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“Oi check that, the wolf is leaving the den, I repeat Serge is leaving the pack den.” Robert stated noncommittally and Carlo’s head swiveled without his permission, eyeing the person of interest.
Norman made noise without commitment slapping a 4 blue uno card down on the milk crate he, Robert, Ed and Carlos sat around: half chugged bottles of water and Gatorade sitting at their feet. The four of them were stationed in one of the primary lounge rooms inside the barracks, running on spare time that was winding down before their next assigned departure.
“Don’t give that bastard the time of day.” He frowned his cards in hand before nodding at Robert, the man triumphantly placing his 9 blue card’ down.
“Damn buzzkill.” Robert scowled, eyes aglow. Norman smirked indifferently, smiling widely at the sudden 9 yellow card Carlos placed down.
“Uh oh here he comes!”
Unsure what to say at the American cheerfulness Carlos nodded still peering at Nikolai. “Can’t let you steal my fun away.” He half assed studied the game but for each passing second Ed spent studying his draw his eyes followed the person of interest.
Nikolai starch grey hair stood out forlornly in their grey militarized prison, with no reason to do so. Strange as he's been surrounded by enough dreary things back home, familiar and unwelcomed in a land overcome with greenery and courageous life fighting against occupation.
What's odder is that he hasn't sprouted any gray hairs dashing by deaths doors so much; maybe his biological clock was ticking down abit slower.
"The second I find a grey hair it's over for me." Carlos internally bemoaned. A prideful marking to prove his willpower to live maybe; excepted who'd be impressed?
Though still,
-Beyond that hometown disaster into this corrupted one, the color from the other side of the room drew Carlos’s attention like no other.
“Hey, I ain’t praying for couponed death wishes leave the man be.” Ed fussed; mellow eyes sorted on three cards he gated in. That blasé answer didn’t stop his cat grin placing down one 2 yellow card. “Uno!”
"Goddamn it!" Norman claimed surprise while Carlos chortled over his five cards, adding his own yellow one to the mix. "I know you cheated and I'm gonna prove it."
“Don’t be buzzkill Norman.” Carlos parrot him from before and Norman crinkle of amusement made it worthwhile.
“You boys ever think Serge hotbox commie shit when he’s off duty.” Rob spoke loud enough to carry in their recreational lounge. “He’s got a way about him.” By no means did he lower his voice, talking with disdain like he wanted the receiver to hear loud and clear. “Nothing like that cold sonofabitch to ruin your day.
Carlos’ eyes followed Nikolai assertive walk on the far side of the room towards the exit, fully aware of Robert’s unmerited staring. The bubble of tension in his stomach wouldn’t unclench for the lack of awareness pummeling his stomach into knots.
“What’cha looking at johnnie boy?” Robert taunted the young Bolivian, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Fuck off Rob, no me enriedes.” Carlo threw his middle finger his way still lost to his thoughts.
“Now listen I don’t condone bad tidings on any of gods creature’s commie or no,” Robert countered to save face, looking over the group akin for good tidings. “Save that fucker over there- can’t you blame me for being on the lookout? I’m trying to help you all from and hey ain’t Brazil full of them commies anyhow? You should be the most on the lookout against him.”
“No, I’m Bolivian.” Carlos rejected that, frowning at the man’s jabs. “We’re democracy.”
“Oh yeah? Well I know you lot got something going on over there, revolutions or somethin.” Robert hummed noncommittedly, and Carlos’s bit into his lips not to start something ugly before Ed abrupt cough stalled the jabs.
Ed whistled off tune to stall Robert quips, his annoyance tidying the ugly pit feelings lying in the back of Carlos’ throat. “Life will call your bluff Rob lay off. Otherwise, Serge might sabotage some way to deal with ya, and you know if that son of a bitch could go to hell faster, he’ll sabotage you to take his spot.”
The silver fleet atop Nikolai head was brushed back, sighting the angular jaw structure Carlos found imposing since the first day they meet him off the back end of a Boeing.
He was an indomitable fortress, greeting them imposingly in his black trench picked on by the winds of Rockfort.
Carlos wasn’t prepared how he should have been that day in his own issued cargo jacket and pants, nervous with dormant anger. Stuck in a country with no way home but coffin bound, now oversighted by ice picked pigs declaring the shots.
Something was the matter with his stomach because seven months later, that same anger hung around; now with an empty seat for something else.
That wasn’t good for his heart, but no one here was either.
