Chapter 9: Dinner

Dinnertime had arrived once more at the RED base. Jamie proudly lumbered into the dining room with a large pot in hand. His mask hissed happily, showing off the meal inside. Rick smiled, setting the places for that night. "Alright, mates! Tonight, it's rabbit stew! I caught the buggers myself, so enjoy!" the Australian called into the Rec Room. Everyone flooded into the dining room, taking random seats and such. A quiet knock on the doorframe made everyone's heads turn. Entering the room was Ivan, followed by Dell and Carl. "Hey, boys! Y'all mind if one more eats with us?" Dell asked with a broad smile, tilting his head towards Ivan. While most of the team nodded in approval, Jake, Misha and Jon stared at their new guest. Jake jumped off his chair and pulled one up for Ivan, patting it as a symbol to sit down between him and the Heavy. As Dell sat, the older members of the team conversed about the battle earlier that day. Jamie served everyone a bowl and passed them around to each member, doubling Ivan's portion secretly. While everyone ate eagerly, Ivan sat quietly and glanced at the men around the table, unaware that Jake was staring at him. "Hey, dude. Yo, dude?" the Scout poked the Medic's arm, which made Ivan jump slightly in surprise. "J-ja?" Ivan asked, avoiding the eye contact. "What'cha name?" Jake asked curiously. The other team members paused to listen, making the youth shift uncomfortably in his chair. "I-Ivan." he answered quietly, looking around nervously. "Ivan, huh? That's a catchy name. I like it. I'm Jake, by the way. Nice to meetcha." Jake said, gently shaking Ivan's hand. Ivan, being timid, quickly withdrew his hand after a few seconds. The other team members quickly resumed their conversations. "Well, let's see. You know the rest of the team's names?" Jake asked, gnawing on a piece of meat. "I knov Dell and nov you." Ivan replied, nodding to the men he listed. "Okay, that over there is Rick, our Sniper. The big guy is Heavy or Misha. The Pyro is Jamie. The Soldier is Owen. Tavi is our Demoman. And Carl is our Spy." the Scout said, pointing to each man in turn. Ivan nodded in understanding as he started to gobble down his food. Although he wasn't generally hungry, he made it a personal goal to gain weight in order to satisfy his medical needs. He looked up one moment and spotted Carl gazing at him. The Spy's stare wasn't threatening, but curious and serene. "Quelque chose dans vos yeux? Something in your eye?" he asked. Ivan jumped in alarm. He'd been very cautious with them and didn't really think anyone could have possibly seen them. He glimpsed around in panic, keeping his mouth shut. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Dell, trying to comfort him. "Just say what it is. We won't judge ya at all, right boys?" Dell asked, the entire team nodding. Ivan swallowed hard and closed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't possibly avoid the situation he was in. "I'll just shov you, ja?" he asked, everyone nodding. He quickly stood up and went into the kitchen, returning a moment later, his eyes locked closed. He blindly sat down, everyone staring at him. "First zhings first. You all zhink mein eyes are brovn, ja?" he asked, hearing numerous sounds of confirmation. "Zhey're not. I wear contacts to cover zhem since it's dangerous to look anyzhing but normal vhere I come from." Ivan explained, opening his eyes. Two large round orbs of cyan blue greeted the onlookers. Most of the team looked on in amazement, especially Jake. Carl was still smiling at Ivan. "Dude! That's fucking cool! How did that happen?" Jake beamed, facing Ivan. Ivan blinked in surprise. He didn't expect anyone to like or even accept his eyes, being strange and alien-like. In his surprise, he only find the strength to giggle. The team watched Ivan laugh, most of them can't helping themselves and smiling too, especially Dell, who hadn't even seen the boy smile. "Little Medic is cute!" Misha roared next to him, laughing heartily. Blushing, Ivan finally managed to stop laughing, poking his food with his spoon. "So, you don't zhink I'm strange?" he asked, still blushing. The whole team burst into laughter. "You ain't strange, you're unique!" Rick answered. Carl stood up and went over to Ivan, cupping the young Medic's chin with a hand and lifting his head. "Strange? Non, cheri, you are adorable and interesting. Tu es déjà adorable dans mes yeux." he said, pulling back his hand and sitting down. After dinner, Dell, Misha and Jake stayed in the kitchen to help clean up. Ivan was sitting on a couch in the Rec Room, feeling tired and a bit nauseated from forcing down so much food. Although he could hear the others talking quietly from the kitchen, he didn't really mind. He lifted his legs onto the couch and tried to relax against the armrest for the time given. But, something felt off. It was as if he was resting on top of someone. Looking down, he didn't see anyone. Ivan shrugged and closed his eyes, thinking nothing of it. Just as he was dozing off, he heard a noise that resembled a heartbeat. