no hope will overcome
"You didn't say goodbye." Sledge's voice is quiet, weak, and on the edge of cracking.
"I know. You were asleep," Snafu mumbles in reply, his drawl making something ease the tightness in Sledge's chest. He lets out a shaky breath. He's so far away from Snafu, but it's the closest they've been in years and there are things Sledge remembers that haven't changed, like the slightly darkened tips of Snafu's fingers from the cigarettes, the curl of his mouth when someone tells a joke.
"You could have woken me up," he tries to protest, but Snafu is shaking his head.
"The first time in two years I've ever seen you asleep where you didn't look like you were in pain," he replies. "I couldn't ruin that. I couldn't take that from you."
Sledge looks up and Snafu is looking at something, staring far off into the distance. He follows the gaze, but there's nothing at the end of it. It doesn't matter, Sledge knows what he's seeing.
"It would have been worth it," Sledge whispers, and Snafu closes his eyes.
"I know," he replies. "I know."