu’s cheeks flushed and he was glad it was too dark for Gene to see him blush. Countering the intensity of his own emotions, he bit out, “Tell me ya wan’ more. I know ya wan’ more.”

Eugene moaned and pulled out of Snafu.

“Hands and knees,” he demanded, watching intently as Snafu shot him a toothy grin that Gene could see perfectly under the night sky before he rolled over and got in position.

Gene pressed a kiss to the base of Snafu’s spine before he straightened and brought both hands down on Snafu’s ass, digging his fingers into his cheeks as he pushed into him again, the growl of satisfaction emitting from Snaf spurring Gene to really let go, to fuck him like he needed to fuck him.

Eugene admired the flexing of Snafu’s ass as he pounded into him, both of them groaning out their pleasure to the trees, to the stars, to the night itself until Gene finally felt like he had purpose again.

This man, so open and willing in front of him, was his purpose. How he could have forgotten that, he would never know, so he swore as his hips stuttered to a halt and he came inside of Snafu’s body, swore that he would never forget again.

Gene collapses on top of Snafu, pressing him into the bed of the truck, distracting the discomfort with the kisses he is peppering across every part of his boyfriend that he can reach.

“Wow,” Gene said rolling onto his back and releasing Snafu.

“I’ll fuckin’ say,” Snaf answered, rolling onto his back, too.

“Did I ever tell you you’re the best boyfriend this side of the Mississippi?”

“Only this side?”

“Well, we’re still young,” he joked as Snafu reached out to smack him. “Once this quarantine lets up . . .”  

They both laugh as they shimmy back into their clothes, sliding out of the truck bed and standing in the dewy grass.

“Thank you,” Gene said, pulling Snafu close to him.

“I love ya, Gene. Jus’ want ya to be happy.”

“I am happy. I really, really am.”

And when he leans in to kiss him, Snafu knows that Eugene means it.

[ivebeenmade]

I’ve been nervous to do this for a while, but here’s the first Sledgefu I wrote “Hush Hush Baby”

(for notes, this is slightly AU, and I’m first familiar with the fandom from E. B. Sledge’s book “With The Old Breed”...the mention of the sister is inaccurate, I know...I just felt like it) HUSH HUSH BABY

There’s nothing quite like your first place together, and there never will be again. The memory of it is going to stick with you, and for the good or bad, it’s going to mean the world.

It’s not all perfect, of course. There were those months apart they had to make up for. Baby steps. Mistakes made on both parts. Merriell had walked away, still never quite sure he’d survived, never since Gloucester. There were months Eugene had spent in Mobile, feeling stupid sorry for himself and not really needing to. His daddy saying so only when he brought it up, and his momma disappointing him like Snafu had promised him she would. 

“You were right,” maybe not being the perfect words first out of his mouth when he found Snafu again (under a different name, the bastard) but something he felt in his heart the other man needed to hear for them to go on. It took Gene too long to really see it, as close to his parents and used to his little home town as he’d been, but the other world they’d been in when they’d fallen in love had put on the proverbial rose colored glasses in terms of what shit would be like when he came home. 

Come home with Snafu, That’d been the plan. The plan, That didn’t help to put Merriell’s mind at ease, since it wasn’t far from the plain, old, acceptable by society’s eyes plans that Sledge had had before he’d left for the war. Not that the Cajun ever expected to be accepted by society. But he sure as hell didn’t expect to be accepted by someone else and their nice family. 

He wouldn’t be. The hard lesson that the hard headed man he knew so well had used to decided, quickly and firmly, that the woman that didn’t accept him didn’t have to be part of his life.

As for Snafu’s side, there’d never been anyone to go home to. But that’s where he’d been and where they’d been making up time lost to one another in a tiny hole in the wall in New Orleans.

“Corporal Shelton?” A very patient stranger in a suit asks. He’d knocked politely, waited in that neighborhood where he certainly stuck out like a sore thumb, so Snafu decides to take pity on him and not bullshit him too much.

“I go by Damasy.” It’s not a flat out rejection, or a fuck you, but it’s no invitation either. 

“But you were a Mr. Merriell Shelton?” Merriell nods. At this point Eugene has taken an interest, and can be overheard doing his damndest to get decent...quietly. Doesn’t help his case much that he’s peeking around Snafu, and they’re both sweating and out of breath. “It seems like you’re due quite the inheritance, Corporal. You’re a hard man to track down.”

Snafu is already cursing the lawyer out, making to slam the door when Eugene interjects. “If you’d just give me a moment with him please?”

“Whatchu mean, give you a moment with me-” Snafu complains, but Eugene holds out a hand and drags him close as the representative waits on the other side of the door. 

