as requested by jussipogideonlaufeyson on tumblr
***
The fog was thick, blocking everyone's field of vision. The men murmured to themselves, trying to predict what the Germans across the field would do. As if on cue, a deep rumble echoed through the forest of Bastogne, and 1st Sergeant Lipton's eyes widened.
"Get in your foxholes," he yelled over the noise, and all the men began to run, jumping into the holes they had dug up days, or weeks prior. You weren't so sure how long it had been since you had all entered the forest.
Jumping into the nearest foxhole, you gripped your helmet, shutting your eyes so hard you could feel your brain rattling inside your skull. You imagined fireworks going off on the 4th of July, or the deep rumble of the cars passing main street. Hearing men crying for a medic, you forced yourself to think of why you were here in the first place.
You enlisted in 1942, much to the dismay of your mother. She was worried about you, being the youngest in the family, but the extra $50 was enticing, and your family could use the extra money. Stepping into Camp Toccoa, you didn't expect to be where you were today. The men realized you were different the first few days into training, but they never treated you like an outsider. Soon, you had grown to love each and every one of them, some a little more so.
Some being Eugene Roe.
You didn't believe in love at first sight, never have. But seeing him for the first time, leaning over a dummy to learn about the human body almost made you reject everything you thought you knew. But you didn't. Getting to know him, however, did.
Eugene was a quiet man, and almost always kept to himself. But in combat, you had never seen a braver man. Before the words 'medic' could leave anybody's lips, he was there, his hands bloodied, sweat dripping down his forehead. Outside of combat, he moved around the ranks, making sure each man was okay and taking care of himself. You liked to think he checked on you a little more.
You sat there in that foxhole, not realizing how much time had elapsed until Skip Muck jumped into the foxhole, startling you. "Y/N," he breathed, grabbing your head and hugging it tightly, "Goddamn, we've been looking for you everywhere. The Kraut bastards stopped ages ago."
You stared at him, dazed, registering his words. Pushing him off you gently, you took off your helmet and ran a hand through your short hair, the ends sticking up. You exhaled a sigh of relief as Skip helped you up and out of the foxhole, dusting you off but managing to cover you with more snow.
"You okay, buddy?" he asked, concern written on his face, "Let's get you some food." He didn't say anything then, but you knew he saw you trembling.
***
"Anybody seen Lieutenant Dike?" Lt. Peacock asked, bending over to speak to all the men.
"Try battalion CP, sir," Don replied with a sarcastic grin. With that, Lt. Peacock trudged away, and everyone burst into a fit of laughter.
"Try Paris."
"Try Hinkel."
And with that, you laughed more, your stomach nearly hurting. Babe and Spina had accidentally walked into enemy lines while they went off to look for medical supplies. Babe had fallen into a snow-covered foxhole, startling a German soldier who thought he was his comrade, Hinkel.
Through your peripherals, you saw Eugene seated under a tree, lost in thought as he almost always was lately. You walked up to him, taking your uneaten pancake and handing it to him. "Have you eaten anything?" you said, and Eugene looked up at you from where he was sitting, his dark eyes round.
He shook his head, pushing it towards you, "You need it more, Y/L/N." You scrunched your nose at your last name, shaking your head.
"It's been years, Eugene. When will you ever call me Y/N?"
He shrugged, standing abruptly. "Finish your food alright? Get lots of water and try your best to stay warm," he reminded you, holding on to your shoulder, "I'll check on you again later."
Eugene was worried again, as he always was.
***
That night, you were seated in your foxhole, your knees pressed against your chest. You cursed at how cold it was at night, and promised yourself the next time you ever decide to step into Belgium, it would be with a fur coat.
Hearing footsteps above you, you flinched, gripping the rifle beside you. Eugene peeked in from above, seeing your terrified eyes, and gently shook his head, "Y/N, it's me. It's Eugene."
You calmed down, your eyes still wide. Facing back down towards the other side of your hole, you promised yourself again that the next time you'd be underground would be when that fateful day came. Shaking your head quickly, you removed all thoughts of death from your mind.
"You okay, Y/L/N?" Eugene asked, concerned. He gently put an arm around you and held on, trying to stop your shivering. "We need to get you another coat," he mumbled, rubbing your arm gently. You turned to look at him, your bottom lip quivering.
"Why do you keep doing this?" you asked, moving away from him slightly. He didn't understand what you were asking right away, and turned to face you with his head tilted. "Sometimes I think I know what you're thinking about, but then other times I don't. You refuse to let me in."
Eugene sighed, pulling back his arm and leaning back down. He stared down at his hands, blood crusting under his fingernails. He was closing in front of you again, and you fought every part of yourself that wanted to beg him to say something.
You shook your head, turned, and tried to sleep it away. Eugene took off his coat and put it over you.
***
It was colder today, the bloody snow turning white. You shivered, gripping your rifle tighter. Your streps leaving foot prints in the sand, you crouched, bringing a finger to your lips. You heard a twig snap. The patrol behind you bent over as well, crouching towards you.
One, two, three. Nothing. You spotted a fox dashing across the snow. Exhaling sharply, you stood once more to guide the men when shots rang out. A shower of bullets fell upon you and your men, and everyone went down, gripping their helmets and moving away from the line of fire.
"We gotta pull back," you yelled from over the shots, "Let's get the hell out of here!"
The men scrambled to pick up their guns and ran, you shouting at them to hurry.
***
Concealed by a fallen tree, you stared off at the line, your eyes focusing and unfocusing. The attack earlier terrified you more than it should've, as you've gone through a lot worse. But now you were left shaken and aloof.
The men were all fine, you could hear Don and Babe bantering about something behind you. Some of them were even singing Christmas hymns. You realized it was almost Christmas, your jaw tightening.
"Y/L/N?" you heard someone call for you, and you looked up to see Eugene, crouched by the tree. "You okay, Y/N?"
You grunted in response— You had ignored him since the night you asked him to let you in, but he still always came back to check if you were okay. You scowled at him, but made space for him beside you anyway. "So I really had to ignore you for days just to get you to call me by my first name," you said sarcastically, nudging him with the butt of your rifle, "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to check if you were okay," he mumbled, rubbing his arm where you nudged him, "And I wanted to explain myself."
"Okay then," you said, turning to face him, "Explain."
"I think I'm in love with you, Y/N."
Your cheeks turned red, and Eugene being himself, so predictable, he took off his coat like he did so often, and wrapped it around you. "I worry about you a lot," he continued, rubbing his arms to keep warm, "And whenever I'm around you, I have a hard time focusing. And I worry someone might need me, and I'll be too entranced by you that I don't hear them."
You furrowed your eyebrows and put your arms around him, trying to keep him warm, but also trying to hold him close to you. "We're getting out of here," you whispered against his cheek, tightening your arms, and Eugene stiffened under your touch before resting on you.
Eugene fell asleep on your shoulder, the first time he slept in probably ages.
"I think I'm in love with you too," you said to no one in particular. You liked to believe he heard it, "And I'm going to make sure we get out of here."
The snow started falling.
***
a/n: ahh this wasn't a specific request, except for a roe x male reader. so i made it based on what had happened in episode 6, except instead of babe, it's you!
i hope you like it, and thank you so much for reading.
with love,
𝓖.