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Chapter 39 - Bayern Munich vs. Stuttgart; also, Daniela and Lukas meet up again for the first time since things have changed.
Lukas had just finished eating when there was a knock at the door and he cursed the timing. It was stupid, of course. The whole point in Daniela coming over early was because it would give them some time to get used to being around each other again now that things had changed. He wanted to get things as normal as possible again, but he just hadn’t wanted to be the one to get the door when she arrived. But with Bastian getting dressed, he didn’t have a choice.
He left his plate by the sink and walked over to the door, taking a moment to get himself together before unlocking it and pulling it open. And then suddenly there she was, standing in front of him and looking up at him expectantly, both of them not quite knowing what to say. After a few seconds of silence Lukas finally moved aside, letting her come in. He felt like an idiot; speaking to her right now, saying hello at least really shouldn’t be that hard. They really needed Bastian to break the silence.
And suddenly there he was and Lukas had never felt more relieved to see him. Things would be okay once they got over this initial bit of weirdness, he was sure of that. But right now they just needed a bit of help to get going.
“Hey Dani.” Bastian gave her a hug, looking over her shoulder at Lukas. He winked at him before pulling away from her. “Pink won’t do; you should go ask Lena for something red instead.” Daniela looked at him with a bit of confusion on her face, before glancing at Lukas questioningly.
Lukas shook his head and looked annoyed. “As you can see, he hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still an asshole.” He grinned at Daniela, who looked back at Bastian.
“See, Lukas is supposed to wear white, and I think any women who are around him ought to wear red. I want to see if the media will pick up on that.” Bastian grinned smugly as though it was the cleverest idea in the world.
Daniela’s expression turned to one of annoyance too. She looked back at Lukas with raised eyebrows. “Why are you with him?”
Lukas laughed at the question. “I have no idea; I really should have learned after watching him with you the past few years, right?” Suddenly this all felt normal again, almost as though Bastian had known that the best way to get Lukas and Daniela comfortable again was to sacrifice himself.
Daniela nodded. “Yeah really, take my advice, get out while you can. It only gets worse over time.” She nodded at him before looking back at Bastian and smiling.
“You know, I didn’t invite you over so the two of you could insult me.” Bastian frowned, though inwardly he was happy. The fact that they had immediately banded together to jump on him was a good sign.
“Well, it is what we always used to do before, isn’t it?” Daniela winked at Bastian before glancing at Lukas. “So really, Lukas and I are just doing what we normally always did; ganging up on you.”
Bastian tried to remain frowning but he couldn’t, eventually breaking into a smile. “Yeah, I guess you guys are back to normal then, aren’t you? I’m so good.”
While Bastian gloated over his ease at getting the two speaking again, Lukas and Daniela looked at each other and smiled, before Daniela walked over to him and hugged him. Lukas wrapped his arms around her, at the moment feeling extremely grateful that Daniela was so at ease with this. He supposed it wasn’t so bad right now anyway, not while he and Bastian kept some space between them. He just hoped Bastian would realize that and not try to be too affectionate with him while Daniela was around. Sometimes Bastian had a habit of forgetting important things like that when he was having a good time.
They went into the living room to sit down and Daniela immediately asked them about the situation with the coaching staff. She had only found out about it after getting home last night; a friend of hers had called her, wanting to know what was going on. When she’d gotten off the phone she’d been tempted to call Bastian and yell at him for not telling her about it when they’d been together at the shop. She didn’t know how something that important could have slipped his mind while they’d been talking.
Bastian grinned sheepishly when she asked, knowing from her gaze that she couldn’t believe that he hadn’t told her. “Yeah sorry about that; I guess I was too distracted last night?”
Daniela huffed in annoyance. “Too distracted by what? Your coach resigning is kind of important, isn’t it? What could distract you from imparting that news?”
“Uh, you looked really pretty last night?” Bastian grinned as he gave the answer, ducking to avoid the pillow she threw at him. At the other end of the couch Lukas just laughed at him.
“Nice answer, loser.”
Daniela fixed her glare on Lukas now instead. “Are you saying I’m not pretty enough to be distracting?”
“No! No that’s not what I meant!” He had that proverbial dear-caught-in-headlights look on his face, shaking his head while she continued to look pissed off. “Please don’t throw anything at me.”
Daniela finally laughed after his last comment. “Fine, I’ll spare you for now.” Now that they were through joking around, Bastian explained what was happening with the coaching staff. For the time being assistant-coach Sepp Maier would be running things until a replacement was found. The current rumour in the locker room was that Uli Hoeness was trying to convince former coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to return. Everyone hoped that would pan out, since he knew the majority of the Bayern players anyway, so taking over wouldn’t really take that long.