“Listen, I know you don’t want anything to do with their money but think about this for just a moment would ya?” He sees those murky green eyes darkening, knows that squint back at him for what it is. But he keeps on. “What would stick it to them more than using that money for some good, for you and I- getting out of New Orleans maybe. A nice place for you and I?”

“Why would I wanna get out of ‘Nawlins?” There’s a million reasons, but Sledge doesn’t say a word, he just holds him. He knows why Merriell would hold out on taking his inheritance, what *that side* of the family did to him. The torment and shame over the years. He knows there’s one or two other things he’d like to do with the money if he could make it right in his mind. 

They’ve gone over it just once or twice, usually near ending in a full blown fight because Merriell doesn’t want to hear it. Because there’s an equal mix of pride and shame and he’s been stradling that knife edge since he came home from the war. In some ways, in a lot of ways, being out there was less a battle than the rest of his whole life. It was easier out there. 

He sighs, opens the door. “Where do I sign?”

*

They find themselves a real fixer-upper in small town Louisiana. Outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. The soul Sledge remembers feeling is still there. But maybe that’s just what it feels like, sweating it out while they gut the old place and cook for two. The way they’re living, it’s a bit like camping indoors. A string of lights here and there, a little stove and a pot. In the daylight they work as hard and fast as they want, or spend their time gathering supplies in town. 

Eventually, anyone who has seen them together must have an idea, but no one bothers them. Snafu is making arrangements to bring his little sister out. She’s still young enough that she’s been with foster care- an arrangement he felt at the time was far better for her than he could provide. He’s still not sure, and he’s maybe a bit too honest in the letter he sends out to her. She’s just old enough to make the decision to head out with the train fare and spare cash he sends along. 

Eugene figures something about that may be the final straw that pushes Merriell over the edge. The first bad night in their new home. It’s not that Snaf doesn’t always keep a piece under his pillow. Hell, back in their place in New Orleans it took some convincing to get him to take the belt with his kabar off for bed. 

This time feels worse, everything in the other man feels different while he tries to hold him through the night terror; until Eugene realizes he’s wide awake and calm. Usually he finds all the other man’s muscles strung tight, his eyes closed, screaming. But they’re open, a bright green as tears spill over. The gun rests loosely in his grip, not so much aimed at an invisible enemy from a nightmare, not quite back on himself. What soldier hasn’t been about there after it all? They all had.

Eugene does the only thing he can. Saying what he remembers his lover whispering over and over one night, until he believed it. “Shh baby. Nothing’s going to break you. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

In the morning it’ll be back to sweating it out, the occasional “don’t you put that through your hand” and “ain’t no way that’s fittin’ in that window”; but tonight Sledge just holds the other man who’d stayed strong when even he had definitely broken. 

[izzy-b-hands]

Counting Stars

Thank you to Rori (@fl0wer-boy) for the request w/Sledge and Snaf’s adopted son! I intended on making this a little bit bigger, but this sweet calm thing happened instead. I hope you like it, short and sweet though it is!

Title is both a play on part of the fic and part of a lyric from a fave song, Stars by Hum. 

My love to all who read/like/reblog!

They wished often they had a way to reach Armand’s mother, if only to give her updates on how he was doing if she would be comfortable with nothing else. 

But sometimes, they wished they could ask her things. How had Armand’s short time with her been, had anything happened. 

Especially with nights like this one, with the nightmares that never seemed to cease.

“I just put him back down,” Eugene whimpered. “I wish I knew what he keeps dreamin’ of, or that he could explain it better...” 

It wasn’t that Armand didn’t try, but at three years old, it was in a child’s tongue, in a way that they couldn’t quite decipher what the real-life version of his nightmares might be. Was the “big dog chasing me, big teeth,” indicative of an actual attack from a dog on his mother in the past, or something else? Had someone been searching for his mother, before she’d dropped Armand off with them? What of the ‘light goes away, never comes back, and I never see you or Daddy again.’ Just a random nightmare, or his first few memories of being hidden god only knew where with this mother? Her note said she’d been kicked out, but Snafu knew as good as anything that that didn’t mean others in her life might not have been looking for her. Maybe she wanted them to, maybe she didn’t. They only had the one note to go on, and it just wasn’t enough. 

Occasionally, after a moment, the crying would lessen and drop, but not this time. 

“I got it,” Snafu said before Eugene could move again. “Get some sleep.” 

The snore that answered him was a pleasant sound. Less pleasant and more concerning, Armand’s sobbing. 

He didn’t say a word as he went into Armand’s room, just picked him up and strode over to the open window. 

“You’re okay. Night’s out there, you hear it?” 

Armand sniffled, and made the soft spluttering sounds that only an extremely tired yet extremely upset baby trying to stop crying could make.

“Night isn’t gonna hurt you. Listen to it, you hear anything that’s gonna hurt you out there in the stars?” 

Armand shifted in his arms, so they could turn and watch the night sky together. 

