Work Text:
It was a day like any other for Rodolfo and Los Vaqueros, they had a job to do, so they had to get up and make sure it was going to be done. Nothing unusual, just fighting against the cartel and trying to protect the people of Las Almas.
The evening was warm, only a light wind could be felt on the bare skin. The Sun was setting lazily, the view of the land felt very nostalgic at the moment. But there was no time for nostalgia, they were to head into the building seen in the middle of this nowhere and eliminate everyone that was found inside.
Rodolfo opened the door of the vehicle and stepped outside at the same time the Colonel did. Alejandro reminded soldiers of the instructions of this mission, but Rudy had to admit, whether he wanted to or not, that he didn't catch any word of what his friend said. He was too fixated on his face, which looked especially fascinating in the yellow lightning of this time of the day. He noticed the spark of excitement in his dark eyes, the same spark he notices during every mission together. The adrenaline. The rush. Alejandro loved his job, no matter how dangerous it was. Actually, Rudy could argue that the danger was Colonel's favorite part.
He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when his friend started shouting for them to go. The men ran to the target and the two of them did the same. The sky and the land under it was getting darker, it worked for their team's benefit. Rodolfo looked to his left, where Alejandro was walking beside him, radiating confidence, like he always was, ever since they were kids. He was never afraid of anything, whether it was wild dogs, heights or breaking the rules. Rudy always admired that about him.
They were getting closer to the old house when they noticed men running towards them. Very soon after that, they heard guns being shot. Again, it wasn't anything new to them, they tried their best to avoid being killed and also to take down Cartel's people, but more and more kept coming. They must have known, or rather suspected that there would be an attempt to take them down. And they were correct.
Rudy looked over at his friend standing near him. His body was very tense and mind focused, trying to kill their foes. Rodolfo liked to look at Alejandro when he was practicing shooting targets at their base. He found it very interesting how this very energetic guy could actually stop for a moment and be able to hold his breath and not move a millimeter. This might sound horrific, but when he was killing, the Colonel looked even more handso-
With the blink of an eye something knocked Rudy to the ground. He felt the emptiness in his brain caused by the shock. He shook his head in hopes of his thoughts coming back to him, but when he tried to get back up as fast as he could, he felt a sharp pain in his right arm. He looked at it and saw blood on the gray sleeve of his blouse. "Ah, puta madre…" he whispered with a grimace of pain painted on his face.
Alejandro made a successful shot and with a satisfied smile looked to his right, but the smile faded as quickly as it appeared, seeing his friend laying on the ground. He kneeled next to him and Rudy was able to take another peek at the Colonel's face. He saw just fear.
"What happened, hermano?" His words were quick and voice jittery. Without waiting for the answer, he looked at the other man's arm and he knew exactly what had just happened. He tried holding it, but any pressure put to the wound made Rudy feel even more pain. He had been injured and shot many times during his duty, but he didn't remember any of it being as agonizing as this one.
"Get the car and go to the safe house." Alejandro said and looked around to see the state of their soldiers and the situation. He helped his friend get up with his good hand.
"I can't- I can't leave you and the rest here! I'm alright, I can fight, just let me-" He protested and tried to go past the Colonel, but he held him by the arms and brought him back before himself, which made the Sergeant Major hiss from pain.
"You can't fight like this, I won't let you die here." Alejandro answered with anger and worry in his voice.
"But-"
"This is an order, Rudy. Go and don't leave the safe house until I come and get you." He said sturdily. "Go now, go!" He shouted and pushed Rodolfo to the side opposite to their target and himself went to continue fighting, saying something loudly to other soldiers.
Rudy hesitated for a second, but after hearing even more bullets near him, he ran as fast as he could at the moment, which was harder because of the pain and blood loss. He was lucky that their vehicles weren't parket that far away from the building and after a moment of running he was next to them. He opened the door to their black SUV and started the engine after taking a quick breath. His arm was pulsating with warm pain and his brain felt like it had swollen. His thoughts had been replaced with a sharp white noise, which made it really hard for him to focus on the road. He was definitely going too fast, but the Sergeant Major just hoped nobody was following him.
The safe house wasn't that far away, only a couple of kilometers, but it was rather hard to reach if one didn't know where to look for it. It was in the middle of nowhere, just an old building from the outside.
It was already dark when Rudy reached his destination. He left his car and went towards the house's entrance, passing by the tire swing, hanging from the lone tree by a rope. Everytime he looks at it he's reminded of his childhood, when he used to play there after school with his friends.
He stopped before the door to take a look at the ground under him. He noticed the lack of the pressure plate that was usually laying there, in case someone decided to go into the building uninvited. Alejandro must have been there lately. He most likely forgot to set a new trap, he was prone to forget things, especially during very busy days. Rudy pushed the door open and entered the old building. It was dark, dusty and it gave off the very specific smell of an old shed. The old hay was laying on the ground against the wall vis-a-vis him.
He went deeper into the house and turned to the left wall. He carefully took the m4 carbine off his back and laid it on top of the map spread on the table and reached the first aid kit hanging next to the lever. He thought about taking off his blouse, but realized that it would be too much hassle to go through and he felt tired. Blood was still seeping from the wound, half of the gray material covering his hand was now red and wet from it. Rodolfo took one of the knives from the pocket strapped to his leg and as gently as he could tried cutting the sleeve off completely. It took him a couple of minutes, since he wasn't left-handed, but he finally succeeded. After using a disinfectant spray he found in the kit, he started ineptly wrapping a fresh bandage around his upper arm. He felt a burning sensation on the wound, which didn't help him at all at the moment, but he didn't like the idea of having to amputate his limb because of an infection. He once was very close to losing his left leg for that reason. Ever since that, he always tries his best to keep his wounds clean.
