#sledgefu: battle of 'i dont know how to be in love' vs 'i dont know if im SUPPOSED to love'

[himbowelsh]

Would you be willing at all to do a similar thing to the BoB boys falling in love for the Pacific boys? Or if that’s too much maybe just Leckies crew? Please and thank you if you do! ✨✌🏻🥳🦖🍰🎉🤸🏼‍♀️🍺🍆🦷🦞🌈🗿

of course!!  i love all of these boys, so getting to write any headcanons for them is a treat and privilege  (and how could i say no to all those emojis?)

Robert Leckie

more confident than he has any right to be.

umm, excuse you sir, the wedding ring isn’t on their finger yet, hold your goddamn horse

bob is vocal about his affection.  actually, he’s kind of a loudmouth about it; when he’s in love, all his friends get to hear about it.  his diary gets to hear about it.  his dog gets to hear about it, and he’s pretty sure hoosier jr couldn’t care less.   if someone’s willing to listen, bob’s gonna wax poetic.

the louder he proclaims his love, the more real it feels to him...  concrete, like the next torrential rainstorm or wicked nightmare isn’t going to wash it away.   bob’s confidence isn’t a front  ---  he’s really just like that  ---  but there’s more underneath than meets the eye.

he likes to dedicate his writing to them.  while he eventually grows out of the love poems phase  (the smartest choice of his literary career)  his love interest remains his muse.   he’ll bounce his ideas off of them, seek out their opinions on the things he’s written...  yes, he’s hungry for their attention, but knowing that they’ll be reading gives him the motivation to write better.

he’ll rarely admit his feelings outright, always dancing around it in smirks and sly double-entendres.   is he talking about how great the filet mignon at this restaurant is, or that he wants to get married soon? knowing him, both, and that’s exactly what he wants to leave them wondering.

Runner Conley

runner in love is very earnest.  he doesn’t feel the need to brag  ---  sure, his friends can tell just by looking at him, but how he feels for the person he cares about is their business alone.   

still, he can’t help talking about them.   they’re on his mind so much that he’ll just bring them up out of the blue  ---   his crush said this, his crush thinks that, this reminds him of the time he and his crush did blah-blah-blah...  he completely gives himself away.    his friends will take the piss out of him, but runner legit doesn’t even notice he’s doing it; he can’t stop.

he is right there with the favors.  they need a ride somewhere?  they need something picked up at the store?  just tell him, and he’ll do it, no questions asked.  he gets things done in record time.  (meanwhile, leckie asked to borrow his can opener two weeks ago, and runner still hasn’t gotten around to it. the preference is clear.)

loves to just spend time with them.  he’ll ask to hang out all the time, inventing excuses just to spend time together.  being in their space, enjoying their presence, is the best part about being in love for him.

Hoosier Smith

hoosier’s love is measured in tolerance.   if he’s willing to spend time around somebody, he likes 'em. if he’ll spend the whole day with 'em, he’s head-over-heels.

lowkey, no one would be able to tell hoosier’s falling in love.  he plays his emotions close to his chest, and doesn’t analyze them too much.  yeah, he’s caught feelings, but no sense making a big deal out of it.  they’ll probably go away on their own.

except they don’t, and the more they grow, the easier hoosier finds it is to be around them.  he’s not taxed by their presence, and hardly ever annoyed with them; it’s easy to banter with them, and when they laugh at his quips he feels all warm inside.  it’s weird.  he’s not sure he likes it.  but damn him if he wants it to end.

the day he finds himself eager to hang out with them...  he knows he’s done for.

hoosier is much more relaxed around the person he loves. all his blunt edges have softened; he’s a little gentler with them, a little fonder.  he’s not loud about it at all, but as soon as his partner picks up on it, his love becomes obvious.

Chuckler Juergens

he has absolutely no filter, and there is no way he can hold these emotions in.  when chuckler is in love, it’s like a golden retriever with a crush.

everything they do is amazing in his eyes.  he has to actively work to recognize their flaws; for a while, he definitely wears rose-tinted glasses when it comes to his love interest.  he just loves so sincerely, with his whole body, that holding it in threatens to overwhelm him. 

that said, he doesn’t rush into love.  it builds up slowly in him.  he can’t really say he loves someone until he’s known them for a while.  by then, they’re pretty comfortable around each other, and on a level of intimacy that he doesn’t feel shy admitting it when he’s certain.  (he also wouldn’t have luck hiding it if he tried; to all his friends, chuckler’s pretty transparent.)

he laughs at all their jokes, and would go miles out of his way for them if they just asked for it.  his smile is always broader around them, painfully genuine.  chuckler’s a social guy, so he loves being out in crowds, but around the person he loves he loves it when it’s just the two of them.

he needs his partner to say “i love you” first, but he’ll say everything but.  “you look amazing today,”; “no one dance like as you,”; “i could spend every night like this with you”.    he’s confessed his feelings a dozen times over before the word “love” ever passes between them.

