The last olympic bro-hug
„Come on guys! Show them what you're made of! Go, go, GO!" Juro loudly cheered for his team. Watching the last third of the match against Russia from a special box, he was like on pins and needles.
„Hey, stop him! Don't let him get near the net. No! Shit! Wait, he didn't score. Pfheeeeew." The Slovak returned with a huge relief back to his seat from which he had jumped out a second ago. He nearly got a stroke when the puck slipped behind Laco's back and miraculously didn't end up in the net. Not only did his guys play well today, but they also had a great amount of luck which declined the course of the puck that it just hit a post and then – most importantly – flew out of the crease. Juraj glimpsed at his cousin. The smile which was on Ivan's face a minute ago was gone. The Russian man was in a terrible mood. No wonder, when his team was fighting for a direct advance into the quarter-finals. The chances were lower, due to the loss with the Americans in his last match. Therefore the fact that Slovak defensive was unbreakable today was really troubling him.
„Thank God Alfred is at the other stadium." Thought the Slovak. „Why did that idiot have to make fun of Ivan after winning that match. As if accusing him from trying to sabotage the Olympic games a few days ago wasn't enough." Juraj remembered, how pissed his cousin was back then. Alfred came to the Russian – his face red – and started to shout at him, what did he think he was doing or that he wouldn't let it pass just like that and if he tried to do another obvious sabotage like that, he would personally come to kick his ass.
„It wasn't even Ivan's fault that America's stupid bobsleigh racer got stuck in a bathroom. Moreover, everyone thought it was funny even the racer himself. Alfred just had to take it too personally. But never mind that now." The Slovak's mind returned back to the stadium where the match was still raging. „Oh no! This just can't be real." He buried his head in his hands as the referee announced the fifth power play for Russia in this third of the match. He clenched his fists and silently started to pray that his boys will survive it without conceding a goal. When the sixth Slovak player finally returned on the ice, and the score was still 0 - 0, he felt relieved. And the match went on. The overtime was almost like a torture and then came the shootouts. Ďuro nervously sat and watched the first Russian player go. It didn't really please him, that the puck ended up in the net. And his disappointment grew even bigger, when Handzuš didn't lift the puck enough to score. Ivan – on the other hand – was smiling. He was starting to like this course of events. And his smile even widened when his second player also scored. He looked at his cousin, but Slovakia didn't look back at him. He was staring at the ice rink, his knuckles white from clenching his fists to tightly. It was Tomáš Tatar's turn now.
„Come on, Tomáš! It's up to you now!" The dark-haired nation silently cheered for his player. However, even this time the attempt to score was unsuccessful. Slovakia sighed unhappily. He had sincerely hoped for his team to beat the Russians. But even though his players lost, he was proud of them. Today they played perfectly, what helped them regain the trust of their fans. What a pity they didn't play like this on their previous two matches. He felt someone's heavy hand on his arm. When he turned the Russian was smiling at him and said: „Nice game. I hope we will play against each other once more at the Olympics."
„Ah. Congratulations. And yeah, I hope so to." He responded, and smiled back at Ivan. He seated himself comfortably in his chair. They will soon announce, when and with whom he will play the next match. He couldn't wait to find out, who's gonna be his next opponent. If his players are going to play like they did today, his chances to win are high.
„And here it is." He thought as he looked at the order of teams which was now showed on the screen. He subconsciously checked even the rank of his brother, who lost his last match to Switzerland and he wasn't pleased about that result. He listened to the commentators.
„The order and next matches are now clear dear spectators. The fifth team will play with the eighth..." Slovakia felt a strange tickling in his stomach, „...the sixth with the ninth..." paled „...and the seventh with the tenth team."
„No! Please anything but that! Why does it have to be him?! Among all possible and impossible combinations, he will have to play a match exactly against him?! HIM?!" Juraj stood up from his chair and slowly made his way to the exit. He started to curse that strange coincidence, the reason why his players will have to stand against the Czech ones in three days.
„Oh, damn!" He suddenly remembered. „I'm meeting him today. And he surely watched it. No doubt he knows about this by now." He walked out of the stadium, put a cap on his head and walked on in the direction of a bar, where his brother was supposed to wait for him. His thoughts began to spin crazily in his brain. „This is simply no good. If I win that match, Honza will be so pissed, that he will refuse to talk to me for several weeks. On the other hand, if I lose, I'll be grumpy as hell." He remembered one match a few years ago, when they argued so much, they ended up communicating only through messages delivered by Felix. „What am I supposed to do?" He wasn't even in the mood to go to that bar, but if he didn't go, it could make things worse. He decided to simply not mention ice hockey in front of Jan. That was – in his opinion – the best solution right now.
„Hello." His brother, sitting behind one table, cheerfully waved at him.
„He either doesn't know, or perfectly pretends." The Slovak thought and sat next to him.
„What would you like?" The Czech asked immediately.
„I think I'll take a beer." Ďuro murmured and reached for the drink menu. However, sooner than he got the chance to read it his brother ordered some for him.
