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Eugene and Shelton were sitting in the parlour; after their discussion they had finished dressing quickly and gone downstairs to wait for Edward. Eugene was sitting ramrod straight, picking at his fingernails anxiously while Shelton was sitting forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, bouncing his knee impatiently. Mary Frank was standing by the entrance, watching them. It was obvious neither of them expected this to go well and she couldn’t honestly say how she thought it would go. Edward Sr. was sitting in his office across the hallway and she turned around to look at him, catching his eye. They exchanged a nervous look just as there was a knock at the door. Lily moved to answer the door but Mary Frank shook her head, moving to answer it herself. Edward Sr. stood up from his desk and moved to the foyer as Mary Frank opened the door. Edward was standing there, his face set in a grim line and his hands curled into loose fists at his sides. His parents smiled at him nervously and Mary Frank hugged him. “Edward, hello dear, it’s lovely to see you.”
“Mother.” He replied tersely. He stepped forward and shook Dr. Sledge’s hand. “Father.” He looked around the hallway. “Where’s Eugene?” He asked.
Mary Frank sighed inwardly. Straight to the point. “He’s in the parlour, this way. Would you like some coffee?” She asked.
Edward followed his parents into the parlour and shook his head. He wasn’t here for coffee. When he stepped into the room, Eugene turned his head to look at him. Edward had to give him credit for meeting his gaze directly and not flinching away from him at all. Eugene watched him as he moved around to the armchair facing them and took a seat. Shelton watched the both of them and then sighed, leaning back and stretching his arm out along the back of the chesterfield he and Eugene were sharing. ‘Around my brother’s shoulders.’ Edward thought bitterly. Shelton seemed to read the thought on his face and rolled his eyes, which just irritated Edward more. Shelton, with his biting grin and his knowing eyes and that unintelligible Cajun drawl, had no right to be so haughty. At least not in Edward’s estimation. Edward had early on divided the world into neat and easy delineations of Right and Wrong and Snafu Shelton was firmly placed in the Wrong category. Not just because of his relationship to Eugene though. No, Snafu was Wrong because he was not like Them. He didn’t have family money, he wasn’t cultured and well educated. He was cold and rude and disinterested in Edward - which was the part that really chafed Edward. Ultimately, Edward just believed himself to be better than Snafu. Edward fought in the ‘Gentleman’s War’ while Snafu had to fight and scrape in the mud and the filth with a savage and brutal enemy and really, that’s where feral animals like Snafu belonged. Edward had never had these thoughts explicitly, and certainly wasn’t self aware enough to even know he felt that way, but those ugly feelings were there. There were other feelings tucked in alongside those, feelings that were just as ugly. Feelings about what kind of man Eugene was now.
Edward took a deep breath through his nose and looked his brother over. Noting the stitches and the ugly bruising on his face, the uncomfortable way he sat, no doubt trying to ease the pressure on his ribs. “Goddammit Eugene.” He growled under his breath, dropping his head. “Mother and Father told me what happened.” He accused, raising his head to meet Eugene’s eyes.
“Did they now?” Eugene’s voice was hard and cold. He wasn’t giving any ground in the battle Edward seemed determined to engage in. He had seen the way Edward had looked at Shelton - just now and in the past - and he wasn’t having this. He had come to know his brother’s own prejudices and although he still loved the man, and knew he loved him too, he had no intention of lying down for this. When it came to his family at least, he was done hiding and lying and pretending.
Edward nodded, Eugene’s attitude just making him angrier. “Yes, they did. Everything. So I guess it’s all out there now and I just have to say, just what do you think you’re doing Eugene? Hmm? And you?” He pointed angrily at Snafu. “I hope you know this is all your fault.”
Snafu felt Eugene stiffen next to him and dropped his arm from the back of the chesterfield to place his hand in the center of Eugene’s back, smoothing it up the tense muscles of his back to gently squeeze his shoulder before pulling his arm back into his own lap. Snafu leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees and looked up at Edward from beneath his eyelashes. “An’ how do ya figure that?” He drawled slowly. He'd said the same thing to himself many times over the last few days, but he'd be damned if he'd let Edward say it to him.
