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Winter was upon you and it didn't help that there was no electricity in the school building.
Lawrence had called for an emergency meeting in the classroom where you all often met up. As you stepped down the stairs, through boarded up windows, you could see snowflakes falling from the sky through the school's windows.
You took a step closer to the windows; that snow was surely sticking to the floor. Letting out a sigh, you could see the huff of the air from your lips.
How on earth would you survive the winter?
You hurried down to the classroom where everyone was gathered. Well, those who weren't missing. Judy had recently disappeared and despite your constant begging, Lawrence had recently called off the searches. It was far too dangerous to send people to look after her in the cold. However, you couldn't help but worry. If she, somehow, did manage to find shelter, how would she be able to gather supplies in the snow? In the cold? Undead be damned, nature would kill her before those putrid zombies could get to her. Before you or the others could get to her.
"Y/n's here," Harry said as you quietly walked into the classroom, zoned out completely.
You withheld a shiver, this room in particular was oddly colder than the others. It didn't help that—unlike the rest of the group—you didn't have any type of extra fabrics to keep you warm.
"Ah, finally we can start," Lawrence said with a smile, as you rubbed your arm. His positive demeanor kept you from completely breaking down. Losing a close friend was not a feeling you wished upon anyone.
"As you can all tell, there is no heat in the building, it would be helpful if, for the remainder of these cold days, you could have someone else in your classroom," Lawrence began to explain.
There were many mixed reactions around the classroom. Zion rolled his eyes while Eugene gave out a tired scoff. Ethan, as always, seemed to have no emotion written on his face. Scarlett was tense but seeing how she looked over at Zion, she didn't seem to mind. Sue had already walked over to Hailey, her partner already in mind.
"How is that going to help?" Jay protested the coined leader’s idea. As he did every idea.
"Body heat,” Lawrence said curtly, before tilting his head, a flash of annoyance behind his eyes despite his smile showing otherwise, “You don't have to if you don't want to, you just won’t wake up to see another day.”
Jay grimaced and decided to stay quiet.
"Any other concerns?" Lawrence asked the rest of the group.
"We could pick who we want to stay with, right?" Sue questioned Lawrence, crossing her arms crossed.
You were hoping that he would say yes. If he paired you up with Hailey or, worst case scenario, Scarlett, it would be awfully chaotic. You actually would have preferred to be with either Lawrence or Harry, or— He crossed your mind but you were quick to dismiss the thought.
"Actually, I picked who would stay with who," he answered and took off his glasses, starting to wipe them with his shirt, "However, if anyone wants a change of roommate then that's fine by me."
In the end, after many MANY adjustments, you ended up getting paired up with Eugene. You could actually thank Scarlett for that. She refused to sleep in the same room as him.
As Lawrence dismissed you all to your classrooms, you walked with Eugene towards his room rather than yours. After all, without Judy in it, it felt empty, terrifying, almost.
"You don't look too happy," Eugene commented as he opened the door to his room.
"Don't be such a downer, why would I protest spending the night with you?" You smiled at Eugene.
You noticed a blush creep onto his cheek but he quickly covered it with his face mask. You slowly realized that what you said out of context was rather strange. Now heat was rushing to your own face too.
Eugene had caught your interest terribly. It all rooted from the day you saw him play the piano. It was a completely different side of his and you kind of liked it…a lot. To the point where you would often find yourself regularly talking to the unfairly pretty blonde, your time taken up completely by him. Yet, he didn't seem to notice your sudden intrigue.
"There's really nothing much here," Eugene said as you walked into the classroom. The desks were all pushed to the side and in the middle of the classroom were two blankets. You supposed that Eugene laid on one and covered himself with the other.
Even though it wasn't his bedroom, for some reason, it felt like you were intruding. Like you weren't supposed to be in his classroom so late at night.
"You can, uh, take the blankets," he said and sat down on the floor.
You sat down next to him, "I'll be fine with just one."
He raised a brow, "You don't even have a sweater."
"I'm immune to the cold," you joked, which made Eugene smile. You didn't expect for him to take off his own sweater and give it to you. You gratefully accepted the gray sweater and wore it without much protest. It was pretty warm and you found yourself enjoying it too much. Although, you knew it wasn't just for its warmth.
Smiling, he pulled the hood over your head, “Don't be an idiot, the last thing I want is you catching a cold.”
"R-right," you averted his gaze and instead focused on how big the sweater was on you.
You both talked for a while and you tried not to focus on the way your heart wanted to burst from your chest. For the longest time, you pushed down any feelings you had towards the honey-eyed blonde.
For goodness sake, you're in the apocalypse, nothing could ever work out
Yet, in that classroom, you found yourself enjoying his company and laughing at his ridiculous jokes and debates. Soon you both grew more and more tired and the light of the night only began to darken.
"Goodnight, y/n," Eugene said tiredly.
"Night, Eugene," you responded and decided to sleep on your side avoiding Eugene's face.
***
You woke up in the middle of the night shivering. You didn't know how it felt to be locked in a freezer but you were certain this feeling would be awfully similar. You blinked trying to see through the darkness of the classroom, remembering that you weren't in your own. You groaned and pulled on the strings of Eugene's sweater trying to gather its warmth.
"Y/N?" You heard Eugene say your name in a groggy voice.
"Shh, go back to sleep, I'm just a little cold," you explained but you couldn't make out his expression in the dark.
You heard him shift and as soon as you knew it, he had his arms wrapped around you. He was warm. Even without his sweater, his arms somehow maintained body heat, and you tried not to focus on how utterly close you were to his face. Although, as much as you hated to admit, mostly because you couldn’t allow yourself these emotions right now, you basked in his arms, in his warmth. You even found yourself nuzzling closer to him on instinct.
"Y/N?” Eugene repeated, tightening his arms around you, “Don't leave me.”
Your heart dropped, eyes widening at his statement. Did you hear him correctly? He didn't just say those words…did he?
"Eugene?"
But he was already fast asleep. Your entire face was red, you couldn't believe the words he had said. You pressed your head against his chest and sighed. As bad as you knew things could get, when Eugene had you wrapped around his arms, you could feel a spark of hope.
Maybe, you could make it out of this nightmare alive.