Soon it was time for Bastian to leave, and they both got up to see him off. Lukas was feeling a little uncomfortable, hoping that Bastian would remember to be respectful of Daniela. He’d managed to be good during the morning, but now that they were parting, Lukas was hoping he wouldn’t be tempted to do anything too obviously affectionate. Bastian had hugged Daniela and now he was standing in front of Lukas, sliding his arms around him. Okay, a hug was fine, that wasn’t too showy. But when Bastian pressed his lips to Lukas’ and kissed him, Lukas couldn’t help but feel bad, like they shouldn’t be doing this right now. How could Bastian be so thoughtless? Finally he pulled away, saying a final goodbye to both of them before pulling the door open and stepping out into the hall. Daniela told him to have a good game and that he’d better score, while Lukas could only wave at him, still feeling too awkward about having kissed in front of her.
When Bastian was finally out of view Daniela closed the door and turned to look at Lukas. She walked up to him and stood before him. “Lukas, my dear, in case you didn’t realize, I know you guys are together now, so really, it’s okay if you kiss in front of me.”
Lukas was a little caught off guard with the comment, as was evident by the look on his face, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. Was she really that okay with it?
“Look I know you’re probably worried about you two being affectionate upsetting me, and really, that’s very sweet of you, but it’s not necessary. If I wasn’t ready to see you guys with each other in that way, then I really shouldn’t be here right now.”
Lukas didn’t say anything in response right away; he simply stared at her for a moment, taking her words in. It made sense, really. If she wasn’t willing to try and move on, to let them move on, then she probably wouldn’t come to visit them at home. She’d sooner just see them in public where they wouldn’t be able to display much affection toward one another. Maybe he was just overreacting, again.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m sorry; I guess maybe I’m more uncomfortable with it than you are.”
Daniela grinned at his response. “Oh Lukas, you’re a dying breed, you know that?”
He looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
She smiled back at him. “You’re a sweet, thoughtful guy. So unlike that one you’re with now.” She winked at him, and he grinned back.
“Yeah you’re right; he’s a bit pushy, you ever notice that?”
Daniela laughed at the comment. “Does that comment come with a story I want to hear?”
Lukas quickly shook his head. “No, well, I don’t know. I just don’t really feel comfortable telling you about it.” They both laughed at the comment and Daniela asked him what he wanted to do until they went to the match, as they still had a few hours.
“I don’t know; oh is Lena coming with us?”
Daniela looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I haven’t talked to her about it. Wanna go tell her she’s coming, whether she wants to or not?”
Lukas nodded. “Yeah, the more the merrier, right? Besides, we’re meeting someone else there. Remember my OT, Katya? She called me last night, wanted to see how training was going. I invited her to come and sit with us, since the friend she usually goes with can’t make it.”
Daniela smiled at the news. “Awesome! I really liked her.”
“Yeah, I thought Lena would get along well with her too, so I didn’t think you guys would mind.” They continued to chat about the subject as they put on their shoes and jackets, heading next door to pick up Lena.
Lukas had been right, Lena and Katya had gotten along wonderfully from the very first minute. They were now sitting in the stands, Lena next to Katya and Lukas in between Katya and Daniela. The teams were out warming up and Lukas was shaking his head listening to Katya and Lena talk about Timo. Daniela was grinning on his other side, not bothering to join in the conversation (because Timo really wasn’t her type) but being amused at Lukas’ reaction anyway.
“I told him that in order to thank me for all of my hard work during his recovery, he ought to introduce me to Timo. The bastard just laughed at me!” Katya complained to Lena, looking to annoy Lukas about the subject again.
“What a jerk, huh? He used to be such a sweet boy too, I don’t know what happened.” Lena grinned as she reached around Katya and slapped Lukas on the shoulder.
“There’s no need to get violent, Lena. And you,” Lukas shifted his gaze to Katya, “it’s not like you did that much for me anyway.”
“Excuse me? Putting up with all your whining is enough to earn me at least an introduction.” Katya winked at him.
“Whining? When did I ever whine?”
“You’re doing it right now,” Lena interjected, winking at Lukas.
“I am not, I’m just disagreeing.”
Katya and Lena grinned at his response and Lukas turned away from them, looking at Daniela, as though he was seeking her reinforcement. Daniela just grinned at him. “Women are horrible creatures, Lukas. You’re the one who thought those two would get along, after all. You’re just going to have to live with it.” She patted him on the knee and he slumped back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Aw look at that little boy pout; that’s so adorable.” Katya patted him on the head while Lena laughed and Lukas couldn’t help but think to himself that this was going to be a very long match.
When the team had arrived at the training grounds in the afternoon they’d been informed that just as rumours were saying, they had reached an agreement with Ottmar Hitzfeld to return to the squad to replace Magath, who would definitely not be returning due to his wife’s still mystery illness. Replacing a coach was never an easy thing, but the majority of the squad knew Hitzfeld and for those that didn’t, they were assured by those who did that this was going to work. Hitzfeld would be at the match today, but coaching duties would still be left to Maier, since Hitzfeld didn’t know the workings of the current squad yet.
