The sun just begins to burn the horizon alight around five thirty in the morning. A line of pink glow signals the rising of the sun. Hugo is still sleeping, but seeing as we will be rendezvousing in a half an hour, I venture to wake him up.
I nudge his shoulder lightly, but he doesn't stir in the slightest. Sighing, and hoping he isn't one to wake violently, I grip his arm and give him a little shake. "Hugo. Aufwachen. Wake up, you stupid kraut."
He wakes with a start, looking up at me, confusion staining his face. "What time is it?" He groans.
"Oh-five-thirty." I sit back on my toes and dig through my bag for a new pack of cigarettes.
"Why did you let me sleep so long?" He gripes, reaching for his own pack. He swears audibly when he finds he has run out.
I light up one cigarette and hand it to him, figuring he'd be more pleasant after a morning smoke.
"Danke." He nods, inhaling a puff of smoke.
"I let you sleep because you are easier to get along with that way." I give him a smirk while lighting another cigarette for myself.
He turns and cocks a brow at me, amused. "You are exhausting."
The cornflower sky is alight as the sun climbs higher and a heavy coat of mist floats around the ground, giving the woods an ethereal feel. When six o'clock draws closer, we crawl out of our little nook and climb down to the road. I stretch my legs happily and rub my backside, which has long since gone numb.
Though, I'd never admit it, I am quite happy when Aldo and the rest of the Basterds roll up in an American military truck. They look a little more than thrilled to see me, giving me suggestive smiles.
Aldo stalks up first. "Hope you didn't wear out my boy, Stiglitz, too much." He claps a hand down on my shoulder, laughing to himself. "Did he behave for you?" He glances over to Hugo whose face has gone back to stoic.
I look Hugo up and down before turning back to Aldo. "He's a bit of a prick." I state matter of factly. "But he was a good sport."
"Alright boys, let's get this truck loaded and get on out of here." Aldo orders and the Basterds get to work on moving the goods from the truck in the tunnel to the one idling on the road.
They get everything loaded rather quickly and we all pile in the truck to make our way back to the base. Aldo, Donny and Utivich all squeeze in the front seat together while the rest of us climb in the back, sitting on crates.
I end up sitting between Ulmer and Wicki, across from Hugo whose face has turned sour. Sleeping in a hole in the ground will put you in a bad mood. I want to tell him to buck up, but I don't think he'd appreciate the sarcasm in front of the other Basterds. He doesn't seem like the type to enjoy being emasculated.
"So… Anything interesting happen last night?" Wicki asks, nudging me in the ribs lightly.
"I put a grenade in a Nazis mouth." I look up at him, head tilted to the side. I know it's not what he was asking, but I play dumb.
"That's amazing." Ulmer pipes up, impressed.
"No… I mean…" He looks at Hugo who is ignoring the exchange, then looks back to me and leans in close. "Did you two get 'friendly'?" He says so only I can hear.
"How about you stop beating around the bush, Wicki." I say loud enough to catch Hugo's attention. His head snaps in my direction.
Instead, Wicki turns to Hugo and asks in German, "Did you vögeln?" He's asking if we fucked. My eyes grow wide as red blooms across Hugo's cheeks.
He answers in low voice. "Dummkopf." Idiot.
"Calm down, Stiglitz. I was only pulling your leg." Wicki holds up his hands innocently and chuckles.
Hugo shakes his head at Wicki's heckles. He glances over at Daphne who looks half-exasperated, half-amused at the exchange. He clenches his fists as Wicki continues to chortle lightly.
I am happy to reach my modest room in the barracks and strip down quickly, discarding my clothes in a heap as I head to the shower. The hot water on my skin relaxes every muscle one by one and I moan happily. I scrub off the layers of dirt and watch the jumble of soap bubbles and mud swirl away down the drain. Once I am scrubbed raw and perfectly pruned, I hop out of the shower and jump into bed for a well-deserved nap.
Hugo stalks into his assigned room, throwing his bag down, and heads into the small bathroom. He is happy to find a shower stall because life as a Basterd doesn't warrant many proper showers. He strips off his uniform, folding each article of clothing neatly and stacks them in a corner to be washed later. He steps into the stall and turns the hot and cold knobs until he finds a comfortable temperature. Once the room is full of steam, he sniffs the bar of soap before scrubbing away at his body and hair. A few minutes later, he finds himself sufficiently clean and shuts off the water. He pads across the concrete floor into the small bedroom and eyes up the bed. Granted, he did get a good five hours rest in the woods, but it's been ages since he's slept in a bed, and so he opts for another few hours of sleep.