“Daddy and I had to learn not to be scared of the nighttime too. But we did it,” Snafu murmured, choosing not to mention the nights where the nightmares came back. “You can too, I promise. Can you tell me what you see out there?” 

He moved closer to the window, letting Armand poke his tiny pudgy finger at the screen. “Star!” 

“Yeah, lots of ‘em! Aren’t they pretty?” 

Armand nodded, the nightmare and crying all but forgotten. “Puppy!” 

“That’s right, Ack Ack wanted to be outside tonight. He was cryin’ too, right by the door. Look at him, running around with his ball.” 

Ack Ack, for his part, was happily playing nighttime fetch with himself, dropping his tennis ball at one part of the yard, then racing over to get it, and repeating, as if it was the most fun he’d ever had. 

“We play outside?” 

“No, we have to go back to sleep. It’s three in the morning, little man. We got work tomorrow, and you gotta see your friends at daycare, with Ms. Mavis at her house. You wanna be awake for that, don’t you?” 

“We play outside,” Armand said, and wiggled in Snafu’s arms until he had no choice but to put him down. 

He followed Armand’s little feet as he toddled down the hall, down the stairs, through the kitchen to the back door, pointing helpfully to it just in case Snafu wasn’t sure where it was. 

“We go to bed,” Snafu said softly, kneeling down to meet Armand’s eye line. 

Armand shook his head. “Sleep scary. We play outside now.” 

“Then how will I get up for work later, and how will you be ready for daycare?” 

Armand shrugged, and reached for the doorknob. “Here, Papa.” 

He had a decision to make. 

The strict parent would have just picked Armand up, put him back in bed, and gone to bed themselves, crying be damned. He would never be able to do anything like that. 

The slightly too relaxed parent would let Armand out, and maybe sleep on the couch in the next room or on the kitchen floor in the vein of ‘keeping an eye on him.’ He didn’t like that either.

He picked Armand up, opened the door, and strode outside, the dew from the grass leaving his feet cold. 

“You start countin’ those stars, okay? We gotta know how many there are before we go to bed. Your Daddy’ll wanna know.” 

Armand loved counting, loved numbers in general. He was all too happy to sit on Snafu’s shoulders, counting as high as he could (to about ten), before starting over again. 

“How many tens do I got?” Armand yawned after a good hour of counting.

“At least a thousand,” Snafu smiled, as Ack Ack ran past them for what had to be his thousandth lap of fetch. 

“That a lot?” 

“Yeah, it is. You think you counted all of ‘em?” 

Armand yawned again, and wiggled until Snafu moved him off his shoulders and cradled him against his chest. “I dunno. We go sleep?” 

“You wanna go to sleep?” 

Armand nodded and rubbed his eyes, snuggling into Snafu’s chest. “We go bed.” 

Inside, Eugene was on the floor of Armand’s room, likely planning on waiting for them to come back in once he found them missing. However, he was completely passed out, directly in front of the open side of Armand’s tiny bed. 

“Lord, but aren’t we just a wonder,” Snafu sighed as he leaned carefully over Eugene to set Armand in his bed. “I’m gonna grab a blanket and pillow for me and Daddy. You stay put.” 

Neither of his boys had moved by the time he returned, and both were lightly snoring as well. 

“Ain’t no fuckin’ way any of us are makin’ it to anything,” he sighed as he tossed down a pillow for himself, and carefully moved a pillow under Eugene’s head. “I’ll call in an hour...leave a message for ‘em all. Gonna say you were sick, kiddo. Don’t wanna encourage lying, but goddamn am I tired.” 

He stared at them, and rubbed his eyes. “And both of you are dead asleep, so I’m talking to myself.” 

He muttered to himself for the next hour to keep awake, about anything and everything, before calling their workplaces and Ms. Mavis, so she wouldn’t fret when Armand didn’t show up for the day. She, however, actually answered.

“I’m so sorry, this is way too early, but Armand is sick, and I’ve been up with him all night-” 

“Lavender is good for nightmares,” Ms. Mavis said gently. “For you and Eugene, or the boy. If anyone in town asks during our little field trip to the park today, I’ll make sure they know Armand was ‘sick.’“ 

“You-” 

“He hasn’t slept through a nap time without waking up crying for weeks,” she interrupted. “I was going to mention it the next time it happened; I hoped it was just a fluke. But whatever he’s been through before y’all got him must haunt his little mind. Good on you for making sure he’s gettin’ some sleep now. And you do the same.” 

He thanked her, and pondered if a little lavender plant might not be safe in Armand’s room if he built a shelf for it, and put it up high away from Armand and the cats. 

He went to bed with more tens in his mind, in measurements and money. Anything to help Armand sleep.

He knew from experience they couldn’t spend every night counting the stars.