𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞; eugene roe ✔

PART TWENTY FIVE

I'm aware this is short but I hope the ending makes up for it <3

Word count; 1,897

Valentina

Eugene regarded the ceiling, eyelids burning. "God, Valentina."

"Is that too much to ask?" I grimaced, not as embarrassed as I thought I would be by crying.

Although he seemed metres away, he crossed the space between us in a second, kneeling by the chair I sat in. His arms enveloped my torso and, unable to resist his touch, I squeezed onto him like a lost child, sobbing into his shoulder and soaking his shirt. I hated him, I hated myself, but crying into his embrace was one of the best thing's I'd ever felt.

He pulled away, rubbing away my eyes with his thumbs, palms on my cheeks. 

"You know, all this time I knew you were upset with me. I thought I had really scared you off the other night and that thought terrified the hell outa' me. Not seeing you, not knowing you were okay. It was horrible."

"What do you want me to do?" I inhaled with a wheeze, my nose dripping. "I don't know what to do."

"Get better." He moved a strand of hair away from my face. "Recover. Rest."

I leaned my head into his hand.

"I wish I could help you, Valentina. I don't like to see you in pain."

"I, um..." I sniffed. "I got changed to go downstairs. I wanted to see if I could go outside. But I'm so tired."

"You got changed into this to go to another room?" He chuckled lightly.

"Too much?" I tittered.

"Not at all. You look beautiful."

"You think so?"

"No matter what you wear, I'll always think that."

"Tell me that when I feel more attractive."

"You don't feel attractive?"

"No." I wiped away my nose.

"Well," He dug his arms beneath my back and hamstrings. "I think your family will disagree with you."

"Eugene! What are you doing?!"

He hoisted me up, showing no exertion by the matter, "You said you wanted to go downstairs."

I didn't know what to think; any hatred had been forgotten, blanketed by his appearance and the fact that, somewhere, we were showing ourselves what this could be. What we could be. I knew it wouldn't last but, heart aside, was it so bad to cherish the moment? To love the fact that I could love. To take everything for granted and hear the pump beneath his shirt, feel his chest rise and fall with my own temple.

"Gene, if you go outside that door, carrying me like this, you are not aware of the chaos you will create."

"No, I don't believe I am."

He started to move and I slapped my hands over my eyes, cheeks rushing with a deep red. I sensed as he descended the stairs, counting each step in order to assume which room he'd take me to. Then, corrupted by a foreign inclination, I rubbed my thumb on his helix. Eugene halted, a warm smile taking over his lips. We could both hear the voices of Sascha and Metilda drawing closer.

"Can we go outside? Just the two of us."

The medic looked around, then down the stairwell, aware I wished to remain out of sight. If only his boots weren't as heavy as they were, perhaps our exit would've been even more discreet. But he hated wearing them inside anyway, he was raised to always remove them before stepping on carpet. Unfortunately, that habit had to be overcome shortly into the war, yet he knew that somewhere, if he were to have a home one day of his own, he'd incorporate the same rule.