„It's not Czech, but it's fine." He smiled. „And I know a think or two about beer, don't I."
„No doubt about that." He answered with a smirk. He didn't know the reason behind his brother's good mood, but he didn't want to ruin it.
They spent next three hours talking about anything and everything, mostly about the successes (or failures) of their representatives. They mentioned all sports, except for ice hockey. This topic was a taboo.
„Now that I think, have you already been in that amusement park near here." The Czech asked suddenly.
„No. I didn't have time for that yet."
„I plan to go there since we came here. I heard there are some really funny things I would like to try. Do you have any plans for tomorrow."
„Except for cheering? Nothing."
„Great. So we can go there together. What do you think?"
„Sounds interesting. Count with me."
„Oh damn. It's so late already? I have some work left to do today. Also, I was thinking, wouldn't you like to go skiing with me." Jan said while he was putting on his anorak. „Tomorrow? Or the day after?"
„With you? Near the mountains? You are joking , right?" Juraj smiled while provoking his brother.
„Stop that, would you! It's not my fault your Tatras don't like me."
„Oh c'mon! Calm down! Laughed the Slovak as they were leaving the bar. „I just wanted to say, that I will surely go...who else would be there to save you, if I wasn't there?"
„You won't stop?!"
„OK, OK, I'm quiet now."
„Clever decision."
They walked quietly for a while until Ďuro interrupted this silence.
„I give up. I can't hold it any longer. You saw today's match, didn't you?"
„Uhm."
„Therefor you know, what's gonna happen in two days."
„Of course I know." The blonde guy murmured and bend down to tie his shoelaces. „And I just want to warn you..." he continued as he stood up. „If you win that match, don't even show yourself to me."
„Oh no!" Slovakia howled. „Please, can't we wait with this stupid rivalry until the beginning of the match." He looked at Czech who turned one side away from him and was looking somewhere else. „Look. If this has something to do with what I said when we left the bar, then I'm sorry. You know I didn't really mean it, right?"
„This has nothing to do with that." The Czech knit his eyebrows even more. „I'm talking seriously now. If you win, don't come near me, or something bad might happen to you."
„Really?! And what?!"
„This." Czech grinned and threw a snowball right into his brother's face. „That's one – nil for me. Do you still want to play this game?" He was still grinning when he extended his hand to help Juraj stand up. For some unknown reason, he ended up on the ground.
„Oooooooo, you shouldn't have done that." The dark haired nation immediately went for his brother who lost his balance, and they both fell into the snow. „If you win, you better not show yourself to me, or I'll make a living snowman out of you."
„Oh seriously?! You would have to try really really hard to do that." Czech took a handful of snow and tossed it on Slovakia's neck.
As they were fooling around in the snow they didn't even notice Poland and Lithuania coming.
„Hey! Those two are trying to exclude me from all the fun again!" Felix exclaimed and ran towards his siblings. While he was running he took two handfuls of snow and threw them at the two fighting countries letting out a shout: „ATTACK!"
Both Slovakia and Czech got hit to the temples but they didn't even have the time to realize where that hit came from when Poland showered them with snowballs again.
„Hahahaha." Poland laughed loudly. „Toris..." He Turned to his friend. „Toris, you should join us too."
„No, thank you, but I...Felix, watch out!" The warning came a bit late. The silhouettes of two nations rose behind the Pole like scary shadows and cast him into the snow face-first. He ended up like an Ostrich hiding his head in sand.
„Alright. I didn't expect that." He gasped when the Slovak and the Czech finally let go of him so he could scramble out of the snow. „But don't think I will let this pass by as if nothing happened." He jumped back on his feat and immediately returned to the fight.
„Stop, stop it already!" Juraj pleaded because Jan was holding him in a tight grip and rubbing the top of his head with the fist, obviously not wanting to let go of his brother. therefore the Slovak grabbed some snow and smacked it right to the Czechs face. He stayed confused at first but then he began to laugh and soon both brothers were snickering.
„Come here you fool." Jan poked his brother's forehead. „Did you sincerely think, I could hate you because of some ice hockey match?"
„Yes. It looked like that after each one of our matches on the Olympics or world championships."
„Well then just don't run away with the idea that you are better than me. I remember beating you 8 – 0 on the championship in 2009, when you nearly killed me right there at the stadium."
„Eh, I don't remember that."
„But I do."
„OK, that's enough you two." Their little chat was interrupted by Poland who grabbed them round their necks from behind. „I don't want to listen to any ice hockey arguments today. And by the way, I forgot to tell you something. Ivan mentioned he wanted to go for a drink tomorrow with his whole family. He said he wanted to have some fun with his two cousins before they kill each other."
„How did he look like when he said that." Slovakia was interested.
„I can't remember. But don't worry. If you really kill each other the day after tomorrow, I'll look into it that he won't get your territory. I'll take it myself." Felix burst out in laughter.
„Hey! That's not funny." Juro protested but Honza was now laughing as well and thus he just had to smile (lightly) at the Pole's joke too. He was enjoying that while of brotherly love between them because it will probably take a short break once their next match starts.