(no subject)

[lukas_rebuilt]

Chapter 42 - Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona

Bastian watched on as a few feet away Olli was waiting for the result of the coin toss. When it was decided and Bayern won it, Olli chose to start the game in the south end, not wanting to play into the glare of the setting sun. The keeper shook hands with Barcelona captain Puyol before jogging off to his end. He passed by Bastian and patted him on the shoulder, a move that made the midfielder grin and jog out to his own position. This was it. First leg of their semi-final match up with the Spanish giants and defending champions. He didn’t feel nervous, only anxious to get the game started. He wanted a victory badly, and not only because he wanted them to have the advantage going into the second leg.

The rivalry over their Spanish clubs was one of the things that had, oddly enough, drawn him and Lukas together in the first place. Beating Lukas’ team would provide Bastian with multiple opportunities in the future to tease him. In a situation like this, every bit of inspiration and drive for a game counted, even the sillier bits. He looked briefly up at the VIP seats, finding Lukas easily as though his eyes were magnetized to him. Lukas was listening to something David was saying, but just before Bastian looked away he was certain Lukas looked at him. He was a little far to be able to tell for sure, but he could feel Lukas’ gaze resting on him. It felt good, calming.

Kick-off occurred and now that the game was underway, Bastian pushed Lukas out of his head. There wasn’t time to think about someone who wasn’t a direct part of the game. Bastian chased after Ronaldhino, who’d just received a pass from the back.

He loved playing with his club in these big international tournaments. To be playing against someone of the Brazilian’s caliber, someone considered to be one of the greatest players of the current time, and still be able to steal the ball from him (the way he’d done just now, sending it across to Mark) certainly didn’t do him any harm. It was a good feeling and kept him on his game.

He ran forward as Mark controlled the ball skillfully, dodging past Deco and sending a shot up to Roy. The Dutchman didn’t bother trying for a better set up, he had a clean shot and blasted the ball at Victor Valdes, who was able to get a hand up to deflect the strike away. It was sent to Puyol, who shot it downfield.

The match went for twenty minutes before a shot found the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Germans, it was a strike from Eto’o. While it was a good shot in, the blame was mostly due to a gap in the defense. Kahn opened his mouth to yell at the right-sided defenders, letting them know he was not pleased with their slip. Sagnol and Lucio took the blast, knowing that had they both been on their lines, the Cameroonian would not have had such a clear chance.

There was no time to waste on moments gone wrong though, as there was still seventy minutes left in the game in which to come back. Bastian and Mark started the attack again, starting a string of passes that managed to evade every Barcelona boot. Being a part of this process, of this build up, it always managed to bolster Bastian’s confidence during that point in the game. Every time he looked up and controlled a pass coming in, every time he sent a cross in to the center that landed perfectly at the target’s feet, it made him feel like he was in control, like he really was the amazing player people liked to say he was. Everyone had their off days, but when he was on his game the way he was at that moment, he couldn’t help but believe in his own hype. He was great, and when he slotted in a gorgeous cross to Roy in the thirty-fourth minute that resulted in their tying goal, Bastian couldn’t help but expect the compliments he got from his teammates.

It wasn’t something he did constantly, looking for praise, but every now and then it couldn’t hurt to revel in it. Every now and then it was all right to feel as though your team needed you, that they’d still be losing right now if it hadn’t been for you and your perfectly weighted and perfectly directed ball. It kept your head in the game and your excitement high to know that you were making a difference.

So when the whistle sounded for half time and he walked towards the tunnel, he couldn’t help but grin as he walked over to join Mark on the walk back. Though the match was still tied, they were playing a good game and had spent the last seven minutes of said game buried deep in the Barcelona zone. Bastian felt like it was inevitable that they were going to score again. Sometimes you just had that feeling that everything was going to work to your advantage.