Sid Phillips

sid genuinely enjoys falling in love.  it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, right?  (for most people  ---  his aunt janine has fallen in love four times and counting, but if she were the gold standard for romance, she’d still be invited to the phillips family christmases.)

he kind of becomes...  not oblivious to everything else, but his mind is very clearly in another place.  he’s not as sensitive to his other friends’ feelings; he drops plans without much notice because he’d rather be with the person he loves.  sid falling in love becomes self-absorbed without realizing it, and would have to be snapped out of it by a well intentioned  (very annoyed)  friend.

with his partner, however, he’s tender.  sid is a very good listener, empathetic and kind; he’s open about his feelings from the start, valuing communication in a relationship, and nothing makes him grin harder than hearing his partner feels the same way.

sid is a gentleman  ---  he’s eager to help them out with anything they need.  he’s very conscientious of his partner’s feelings, careful not to overstep boundaries.  he wouldn’t do anything, even kiss, unless his partner gave him plenty of encouragement.

Eugene Sledge

eugene does not all in love easily.  it takes him a long time to ease into it.  he doesn’t tumble head-over-heels, so much as cautiously inch down the mountain, taking frequent breaks to have a snack and psyche himself up.

somehow, he’s quieter around the person he loves.  it’s noticeable because he wasn’t always like this.  eugene as a friend is quite different to eugene as a lover, more tentative and tender in all the ways that count.  he gets...  not shy, really, but more reserved around them.  he doesn’t want to let his feelings show, so the casual banter and easy dynamic they used to have grows stiff and uncomfortable.  he’ll jump through hoops to avoid hanging out alone with them.

why is he doing this?  god help him, even he’s not sure.

if anyone confronts him about it, he’ll get mad.  of course he’s not treating them any differently!  this is how he’s always been, he’s fine  ---   but just as quickly as he flares up for his own sake, he’ll get even more riled over any slight to his loved one.  being in love awakes a defensiveness eugene never realized he had.  suddenly, he’d do anything for his partner’s sake.

it takes a while for eugene to come to terms with his feelings, and trust himself enough to love.  hopefully his partner’s patient  ---  and straightforward about their feelings, because eugene’s probably going to need a push.

Snafu Shelton

his crush starts finding weird gifts hidden around their house, and no, they have no clue how they got there.  

merriell’s not a romantic, okay?  he doesn’t know how all that wooing-and-courting works, but he gets the general idea.  nothing romantic about coming up to someone and saying outright   ‘your hair looks like it’d be cozy to wear as a sweater, when you smile i want to touch your teeth, this feels like love’.  like.  it’s all true, but that doesn’t mean he can say it.

frankly, he’s still cursing himself for falling in love in the first place, because merriell did not sign up for all this mushy-gushy feeling stuff.  

some people just...  aren’t meant to fall in love, and he’s one of them.  not love that feels like this, that feels...  so real.  it scares him.   he doesn’t know what to do about it.

he’s a weak man, though.  it’s not like he can just stay away.  merriell can’t help but want to be around them constantly, looking over their shoulder and watching out for them; he’s fascinated by them, and it only grows more obvious as the feelings continue to swell in his chest.

so, he sneaks tiny gifts  ---  things he finds or things he likes, things that make him think of them  ---  in their stuff, and watches raptly when they find it.  no, he’s not gonna confess to leaving them there.  it’s just...  nice to watch.

he stares at them for a long time  ---  not unusual for him, to be fair  ---  but when they look up, he looks away immediately.  very out of character, and honestly more unnerving than if he just kept staring.

able to carry on like normal, unless the topic of romance is brought up at all.  then he gets ornery and annoyed, especially if his love interest talks about any past romantic relationships.  he’s possessive in love, especially because he’s not sure where he stands in the other person’s affections.  merriell hates the idea of them with anyone else, but can’t really believe they’d want to be with him.

RV Burgin

well, next to the hot messes that are sledge and snafu, burgie’s a disney prince.

literally, he goes so far out of his way to not make the person he loves uncomfortable.  he’s a gentleman to his core.  the idea of caring for someone who doesn’t feel the same way stings  ---   but even worse is the idea that he could be forcing affection on someone who doesn’t want it.

because of this, he might keep it all a bit too much to himself.  he won’t come out and say it, and will be notably more hesitant around them.  no casual touches  ---   if he accidentally does, he’ll draw back like he’s been burned.  if his friends  (re:  snafu and leyden)  say anything perverted around them, he’ll quickly steer the conversation away.

still, it would be impossible to think he isn’t interested.  sometimes he can’t help staring at his love interest, eyes warm in admiration...  and when they catch him, he holds their gaze for a moment, the ghost of a smile flickering across his face, before looking away.

oh yeah, he’s a goner.

when he does let his feelings slip out, it’s always quick and sincere.   “you’re the strongest person i know,” he says once, while trying to encourage them in his typical burgie way;   “i admire you very much.”   he gives compliments without meaning to, or even realizing how he’s selling himself out.  he’s just so besotted that he can’t help it.