Edward ground his teeth together and glared at him. “You really have the audacity to ask that? You really think this isn’t your fault? If it wasn’t for you Eugene would never have been in this position. No one would’ve been saying anything around town, there would’ve been no rumours, and none of this would have happened.” He shook his head in disgust. “Now I don’t know what you did or what you said to, to talk Eugene into...to persuade him into this...this...this perversion,” he spat, “but I think we’ve all indulged it for long enough.” He sat back in the chair, his jaw set firmly. “I think it’s time for you to leave. For good.”
Snafu ducked his head and looked at Eugene, he could feel Eugene practically vibrating next to him. He felt panic and anger claw it’s way up his throat, he didn’t know how to deal with this. If it was just him, that he could deal with, but as he looked up he caught Mary Frank’s eye. She was looking at the three of them, her distress clear on her face. Behind her, Edward Sr. had a tight smile on his face that somehow conveyed disappointment and heartache. This was a situation that was made much more complicated by the fact that these people were all a family and they wanted impossible things. Snafu was fine with hurting Edward, frankly he wouldn’t mind just cracking him across the jaw and being done with it. He could lay him flat on his back and tell him to fuck off and that would be that. Doing that, however, would hurt Mary Frank and Dr. Sledge which would inevitably hurt Eugene and that was the opposite of what Snafu wanted. Mary Frank was right about it being difficult being part of family, though at the moment Shelton was struggling to see the ‘worth it’ side of things.
Next to him, Eugene was gripping his own thighs tightly, knuckles edging white. It didn’t appear to Shelton that Eugene was in any mindset to be able to speak to his brother so he did the talking for both of them, before Eugene could say something he’d regret. Better that Snafu say something regrettable.
Though Edward had never even explicitly expressed his dislike for Snafu, he knew it was there. Shelton wasn’t dumb either, he could easily guess at all the things a man like Edward wouldn’t like about a man like him. “You wanna know what I did or said to your brother all them years ago eh Edward?” He asked. He ran his hand through his hair, smiling easily and shaking his head, the edges of his hair still damp from the shower. “Well boy, aside from what we did just a little bit ago in the shower…” he said in his thickest Cajun french, giving Edward his dirtiest grin, conspiratorial, and winked. “Well see I came out here, and took him to the coast with me, and all I said was “Have you ever seen the Atlantic?” That’s it. That’s all it took and he came with me. Of course first we stopped in some shitty motel and in that shitty motel, boy, I got right up in your brothers space and put my lips and my hands on him, and I tasted his skin. I felt his heart beating in his throat through my lips and my teeth and my tongue and I felt it beating in his cock in my hand. I looked into his eyes as he came and shit boy I reminded him he was alive and that that was okay. You wanna know what I did? I put him back together and it wasn’t the first time I did it and it wasn’t the last.” He ducked his head down and to the side, looking at Eugene from the sides of his eyes. “An’ ya know what?” He said in english, turning back to look at Edward. “He did the same for me.” He shrugged, knowing that Edward wouldn’t have understood him, but it had felt good to say it and it didn’t hurt that the not knowing would just irritate Edward more. “You wanna take a swing at me Edward eh? That make ya feel better?”
Edward had grown increasingly angrier listening to Snafu’s unintelligible rant. He’d recognized it as some sort of bastardization of french but he couldn’t make out a word Shelton had said. He felt like somehow Snafu was making fun of him. “Not really. Unlike you, I don’t solve my problems with violence.” He smiled condescendingly. “I already told you what would make me feel better. If you’d just go and leave my brother alone.”
Eugene unclenched his hands from his thighs. “What have they said about me in town Edward?” He asked, his voice quiet and laced with a danger that Edward wouldn’t have caught, but that Snafu did.
Edward deflated some, caught off guard by the question. “What?”
Eugene turned his eyes up to meet Edward’s. “I said: what have they said about me in town?” He repeated.