After his arm had been wrapped nice and tight, he took his gun, took a couple of steps towards the wall where the hay was laying and sat down, placing the carbine on the cold floor next to him. He exhaled the air that was sitting in his lungs. It was supposed to be a quick action and now he has to just sit in here and wait for God knows how long. He could just get up and return to the cartel house, but his friend was right, if he can't think properly, shoot his gun or move fast enough, he would inevitably die. The memory of almost being burnt alive came back to him, even though he tried really hard to get rid of it. If it wasn't for Alejandro, he wouldn't be on this earth anymore. Ever since then the sight of fire makes him anxious, he remembers the hot sensation on his skin, the scratching smoke that filled his lungs and the sharp pain in his head. He used to have nightmares about that incident for the next 3 months.
He was grateful for his friend's bravery, it saved their lives many times. Rudy always tried his best to return the favor, with more or less success, because he simply wouldn't be able to look the Colonel in the eyes if he did nothing. To be frank, he didn't even enroll in the army of his own will, he followed Alejandro there. He went after him, like he always does. His friend was very excited to join and he was well fit to become a soldier and later join the special forces. He had that something in him that made him a great leader of Los Vaqueros. Rodolfo wasn't really sure about the idea of having to train and fight, but he couldn't stand the idea of being separated from his childhood best friend, and they had been leading the missions side by side for many years now.
He checked the watch on his right wrist and grimaced when the sharp pain of moving muscles hit him. One hour and twenty seven minutes have passed. Are they done yet? Are they still fighting? Rudy wished he could get the answer to these questions right now, but he was too far away and he wouldn't reach them anyways. All he can do now is wait and hope. He hated the fact that he had to hide in the safe house like a coward, while his brothers and sisters were fighting for their people. But he knew that he was a coward, he always had been.
He was always scared to tell the truth about himself to his family when he was asked if he had found himself a nice girl yet. "Not yet tía, I have to focus on school now.", "Sorry abuela, I'm trying to find a good job for myself." or "There is no time for girlfriends in the army, mamá." He never said "I don't want a girlfriend, papá, I like men.", because he was a coward. It was easier for him to come up with lies, than to be honest with them for once. He was too afraid of what they would think, of what they would say or do. For the very same reason he never told Alejandro what he really felt for him. That he wanted something more than just a friendship. But what if he gets rejected? What if they would never talk again because of that? What if he gets beaten up for that confession? He was too afraid to find the answer to his questions, so he never asked. It was better that way. Not necessarily easier, but good enough for Rudy to handle.
Two hours and forty two minutes. Where the hell are you, Alejandro?
Rodolfo was really worried. The mission should have ended an hour ago at most, like they planned. Then why the hell was there no sign of the Colonel around? Rudy felt his heart beating faster and stronger in his chest, his lungs absorbing not enough air and cold sweat on his temple. Calm down, he's definitely alright, like he always is. He's good at fighting, he's one of the best when it comes to killing, that's why he's the Colonel. He's fine, he has to be. Right?
His imagination started working, to his disadvantage. He thought about stepping into the field again and shouting his friend's name, but getting no response. Looking around in the darkness, only to find him lying on the ground. Touching his face, only to feel the cold skin under his fingers. Shaking his lifeless body, in hopes it would wake him up. But it doesn't, he feels something wet on his hands. The blood looks almost black in the evening. The last time he even sees him, it hurts like his chest was being pierced by a bullet after a bullet. His body screaming, yet he can't make a sound.
His thought melted away when he felt cold tears rolling down his cheeks. He can't just sit there and let his vision turn into reality. He has to stop being a coward, stop being scared of wild dogs, heights and breaking the rules.
Rudy quickly wiped the tears off of his face with his still shaky left hand, put the gun on his back and got up. Either he does something now or it's the end. He's tired of being scared. He's done with being a fucking coward all of his life, always hiding, being too afraid to live like a normal person. Screw what everyone thinks, screw that his family thinks, screw that Alejandro thinks and screw what he himself thinks. It's finally the fucking time he will do something.
With a couple of quick steps he reached the door and took the handle, but he didn't pull them open. Someone else did.
He stepped back to leave the room for the person that was entering. He didn't reach for the carbine, because he knew exactly who was just standing before him.
"Rudy." Alejandro exhaled relieved. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he hasn't been given a chance to do so. Rodolfo grabbed him by the straps of his black vest and pushed him hard against the closed door. He felt hesitation for half a second, but ignored it. He's done with being a fucking coward.
The kiss felt like a calm and cleansing wave. Time has stopped for them and all the worries and problems have ceased to exist. Colonel's stubble felt nice against Rudy's skin. Alejandro wrapped his hands around Sergeant's waist and pulled him even closer. They felt hunger for each other and couldn't satisfy it. They pulled apart, panting heavily, but with sparks in their eyes and smiles on their faces.
"I was scared something happened to you." Rodolfo said, his voice breaking.
"I told you I would come." Alejandro reassured. "How's your arm?"
"Better." He responded. He had completely forgotten he had been shot, all his thoughts and things that had happened made him ignore the pain. The Colonel pulled him into a hug and caressed his back. Alejandro smelt nice, his sweat and the cologne he uses everyday combined. This and the warmth of his body felt calming.
"Let's get back to the base, amor, hm?" Alejandro said, once they had broken apart from the hug. They took a step back and he opened the door. "Let's go." He let Rudy leave first, one hand still on his back and closed the door behind both of them.
It was time to go home.