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he attempted to rise, only to have a gloved hand wrap gently around his wrist and cover his mouth. "Shush, cheri. What's the hurry, boy?" a voice asked. Ivan tilted his head so he could see. His eyes widened in shock to see that Carl had grabbed him and was currently grinning. "I will not harm you. I just want to talk for a little while." he stated, letting Ivan go. He looked a little guilty for a moment as he settled himself down next to the Medic. "I'm terribly sorry to scare you, mon amie, but it's adorable to see you all jumpy." he said, his sneer growing a little wider. Ivan frowned, but faced the Spy. "Vhat do you vant?" he asked. "I couldn't help but notice that you are fearful of everyone around here. Everyone except myself. Why is this?" he asked, being a bit serious. "I'm not used to zhis team. I'll get used to it." Ivan answered, knowing well that he was a terrible liar. "Your former team was not nice to you, oui?" the Frenchman asked. Ivan simply nodded. He remembered his time with the BLU team. It had been nothing but pain. He whimpered as he rested his head on the Spy's shoulder. Carl placed an arm around Ivan's shoulders and pulled him closer to his chest. "Don't cry. You have nothing to fear anymore. The Spy on the BLU team was nicer, oui?" he asked. Ivan nodded again quietly, knowing that he did miss the BLU Spy. He kept to himself, starting to cry. "Sleep well, mon amie. Tomorrow will be a new day. You are welcome to my room anytime you wish. Just remember to knock, first." Carl said, smiling as he pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. The Spy had the scent of cologne and cigarette smoke, which Ivan sort of liked. Smelling that scent reminded Ivan of his old friend, making him feel safe in Carl's arms. Before he could settle down, Carl lifted him onto his lap, which almost made him yelp. "Vhy did you do zhat?" Ivan asked, frowning at Carl. "You looked cold." Carl answered, shrugging. He grabbed a nearby blanket and placed it neatly over the Medic. Ivan relaxed a bit more and gently rested his head against the Spy's chest, a tear rolling down his cheek. Resting his left arm against the armrest, the Spy wiped the tear away with his right hand. Carl smiled at the boy, enjoying the company he currently had. All he wanted from Ivan was to see how he usually acted, and not be so timid around everyone. He took out a book to read, peacefully listening to the sound of Ivan's steady breathing. Dell, Misha and Jake finished the dishes and headed back to the Rec Room. They were all pretty sure that Ivan was bored and tired, most likely wanting to go to bed. When they entered the room, the trio was shocked to find the Medic peacefully snoozing on their Spy. Each and every one of the trio stood looking at the scene with a dumbfounded expression on their faces. Dell, who seemed the most surprised, gawked in confusion. Carl looked at the men with an amused smirk. "Gentlemen? What is wrong? Is there a ghost nearby?" he joked. All three men drew closer towards the Spy and Ivan, trying to understand what they were seeing. They were all certain that Ivan was so timid and jumpy that he would flinch if touched. "How'd you do that, son?" Dell whispered quietly. "The boy had some kind of relationship with the BLU Spy, apparently. So, he's clearly not afraid of moi." Carl whispered back, flashing a white smile at the men. Jake made a face. "Owen wants us to be up at seven tomorrow morning. The whole "I will not tolerate tardiness" business." he said with a smile. With a snort, the Scout crept out of the room quickly without looking back. Misha simply stared with a smile on his face until he turned and crept out of the room. Dell followed him, being as quiet as possible. The excessive talking was waking up Ivan, who opened his eyes slightly and looked up at Carl with a dazed expression. "Danke, dass du mich gehalten hast, Claude." he said, smiling as he put his arms around the Spy's neck. He closed his eyes again and nuzzled into Carl's chest, breathing heavy. Carl stared at Ivan, baffled. Slowly, he rose from his seat, carrying Ivan carefully in his arms. The Spy carried Ivan in his arms as he wandered the hallways of the base. He didn't want to wake the boy up, since he enjoyed the silence surrounding him. Once he reached the medical bay, he pushed the door open with his elbow and walked up to the medical bed. Gently putting Ivan down, he pulled the duvet over him. He grimaced as he glanced around the office. "I'll have to speak to Dell about a new room for the boy. He cannot stay here for the rest of his time." he whispered. He leaned down and pecked Ivan on the cheek, heading for the door. As he left the room, he flicked the lights off with a soft smile.