Edward straightened his shoulders, ready to hurl at Eugene all the words other people had said about him. “They talk about how you never settled down. About how when you were still here you turned down every girl who showed an interest in you. They say those times you went away for the weekend, all those long trips you took, that you were going to see Shelton. That you were far too close to him. When you moved, well then they started talking more, speculating on whether you’re queer or not, saying you must have run off with that marine you were always hanging about with. They said more, said worse, but that kind of language wouldn't be appropriate for Mother.” He paused and stared hard at Eugene. “Do you have any idea how hard that’s been on me, on Mother and Father? On your family?” He spat.
This seemed to shake Eugene out of the passive, quiet anger he’d been in. His eyes were wide and staring, eyebrows drawn down sharply over them, the corners of his mouth drawn down in a snarl. “How hard it’s been for you?” He demanded. “How hard it’s been for you? I’m sorry Edward!” He spat. “I didn’t realize how difficult this has all been for you. Please, enlighten me about this ordeal you’ve been through.” He was shouting now.
Snafu had shifted his body toward Eugene as he spoke and was watching him closely. He reached out and laid his hand on Eugene’s arm as Mary Frank stepped forward. “Eugene,” she said plaintively. “That’s not what he meant.”
Eugene’s head whipped around to stare at her. “Really, Mother? Cause I think that’s exactly what he meant.” He turned back to his brother. “I think that’s exactly what he means, how hard it’s been for him, personally, that his brother’s a fucking homosexual. How embarrassing it is, to have people gossiping about who I choose to fuck.” He spat the word, ignoring his mother’s wince. “Isn’t that right Edward?” He demanded, lurching to his feet, grinding his teeth together and groaning at the splitting pain in his sides.
Edward blinked rapidly, thrown off balance by Eugene’s anger. “Don’t say that!” He cried. “You're not...that.” He looked pleadingly at Eugene. “You’re not.”
Eugene actually laughed, despite the blinding pain it caused him. “I don’t know what to say Edward.” He said bitterly. “No it’s all a lie? Just a big misunderstanding, Mer and I, we’re just real good friends. He’s just my ol’ war buddy and we’re not in love and those kids tried to cave my sides in all because of a misunderstanding.”
This was too much for Edward. Eugene’s words crashed into him, a final blow to whatever shred of patience he’d had left. “Love?” Edward scoffed, raising to his feet to stand in front of Eugene. The very concept offended him. The idea that Eugene could love someone like Shelton. “You’re not in love Eugene, stop being so foolish!” He accentuated this point with a firm push to Eugene's chest, knocking him a step backwards and making him cry out in pain.
Edward wasn’t really thinking, he didn’t even flinch at the unmasked look of agony on Eugene’s face, pain he himself caused. All he could hear was Eugene’s words ringing through his ears over and over again. They incensed him and he wanted to grab Eugene and shake him until his little brother made sense to him again. He was just about to do that when a strong hand clamped down on his arm, outstretched and grasping for Eugene. "Touch him again and I'll make sure you regret it." Snafu hissed coldly from next to him, his fingers digging painfully into Edward’s forearm.
Edward’s face flashed with surprise and then settled into cold, hard anger. He stared at Snafu but Shelton didn’t back down, he kept his grip firm on Edward’s forearm and held his steady gaze. They looked at each other for a moment longer, but then Eugene started making these odd wheezing sounds and Snafu whipped around.
Eugene felt like he was drowning in a room full of air. When Edward shoved him he felt like it somehow knocked all the air out of his lungs and now he couldn't get it back. He could hear the hard, wheezing pants he was making as he tried to drag air in despite the burning ache in his ribs. His heart was racing in his chest, beating so hard he'd swear he could feel it against his damaged ribs. His one hand was clasping at the shirt over his chest and the other clawed the air, reaching for Shelton. Suddenly he felt Shelton's cool hands on either side of his face and he reached his hands out to grip desperately at his shirt sleeves.