When they re-emerged to start the second half one change had been made, Christian Lell in to replace a limping Willy Sagnol. The match started up quickly and immediately there was pressure from the Spanish side. Oliver Kahn was forced into three successive saves before van Buyten was able to clear the ball up the field. Perfectly countering Kahn’s masterful display was Valdes, saving a spectacular strike from Pizarro, only to be forced into leaping to reach a rebounded shot from Salihamadzic.

But three minutes into the half, with the ball back in Bayern’s portion of the field and Lionel Messi poised to meet Ronaldinho’s cross, luck was not on the Germans’ side. Messi jumped for the ball but instead of meeting it with his head, the young Argentinean batted it into the net with his hand. Immediately all three Bayern defenders nearby shot up their arms, protesting to the official for a hand ball.

The call was not given, and the goal stood. Kahn was livid, roaring into the back of the net and kicking at the netting while a pissed off Lell picked up the ball, rolling it forward toward the middle of the field, barely able to keep from hurtling it at the back of Messi’s head. The Barcelona players celebrated while the Bayern players were now set in their determination to beat the Spanish team even more strongly.

The will to fight and win was there, evident as the German side ran the Spanish into the ground, determination keeping the ball mostly in the Barcelona half. But for every precision strike unleashed at the goal, there was Valdes, obviously Barcelona’s man of the match. One shot did make it past him, but it was cruelly deemed off-side, another call leveled against the visitors that did not go over well.

Time was starting to run out for the Munich team, as they were approaching the eighty-fifth minute of play. Despite the seven shots on target, they were still losing. Hitzfeld had made his substitutions (Gorlitz for Brazzo, and Ottl for a struggling Hargreaves) and while the substitutions hadn’t lessened Bayern’s surge forward any, they also hadn’t contributed to any goals.

It wasn’t until the eighty-ninth minute, with the ball at Gorlitz’ feet, then volleyed across to Bastian that Bayern’s luck changed. Just as Bastian was preparing a shot himself, he was harshly taken out from behind by a sliding Zambrotta. The whistle was immediately blown and the official wasted no time in awarding the German team a penalty. The shot was left to Roy, undisputed in his ability as the best hope for a tying goal.

The ball was set, the Dutchman locked his sights on target, and within seconds the ball was dispatched into the back of the net, nowhere near the mistaken Valdes. It seemed as though the whole of the German team ran at Roy, eager to congratulate him on the perfectly made strike. Though they were hungry for a win, everyone on the squad knew they would be content with a draw away from home, especially in a stadium as intimidating as the towering Camp Nou.

There were two minutes added to the half and though Barcelona managed to surge forward for a bit of a last minute drive, there wasn’t a single shot allowed on net by the German defense. The whistle was finally blown for the end of the game and there was a general feeling of relief washing over the German team. A draw was enough to give them the edge going into the second game at home. They’d come to Barcelona and they’d delivered a stellar performance. They’d earned the right to celebrate tonight.

Bastian made his way across the field, heading purposefully for the curly-haired figure a few feet away. Even though he hadn’t gotten Lukas’ request in the text message, he’d been intending to get the Brazilian’s jersey anyway for him. He walked up to Ronaldinho, who was speaking with Lucio. Bastian’s Brazilian teammate noticed him approaching and mentioned something to the Barcelona player, who laughed and shoved his national teammate a little.

Bastian shot a glare at Lucio, who was grinning at him, before sticking out his hand to Ronaldinho. The Brazilian took it and they exchanged compliments to each other before Bastian asked him for his jersey. Ronaldinho smiled and nodded, reaching back to pull his jersey over his head. Bastian did the same, and they exchanged shirts while smiling. They shook hands again before they moved off, Ronaldinho heading towards an approaching Oliver Kahn, while Bastian walked away to join Lucio, who was speaking with defender and fellow Brazilian Sylvinho. He kept the Barcelona jersey thrown over his shoulder as he was introduced to the other man, accepting congratulations for his set up of the first goal.