Jay De L'Eau

he gets nervous, he gets clumsy, and he gets giggly.  this is a horrible combination.

he once knocked over an entire candle, set a curtain on fire, and was desperately trying to laugh it off while stomping the flames out...  all because he crush complimented him.

jay wants to look cool in front of his love interest, but he’s decidedly not.  poor boy hasn’t got a chance.   there isn’t a suave bone in his body, and no one knows this as well as jay.

so, he becomes earnest instead.  he’s always on hand to do favors for them, always willing to help out whenever he needs it  ---  jay could be corralled into doing couple’s yoga with little resistance, just because his love interest wants to.

this extreme generosity can get exhausting after a while  ---  he really has to figure out how to rein it in  ---   but if it shows how much he appreciates them?  and if it means he gets to spend extra time with them?  yeah, jay doesn’t regret a thing.

Bill Leyden

he’s being???  nice??  leyden’s being nice??

his friends check him for a fever.  they worry he’s been lobotomized.  clearly he’s been abducted by aliens and replaced with a pod person!

leyden is a prickly bastard in general...  but when he’s falling in love, the entire world is puppydogs and rainbows, and he’ll sing showtunes to the heavens.

he’s just so much happier when he’s falling in love.  it’s hard not to spread that happiness around.  he has way more patience for his friends’ bullshit, and is eager to listen to their problems and offer his  (still very leyden-esque)  advice.

god forbid when his love interest’s actually present.  leyden doesn’t have eyes for anyone else; it’s all about them, and he’s a goddamn prince to them.  peeling fruit for them, laughing at all their jokes, making cow-eyes...  he turns into the person he’d be disgusted by in any other circumstance.

Andrew Haldane

it’s all about the emotional intimacy, boys.

andy could never truly fall in love with someone until he already knows them very well; he has to be comfortable with them, to have an easy rapport.  understanding each other is the first step to winning his heart.

he definitely gets a sparkle around them, though.  he just looks brighter, younger, less burdened by his many responsibilities.  maybe it’s because he knows he can share them with his partner...  but andy feels so much lighter when he’s with them.

he’s very generous with his praise. when they do something well, he lets them know it; the last thing he’d want is for them not to understand how much he appreciates them, how valuable they are to him, how glad he is to have them close...

absolutely overthinks it.  he’ll turn his feelings over and over in his head for ages, trying to process them before admitting anything out loud?  is this real?  is this plausible?  are they both in the right place in life to be in love?  do they really love him back?  he’s not an indecisive man, but he puts so much thought into this that eventually, a friend like hillbilly would need to shake him a bit, and tell him to just go for it.

Hillbilly Jones

he’s not going to say it outright.  he’d rather eat a live squid than do something that dumb.   when hillbilly feels himself falling for someone, he grips a railing all the way down.

anything they need, he’s there to do.  his affection reveals itself through how quick he is to help the person he likes.  loyalty drives his urge to make their life easier.  if they need some repairs done around the house, or some errands taken care of, he’ll offer to do them without a second thought.   “not a problem,”  he replies with a tiny smile when they worry he’s going to too much trouble.   after all, he wouldn’t do it for just anyone.

master of wordless communication.  his love interest doesn’t need to hear things outright from him, because they become well-acquainted with all of hillbilly’s various (extremely sarcastic)  faces.  he loves this easy communication.

he’ll talk them up to anyone who needs to hear it.  hillbilly does not take kindly to his partner being disparaged, under any circumstances.  it’s not overprotectiveness, he’ll insist to himself  ---  the protection is completely warranted, and he’s not ashamed to punch someone if his partner’s good name is on the line.

John Basilone

he gets all the points for persistence.  

john’s greatest virtue is his determination.  no matter what the world throws at him, or how many ways it tries to kill him, he’s going to keep going until he physically cannot anymore.

and...  not gonna lie, there are moments when he sees his love interest smile, and it feels like he’s been shot through the chest.  he’s got to stop, just to catch his breath, because they sweep the ground out from under his feet. 

the first time it happens, he knows he’s in love.  yeah, he knew he liked them already, but...  like and love are different things.  he likes his mama’s panna cotta, but he’s not going to marry it.

when john’s falling for someone, it’s important to him that they know it.  no beating around the bush for him; if they don’t feel the same way, they can respond however they like, but they’ve at least got to know.

he misses no opportunity to make his admiration clear.  if they do something impressive, he’s the loudest voice on the sidelines cheering them on;  if it’s their birthday or a holiday, he hands his gift to them personally, with that irrepressible charming grin.  

john is very confident in love, but he’s also very optimistic.  it’s not that he’s never been rejected before, or can’t take it...   he just genuinely doesn’t believe his heart can break.