"Shhh, Gene, it's alright, I'm right here." Snafu murmured, stroking his thumb over Eugene’s cheekbone and cradling his head in his hands. Edward stared at them, feeling revulsion low in his belly and some ugly, unnamed, reptilian emotion slithered low around his spine. He found himself staring at the way Eugene’s fingers were clutching in the fabric of Snafu’s worn blue shirt, bunching the fabric. The way he could see strands of red poking out between Shelton’s fingers where they were gently buried in Eugene’s hair. It made him feel sick to his stomach.
Just as Dr. Sledge was stepping forward to assist his son, Edward couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t stand to see his brother held in this intimate embrace and he lashed out, grabbing Snafu by the bicep. “Get off of him!” He yelled, dragging Snafu off Eugene and shaking him angrily.
“Edward!” Dr. Sledge shouted, striding forward, spreading his hands placatingly. “What are you doing?” Dr. Sledge stared at the scene before him. Edward was standing with an ugly snarl on his face, gripping Shelton by the arm while Shelton was looking at him with a dangerous glint in his eye, his free arm stretched out, resting his hand on Eugene’s shoulder. Eugene was Edward Sr.’s primary concern, he was still breathing in that strangled way and his eyes were wide and unfocused. He was obviously having a panic attack and Dr. Sledge was chastising himself for not intervening sooner, for not preventing this outcome. “Edward. Let go of Shelton.” He said sternly, addressing his older son. Shelton shook his arm free, throwing another glare at Edward before turning all his attention to Eugene. He stepped close to Eugene, cupping his face with one hand and placing his other gently on Eugene’s hip, murmuring lowly. Edward Sr. knew Shelton was practiced at handling Eugene’s nightmares and suspected, by the way Eugene’s breath was stuttering but slowing down, that he could handle this panic attack too.
He turned to Edward who was staring at him with a wounded expression. “You’re standing up for him?” He asked petulantly.
Dr. Sledge gave a taut sigh. “He’s not responsible for what happened and currently, the only one hurting your brother is you.”
"I'm not..." Edward's head swivelled between his brother and Shelton standing in front of him and back to his father. "I didn't mean to hurt him." He said quietly, turning back to Eugene. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry Eugene." He said plaintively. Eugene looked at him briefly before dipping his head and dropping it into the crook of Shelton's neck. "Eugene, I just..." he paused, searching for the right words. "I want to help you. There are places, doctors who know about this sort of thing. They can fix you." Eugene groaned but didn't look up at his brother, he just clutched tighter to Snafu.
Dr. Sledge crossed his arms. "Edward, I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting.” Dr. Sledge said, his vast reserves of patience being tested. At the same time Mary Frank cried out. "Edward, please!” she pleaded.
Edward looked between his parents in astonishment. How they couldn’t see what was plain as day to Edward was beyond him. Snafu had turned his head and was glaring at him, his arms wrapped around Eugene who was still clutching at his sleeves. Edward looked at that sleeve, bunched in his brother’s hand, at the way he so desperately clung on to what Edward knew - just knew - would be his downfall and made his decision.
He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. “Fine. Just know,” he turned to look at Eugene, who had raised his head from Shelton’s shoulder, and loosened his grip on his arm, “as long as you do this, you’re not my brother. You’re not welcome in my home or around my family.” He said, his jaw set in grim determination.
Mary Frank gasped and reached out to steady herself by clutching at Dr. Sledge’s arm. “Edward, please, you don’t mean that.”
“Yes I do Mother.” He said, fixing her with a stare. “I don’t feel comfortable with the likes’a him around my children.”
From the side of him Snafu scoffed. “You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.” He muttered.
Edward turned back and met his brother’s eyes, they were wounded and deeply sad, but he didn’t look away. Edward had to avert his gaze first, not allowing any guilt to seep in. He believed, in his heart, he was making the right decision. He stepped away from his brother and to his parents, moving to hug his mother but she jerked away from his touch. The condemnation he saw in her gaze, the disappointment written on his father’s face was too much. He wasn’t the one who had let this family down. “Well then,” he said, side stepping his parents. “I’ll see myself out.”