After being introduced to another Brazilian who’d come up to join the two (midfielder Edmilson) Bastian moved off to join Philipp and Andi, who were both sporting Barcelona jerseys of their own. Philipp had traded with Puyol, while Andi had swapped out with fellow midfielder Iniesta. They grinned at him as he walked up, and he returned the expression. After going one down at the start of the second, their last minute goal had bolstered everyone’s spirits.

It wasn’t long before Bastian suddenly felt an arm cross over his back from behind, and when he looked to his right there was David, freshly admitted on to the field by security. Bastian happily greeted his friend, whom he hadn’t seen since that brief meeting at the airport the day before.

And there behind David was the person he was really looking forward to seeing, the one whose presence made him feel ten times more excited (not that he’d thought it possible given the adrenaline rush of that second goal) and who made this celebration now feel complete. David left Bastian’s side to congratulate Philipp on the game, and Lukas slowly advanced on Bastian, a grin on his face.

“I got you something, you can thank me later.” Bastian winked at Lukas upon making the comment, then took the jersey from his shoulder and threw it to him.

Lukas’ eyes lit up as he caught the jersey, looking down at it once before looking back at Bastian. He moved a little closer to him, leaning in to speak into his ear. “Thanks, I didn’t think you’d actually get it for me.”

Bastian didn’t pick up on the comment, not realizing that Lukas had been expecting the jersey for any reason. He just grinned back and slid an arm around his waist, pulling his body closer as he leaned his own head forward, his mouth directly over Lukas’ ear. “Should I be offended you don’t have that much faith in me?” He moved his head again so he could look at him, his amused eyes sparkling as he teased Lukas.

Lukas just laughed and laid the jersey over his shoulder. They remained side-by-side; arms keeping their bodies close, not worrying about anyone thinking anything odd. This was the Champions League semi-final, after all, and they’d just managed to get a positive result away from home. They had the advantage going into the second game.

They were soon joined by a few of the others, as Mark and Roy made their way over, greeting Lukas affectionately and meeting David for the first time. David asked Mark for his opinion of the result, being an ex-Barcelona player. Mark shook his head and glanced at Bastian, who laughed and told him that the question was all David’s doing. David grinned and made a comment about Lukas at least being happy with the result, and everyone laughed at that.

They lingered around the field for a bit longer until finally everyone retreated to the tunnel, heading for the dressing room and taking Lukas and David with them. Everyone showered and cleaned up quickly, eager to get back to the hotel for their post-game celebration dinner. The mood in the changing room was full of excitement, and the addition of the two Germans not in the match squad only led to more amusement and jokes as they discussed events from the game from the fans perspective.

By the time they made it to the hotel it was exactly an hour after the game, and everyone loaded up on food, easily able to eat now that the nerves and anxiety before the first leg were gone. There was a brief speech made by Hitzfeld, though the coach insisted everyone continue to eat while he spoke. He congratulated them on their teamwork, and on their refusal to give up after going down. They’d continued to fight after the hand ball, not giving in to anger or frustration, and they had been rewarded with the penalty.

Everyone cheered the speech and soon conversations were flowing excitedly (right along with the beer) and any worries about the second leg, or the match this upcoming weekend, were gone. Lukas took it upon himself to introduce David around to everyone properly, as the changing room hadn’t exactly been the right place for introductions. The pair made their way around the room, while Bastian sat with Michael, both Andi’s (Ottl and Gorlitz), Philipp, and Owen. The group was busy eating and drinking, complaining about the hand ball goal, and predicting how the second leg would go.

After nearly forty minutes of scattered conversations and introductions Lukas and David finally joined their friends, pulling two chairs up to their table. Lukas sat next to Bastian, while Philipp moved closer to Owen in order to make room for David. The topic of conversation had shifted to focus on Bayern’s upcoming match against Hamburg on the weekend. After tonight’s victory (when you got this far in the Champion’s League, securing a draw away from home felt like a victory) they were more than ready to face the relegation-threatened side at home.

