Today was your birthday. Your first birthday on this base.

During these four months, you had only made friends with Nikto. Strangely enough, you got along right away, because you were the only two Russian speakers who could speak their native language.

You didn't hesitate to invite Nikto to your party. Obviously, you were already prepared for the fact that he would just ignore your invitation by loudly swearing under your nose, but you did not give up hope, waiting for him at your modest celebration.

You invited a few others, but those brushed off their duties with sour mien on their faces, reluctantly rolling their eyes at you before bestowing you with a fake smile and disappearing around the corner with a light chuckle.

An hour passed, two, four. No one.

No one had spoken to you all day, you hadn't even opened a single gift - if any at all. Just as suddenly, tears came to your throat.

A few sharp, rattling knocks made you quickly wipe a few tears streaming down your cheeks and go to open the door. To be honest, you didn't expect it to be him.

Nikto.

The man stood awkwardly in the threshold with a small box in his hands, nonchalantly handing you your gift and speaking in a gruff tone: "I know no one came, so I took pity on you and came. Got any cake?"

You stood in the threshold, deciding to immediately open that little dark purple box with a black rim seeing only a cute little keychain with a sniper rifle and a small postcard note on which in typed uneven handwriting was written:

"I like you. If you don't, I don't care."