I Love You (Eugene Sledge x reader)
Summary: Eugene wants your relationship to go just how his momma taught him one should.
Rating:Mature-ish? No actual smut, but slight mention
It wasnât your fault. Eugene wished you could know that, he had tried telling you. Of course, it never really did stop the hurt look in your eyes when heâd stop a kiss from getting too deep, too passionate, too anything. It wasnât that he didnât want your relationship to go further, because by god thatâs all he wanted in the world. He knew he was going to marry you, if youâd let him. Though he never really told you those intentions either, and maybe he should have. Maybe then youâd understand. He was just trying to do everything right, just like his momma taught him.
It wasnât that he was saving himself like he had throughout the war. No. You had asked him that after two months of dating and a particularly exciting kiss in the doorway of your parentsâ house one night. He was ashamed to admit not long after he returned home he had spent a night with a girl heâd gone to high school with in a meadow far enough from home. He regretted it. Him and the girl were awkward and nothing was special but she didnât ask what his plans were now that he was home. But it was only once and, if Eugene was being honest, disappointing compared to what Snafu and Sid had described to him. He wasnât even quite sure why he did it or if he truly wanted to. But with you... he knew he wanted it. He needed it. He needed you. And by the way you clutched his shirt tightly in your fists that night and playfully licked his Adamâs apple, you didnât seem to be the perfect image of innocence either. And thatâs what made him wait. The way you lit his skin on fire just with a soft brush of your finger tips... the way your pouty lips pressed together so deliciously when you were angry with him... the way your pink tongue flicked across your lips every so often when heâd take you out for milkshakes... He knew it would be special with you. But god, was it getting hard to wait.
âGene,â you hummed, your voice light and airy and as your fingers played in his blazing hair.
He could always tell when something was on your mind. You would accidentally pull his hair. It wasnât that it hurt, itâs just that heâd imagine if youâd be one of those girls that would tug on his hair while he was... well... Eugene coughed, trying to rid himself of the thought of your fingers desperately pulling on his hair like Snafu had claimed so many girls had done to him when he put his tongue to work. He always thought it would be, well, disgusting, but it seemed to be yet another thing heâd be willing to do for you. Heâd admit to anyone that he worshipped the ground you walked on.
âYes?â He finally found his voice, catching the hand that was in his hair and playing with it between his own fingers as he watched your little dog frolic about in your motherâs garden.
âYou have taken me on countless dates for almost a year now. You call me your sweetheart. My momma even lets you stay for the night sometimes and yours does the same with me,â you began lifting his head from your lap and crouching in front of the swinging love seat, your face level with his.
âand yet, after all this time, youâve never touched me.â
Your eyes held that flicker of flame he fell in love with, that flicker that his father told him would destroy him.
âIâve touched you, darlin.â
You didnât even blink and stood your ground, glaring at the red head.
âEugene Sledge, youâve touched me no different than youâve touched your own momma.â
âNow hold on, thatâs not true and you know that.â
You stood up, tugging your shoes back on as you made your way back to your home, calling your dog after you.
âJust because youâve squeezed my waist a little and kissed my neck does not mean youâve touched me, Eugene!â
The tall red head was behind you faster than you thought heâd be. As your hand reached for the back door just as your dog disappeared through the doggy door, you were turned around and your back pressed against the side of the house. His dark eyes stared at you, pupils a little larger than normal but you didnât miss the ghost of a sad look on his face.
âI want to,â his words were a cross of a growl and a whisper. He pressed his forehead against yours and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes tightly because the way your wide ones stared back at him already had him feeling a little tight in the pants.
âI want to touch you. I have for a very long time,â he admitted.
You grabbed his hand, gently but firm enough to guide him.
âThen touch me, Gene,â you laid his hand low on your hips and savored the feeling of his finger tips pressing hard against your body.
He kept his eyes close and sighed as he felt the softness of your body. He wanted to feel your skin against his.
âWe canât,â he tried to pull back but you were faster.
âWeâre not children, Eugene. Weâre grown up. You can touch me however you want,â you crooned, pressing a light kiss to his cheek.
Eugene finally opened his eyes and almost lost control at the sight. Your cheeks were red as you spoke and your eyes were glossy with lust. He wasnât insecure with himself or your relationship, but he wasnât entirely confident either. You had graduated when he was still in the Pacific. He didnât know what kind of guys you had dated and you had only been a freshman when he had gone to school with you. But he know they couldnât have been like him. You were so beautiful and stunning and kind, he didnât know how he got you. But seeing you nearly falling apart with lust, for him, made the situation all the more worse.
You whimpered when you felt him, hard and prominent, against your tummy.
Your big eyes pleaded with him.
His large and nimble hands framed your face as he captured your lips with his. And you sighed, happy that you were getting what you craved. His hand went back to your hip and slid around, grasping your bottom as he pressed you against the side of the house. His other hand moved to the buttons on the chest of your dress, blindly pulling them apart from each other. Eugene felt drunk. Whatever lust was inside you had possessed him and claimed him as hers. He wanted to make you feel good. He wanted to please you.
But then he found clarity in his foggy mind when you tore at his shirt and nearly had it removed from his body.
You did as told... the sadness seeped into your eyes again. Your red cheeks and pouty lips were almost enough to start him again. But he didnât.
Your eyes grew wide. Eugene had never told you that before. Of course, you loved him, but you wanted him to say it first and you were beginning to wonder if he ever would.
âI love you and I want to make you my wife.â
You felt tears form in your eyes as he spoke. You went to talk but Eugene pressed a quick kiss to your lips to stop you. He took your face in his hands once more, gently this time.
âI want to watch you walk down the aisle towards me on our wedding day and know that we did everything right. I want to be able to touch you and feel you and please you and know that I get to do that to you for the rest of our lives. I donât want to just touch you, I want you to feel my love every night, every day, hell, any time we want. I want to marry you, Y/N. I want you forever.â
Eugene tried to smile at you even though his heart was pounding against his chest in a way that almost hurt. But he wasnât done yet.
He kneeled in front of you and reached into his trousers.
âIâve been carrying this around in my pocket for the last week or so. Your mother helped me pick it out. I donât know what I was waiting for, but now seems as good a time as any. Will you marry me?â
You let the tears fall now, a cry and laugh escaping your lips as you kneeled down to meet your love.
âYes, Gene. Of course Iâll marry you.â You wrapped your arms around his neck with so much excitement it sent you two falling back against the cobblestones. You loved Eugene and you knew he felt strongly about you. But marriage? Of course you had wanted it and dreamed of it and even cried on one or two occasions because you werenât sure if he wanted it with you, but actually having it in the near future now? You were the happiest girl in the world.
Eugene stayed put, back flat against the ground as you sat up, your legs straddling him. Nothing was said as he slipped the gold ring with the simple oval cut diamond on your finger. You placed your hand over his heart, admiring the ring he gave you.
âI love it,â you told him, giving him a sweet smile that calmed his nerves.
Eugene grinned when you finally said it back. He wanted to scream it to the world. The love of his life loved him back and was going to spend the rest of her days with him.
And then he realized your position... and that he could feel your wetness through his pants. And that his ring was on your finger and you loved him.