In the midst of their cocky predictions they were interrupted by Roy and Mark, who were on their way to their rooms to retire for the night. Roy swatted Bastian on the head after a particularly confident comment about the weekend’s game, while Mark told them all not to stay up too late lest they sleep through their alarm in the morning. The Dutchman was not interested in needing to wake anyone up in order to make the bus to the airport. The guys laughed and shooed their older teammates away.

It was getting later and more of their teammates had retired; there were now only a handful of people still sitting in the hotel’s meeting room. Lukas looked at Bastian and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Well, we should probably take off and get back to our hotel. Need to make sure I can get up early enough in the morning.”

Bastian grinned and leaned a little closer towards him. “You could always stay here and go back to get your stuff in the morning before we go to the airport.” It wouldn’t be that weird, would it? Lukas was on their flight back, after all. No one would think anything odd about him sticking around for the night.

Lukas grinned and shook his head. “And listen to you snoring all night? Not likely.” He winked at him before standing up.

Bastian frowned as he looked up at Lukas, but he didn’t respond to the comment. Instead he stood up, finishing off his glass of beer and laying it on the table. “Alright then, I guess I’ll walk you to the door, just so I can push you down the stairs.”

Lukas laughed at the comment before looking at their three remaining friends. “Alright guys don’t stay up too late. No one wants to carry you onto the plane tomorrow.”

Andi Ottl laughed, slapping a hand to Michael’s back. “Don’t worry, Andi and I will make sure this one gets into bed.”

“And gets up in the morning. Maybe we should pack his stuff for him though. He’s a little out of it.” Andi Gorlitz grinned as he glanced at the other Andi.

“Wow, Rense drunk. Nice to see things haven’t changed much over the years.” David grinned as he stared at his former U21 teammates. Ottl grinned back.

“There are some things in life that will always stay the same. This one overindulging after a long day is one of those things.” Ottl patted the keeper on the head while everyone laughed at the comment.

From his chair in between the two Andi’s, Michael groaned. “I’m right here, stop talking about me.”

David reached over and rubbed Michael’s head. “Don’t take it personally. It was good seeing you guys again, good luck in the next leg.” Michael nodded and grabbed on to David’s hand as it left his head, squeezing it and saying his goodbyes to his friend. With that, the three young men left the room, walking into the hall.

Bastian wished Lukas would reconsider about staying for the night. After having him back for a few hours, he didn’t want to give him up again, even though it would only be overnight. He realized he was probably coming off a little possessive and needy, but right now he didn’t care. He’d just played an excellent game and he’d had a few beers. It was explainable, this clingy attitude.

Lukas knew Bastian wanted him to stay, and while part of him did like the idea of spending the night with him in his room (it would be kind of exciting in a sense, because even though they’d be behind a closed door, their teammates would be right next to them) another part of him knew that tomorrow they’d be back to Munich where he’d be spending every waking hour with him. He wanted to spend a few more hours with David before he had to say goodbye to his friend.

“Why don’t we stop off at your room first?” He wasn’t about to take off without having a moment with him, though. Bastian would probably be upset if he did just leave, and Lukas didn’t want that.

“And this is the part where I want to go and call a cab, right?” David offered the jab, grinning at his two friends. Lukas had told him that he’d told Bastian, after all. Though it hadn’t come up between the three of them yet, David wanted to let Bastian know with a joke that he was okay with the news.

Lukas grinned at David’s comment. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Bastian was admittedly a tiny bit confused at the comment. Why would David suggest skipping on their goodbyes? They reached his room just then, as it luckily wasn’t far from the meeting room. Bastian unlocked the door and stepped inside, unsure now if he ought to invite David into the room. Why had Lukas suggested it?

“Nice rooms, team sprang for comfort I see.” David followed Lukas into the room, closing the door behind him and walking over to the window to peer out. Bastian watched him walk over, confused. Why had Lukas so casually let him into the room? Had he told David?