Goddamn it.
“Te ves muy guapo.” Carlos snipped from the back of his head, mindful to swallow in his sigh sighting the Russian side features a few moments longer.
Invisible telepathy or maybe it came down to the man simply being a freak of nature, Nikolai turned his head across the way and stared. He stared at Carlos akin frozen flash frame, lips still moving into his mobile.
Carlos’s throat closed holding Nikolai icy artic blue gaze before nodding back, unspoken pressure making his mouth dry.
“Something.” Robert mentioned, attracting Carlos’s attention so he wouldn’t stumble over himself silently. “Something in the air, something in the water, hell something up your ass what’s with you now?”
Aha, he was still fussing with Norman.
“Lots, can’t you see it?” Carlos distracted himself from his nerves talking on autopilot, placing another card down to draw a yellow card so his embarrassment wouldn't eat him through his boots. Only after the next two go-rounds were played did he peer back up, slightly shaken.
Nikolai glacial ice was no more, turned away with indifference. One gloved hand swatted the air with his mobile, the other lay on the crutch of his U.B.C.S. jacket balled in and closed off.
It wasn’t the matter of Nikolai lack of friendliness that threw Carlos- he was a bastard.
Malparido they would’ve called him at home; uttered with warm vibrancy under the hush hush eyes of traitors.
The flint recollection of his elder sister brushing his hair from his forehead with her hand before flicking his nose came to mind.
“You can’t break down about every heavy rock you can’t pick up.” She would scolded him, laughter making her sturdy shoulders lift much how the sun align her smile. If he thinks about her any further, that sensation for home stuck in his throat might catch up to him.
“I’d bet you’d laugh at me if you see me now Marcela.” Carlos’s thought, glazing by faux niceties to think. “What else would she say?”
“You will find another rock once your strong enough to carry it- patience child.”
“I don’t think he’ll fit my hands hermana.” Carlos uttered to himself; ears pricked to the nitpicked whining Robert started after Norman dropped his last Uno card down victorious. Watching him riled so has was it's own source of amusement.
Ed blinked his way, looking to the crate holding their cards. “Wolf man still?” chuckling from Carlos’ energetic nod. “Figures, hmm so what? He’s probably up some cock n’ bull scheme now, just look at him.”
“Tu no sabes eso.” Carlo scowled darkly, flicking his card down.
“No te hagas el tonto amigo, eres malo ocultando tu corazon.” Ed clumsily said with cheek and Carlos had to resist smacking him just because. The reactionary looks he’ gets still for speaking in his mother tongue makes him itchy. “Don’t sweat it too much.”
“What you two yapping on?” Robert demanded and Ed pointed at him in a gesturing gun sign.
“How to get mud off us common folk of the same cloth. That alright with you?” Ed called back as Norman gathered the cards in, the sharp twip! Of aged cards coming together like how in fast succession. Carlos ducked his head, biting back a grin to not draw attention. He watched Robert shuffle the cards from Robert then, scowling darkly under his breath sliding the cards in his hands this time.
“Well come on, everyone pay attention. Winner gets some freebie beers on me.” Robert mocked through his teeth and Ed mockingly clapped in response with Norman, Carlos’s grinning making leeway.
“Drinks on you? Shit I’ll take it damn cheapskate!” Ed celebrated.
“Tell him Ed.” Norman good naturedly pitched in, earning obscure anger from the latter. "I kill for some shitty tap beer, even from Runescape here on this muggy, deary ass no good day."
"Yes." Carlos nodded solemnly, relieved that the central heating unit was working well against the bleakness of the outdoors, faint rain patters hitting the rooftop. At least his thermal undercolthes worked well enough.
“Notice how the rain lets up when the wolf leaves?” Norman asked the group, motioning with his shoulders at their Serge making leeway to join Sergei entering the room near the exit, his silhouette of grey clashing against the exit door leading the frigid white outdoors. The group was quiet then, watching the two Russians converse in their winter attire.
Save one, eyes peering down to his cards in hand recrossing his feet. “All stone that one is.” Carlos said, breathing through his nose to make his brain stop throbbing.
The glacial ice that initiated Carlo’s initial fight response weren’t all spikey pins when Nikolai reached his gaze.
"Maybe hanging out with these people is making me lose it." Carlos thought staring over the top of everyone's placed cards, whistling innocently to Ed head turning back around.
The artic ice in Nikolai eyes secondly thawed meeting his.