Without warning Lukas slid his arms around Bastian and pressed their lips together. Bastian was too surprised to pull away, but too shocked to really get into it. What was going on? Why was Lukas kissing him in front of David?

He got his answer when he heard an annoyed sigh from across the room. “A warning would be nice, you know.” David was obviously amused from his tone of voice. Bastian pulled away from Lukas and stared at David. He did know. When had Lukas told him?

Lukas grinned at David’s reaction. “Oh come on, the suggestion of coming to his room was warning enough. I thought you were going to go call a cab.” Lukas kept his arm around Bastian as he looked at David. He’d been a little nervous about actually kissing Bastian in front of David, but he’d decided to go for it anyway. There was no better way for David to really prove that he accepted it, after all.

Bastian looked dumbfounded as he listened to the two of them interact. Finally he settled on Lukas, his gaze questioning. “Why didn’t you tell me you told him?” He spoke low, though he knew David would overhear. This was important. Why hadn’t Lukas told him? Revenge for him telling Michael, perhaps?

Lukas looked at him, confused. “What do you mean? Didn’t you get my text?”

Bastian looked even more confused now. “No. What text?”

Lukas frowned. “The one I sent you before the match.” He paused for a second. “I thought that’s why you got me Ronaldinho’s jersey.”

Bastian glanced between Lukas and David, starting to feel suddenly nervous about the situation. “I got you the jersey because I knew you’d want it. But I didn’t get a text from you about it.”

“That’s weird. It’s in my sent mailbox. Are you sure you didn’t get it? Maybe it just didn’t beep to let you know? Where’s your phone?” Lukas figured Bastian probably hadn’t heard his phone beeping to let him know he had a new message. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened, after all.

Bastian went to his bed, pulling his phone out of his bag. He flipped it open and frowned when he didn’t see a message notification. “I didn’t get it.” He went into his inbox, intent on proving what the last message he’d received was, and that it wasn’t the one Lukas was talking about.

But then he saw the number of messages in his inbox. Seven. He could have sworn there had only been six earlier. He opened the seventh and started reading. “Wait a second, is this the one?” Lukas had appeared behind him and was busy reading over his shoulder.

“That’s it. Are you sure you didn’t read it and forget about it?” Lukas grinned as he considered the option. He wasn’t the only one who could get distracted.

“No I swear, I did not read this. But it’s been read. How the fuck did that happen?” Bastian was feeling anxious about it now. Had someone gotten a hold of his phone, perhaps?

“I’m sure it’s just your phone. Maybe you hit something and opened it without realizing it.” Lukas wound his arms around Bastian, not worried about it in the least.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t read it. I didn’t open it. My phone has been in my bag all this time.” Bastian didn’t intend to speak with such a defensive tone, but he wasn’t able to help it. He was worried about this.

“Oh come on, it’s nothing to worry about. It’s just your phone acting up, or something.” Lukas reached out and took the phone away from Bastian, folding it up and throwing it back into the bag. “You should get a new phone.”

Bastian didn’t feel like arguing the point any further. Someone had read his message. The question remained though, of just who it had been. He wasn’t keen on finding out; he just hoped it was someone friendly.

“Please don’t go to bed worrying about this. We’ll get you a new phone when we get home. For now, maybe we should go get you another beer so you can relax before going to sleep.” Lukas tightened his arms around Bastian and kissed his neck.

“Beer is good. Please don’t offer him anything else to help him sleep.” David grinned at Lukas, agreeing with his friend about the misbehaving cell phone.

Lukas laughed at his comment. “You just keep bringing it up, David. Are you sure you don’t want a show?” Lukas couldn’t help but tease him back, though it felt kind of strange. He never thought he’d be so open about this with anyone else around. It felt different with David, though. Maybe it was just because Lukas trusted him so deeply to keep it to himself. Whatever the reason was, it did feel kind of relieving to be able to joke about this with someone else.

David shook his head. “No thank you. I really don’t feel like throwing up my supper.” He winked back at Lukas, both of them still not picking up on Bastian’s nervousness in relation to his phone.

Bastian wished he could do as they suggested and forget about the message. But he couldn’t. Someone had read it, he was sure of that. But he realized there was nothing he could do about that, so instead he wrapped his arms around Lukas and leaned against him. He’d think about it more in the morning.

Lukas grinned when Bastian hugged him. He patted his arm with his hand. “Alright, well David and I really should be going, I guess.” He turned around, though Bastian’s arms remained around him. “Don’t worry about your phone, really. Just get some sleep and I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow. Today, actually. Then we’ll go home.” Lukas moved one hand up Bastian’s chest, wrapping around his neck.

David watched his two friends interacting, amused but still kind of stunned to be seeing it right in front of him. He knew he ought to look away, to give them a moment of privacy. But he couldn’t help it. He was awestruck by the reality of the situation. He’d known these two for years, years he’d watched them grow closer. But this was different. This was strange and slightly uncomfortable, but David couldn’t tear his eyes away from it. It was real, and it made him wonder if there was anyone else out there in their world, hiding something like this. He suddenly felt a little guilty for staring and he turned away, looking out the window. It wasn’t going to be easy for them. That much was certain. But he considered them both good friends, and he wasn’t going to turn on them if this ever got out. It might take some getting used to, but then again they’d already been linked in his head. Once you got to know them, it became hard to think of one without the other. He supposed it wasn’t really that strange, when you thought about it. If you’d looked at every friendship in the game and you’d been forced to pick one that would possibly evolve into something more one day, David would have picked them. The foundation had already been there.

While Bastian was still tempted to worry about the person who’d intruded into his phone, right now the feeling of Lukas’ hand on his neck had a much stronger grip on him than his worry. He leaned his head forward and closed his eyes as his lips pressed to Lukas’. At the contact he even forgot about David still being there; right now all that mattered was Lukas.

For a minute they remained attached, bodies pressed together in want and need but minds knowing that they’d have to put off anything more for another night. Fingers gripped skin fiercely, and tongues touched hungrily. It was so easy to get lost in a moment like this one, so easy to forget about everyone and everything around you. For that moment all that was on their minds was each other, and how good it felt to unite for a minute after hours spent apart.

Finally Lukas pulled away, his hand still there on Bastian’s neck. “Okay, really time to go now. I’ll see you at the airport.”

Bastian nodded and put a hand to Lukas’ cheek. “Airport it is.”

Lukas smiled before pulling away to the door. “Come on David; it’s safe to look now.” He grinned as he glanced over at his friend, who was still standing by the window. David glanced over at them, smiling slowly.

“About time. Are you sure you don’t want me to leave you here and bring your stuff over in the morning?” David grinned and winked at Bastian, before looking back at Lukas.

“No way. I only have a few hours left in which to harass you, I’m not giving those up.” He put a hand on the door handle, watching as David left the window.

David stopped in front of Bastian before joining Lukas. “It was good to see you again, you guys should come visit during the summer when it’s really gorgeous here.”

Bastian grinned and laid a hand on David’s shoulder, squeezing it before suddenly pulling him into a hug. “I’ll keep that in mind.” A few seconds later when David pulled away to head to the door, Bastian caught his arm. He waited until David looked back at him, waiting a few seconds before speaking. “Thanks, David.”

David didn’t need Bastian to explain. “Don’t mention it. I’d be a pretty shitty friend if I didn’t accept it.” They smiled at each other briefly before David turned and left. He walked out the door first, as Lukas remained standing there until Bastian joined him.

The Bavarian slid his hand around Lukas’, intertwining their fingers, squeezing it before speaking. “See you at the airport, chubs.”

Lukas just shook his head and squeezed back. “Only if they don’t store you in the cargo bay, puppy.” A smile and a few seconds later and they parted, Bastian watching them walk down the hall for a few seconds before retreating into his room and closing his door. He was looking forward to getting home again.