Now the match was just about to get underway, the guys on the field, waiting for the whistle of the official. Bastian was standing out on the left, looking up in the stands across the field, his eyes on the seats where Lukas and the girls were sitting. When he’d come off the field after training and looked up, he’d noticed Lukas looking a little annoyed and all three of the girls grinning and he didn’t find himself jealous of Lukas’ position after all.
He was happy that Lukas and Daniela were here together, the way they’d always been before things had changed. It made him feel like nothing was amiss, the fact that he still had the two most important people to him there. The only difference now was that their meanings to him had changed slightly.
He didn’t have long to think about it before the whistle of the official rang out and suddenly he found the ball at his feet off a pass back from Roy. Bastian didn’t waste any time, taking the ball and heading up the field. He sent a cross over to Brazzo who’d found himself a nice bit of space on the right side, moving up with the midfield line as he watched the ball sail into the middle of the box, where Roy was waiting for it. Unfortunately it fell just a bit short and into the arms of a prepared Timo Hildebrand who handled it well.
The ball was kicked down into the midfield and Bastian clashed with Hitzlsperger for it, which ended in a foul on the Stuttgart player’s part. He offered his hand to Bastian, who took it and got back to his feet with a bit of help from his national teammate and friend. It always felt a little strange to play against the guys from the national squad, the temptation to smile and joke about something very strong. It was an urge he’d failed at ignoring back when Lukas had still been at Koln, on the occasions they’d played Bayern.
But that had been over a year ago and Bastian was older now, he was supposed to be more mature and responsible after appearing at the World Cup. So why did he have to fight to restrain the urge to cuff Hitz on the head for fun? Maybe he wasn’t that much more mature after all. Or maybe it was just because it was the start of the game and things weren’t overly serious yet.
The thoughts didn’t last long before he was right back into the game, battling duels with Stuttgart’s midfield. By the time the thirty third minute came the teams were equal when it came to shots on goal with three a piece. Both keepers were on form today.
But then a moment of good fortune happened for Stuttgart as striker Cacau was fouled on the edge of the penalty area by Lucio. Though the hit had occurred outside the penalty area, the official had judged it to be inside from his angle and awarded the team with a penalty. Lucio protested heavily and had to be shoved away by Daniel van Buyten, while Mark van Bommel calmly tried to sort out things with the official. The Bayern players were warned off and the penalty stood.
Marco Streller took the gift of the chance and sunk the penalty into the net, the ball just grazing Oliver Kahn’s outstretched right hand. Stuttgart celebrated and Bayern shook their heads. This would just lead to yet another heated discussion about the necessity of video replay by the players at the end of the game.
But luckily for Bayern fate hadn’t completely turned her back on them for the game, as only twenty seconds after the re-start Pizarro scored from a perfect pass inside from Christian Lell, which had come from another perfect pass from Bastian. The trio converged on each other and was joined by everyone else on the Bayern side close to them. With things evened now, the Bayern squad wasn’t feeling as bitter about the penalty at the moment.
The game held to the 1-1 draw as the whistle blew for half-time and the teams made their way off the field. Bastian walked off alone, looking up when he reached the edge of the pitch, smiling when he caught Lukas staring at him. He didn’t look quite as annoyed now as he had earlier before the match, so Bastian figured that the girls must have given him a break during the action of the game.
As he made his way down into the tunnel Bastian found himself wishing that he could skip the half-time chat and go sit with Lukas instead. Maybe he was a little jealous, after all, but not of Lukas. He was jealous of the girls, able to sit with him and enjoy the game and his attention. Bastian wanted Lukas with him, not up in the stands. He knew it was stupid, maybe even a tad bit on the obsessive side, but he couldn’t help it. It was different having Lukas sit there and watch him than it had been when he’d been with Daniela. She wasn’t a part of this, after all, so he’d never given thought to the idea of her sharing a moment with him right there on the grass of the pitch.
But he and Lukas had bonded on that grass and Bastian missed having him there. Even if he could only sit on the bench, like he’d done during the national game against the Czech. He’d still be able to run over to the sidelines and touch him, if he felt the need. Of course he wouldn’t, not unless he scored a goal and got caught in the moment like he had against their Euro qualifying competitors. But the possibility was still there. And Lukas would be here right now beside him, walking down the stairs and brushing his arm to Bastian’s because that would be the closest they’d be able to get without giving anything away.
Instead Bastian was alone and Lukas was sitting somewhere above him with three other people that were not him. It didn’t bother him while he was playing, but now that he had this pause, it was bugging him. These fifteen minutes couldn’t possibly pass by quickly enough for him.
And while Bastian was moping down below, Lukas was sitting and listening to the girls discussing the match, but he was only half listening. His heart ached a little to be down with the team right now, to be involved. He knew he should be thankful that he was going to get the chance to resume playing again at all, because with head injuries you really couldn’t predict when or even if a comeback would occur.
He didn’t want to be thankful right now, though. He just wanted to be with his team.
It was nearing the end of the second half and the score was still a frustrating 1-1 tie. They needed these three points from this game if they wanted to keep their spot in the table. They were currently lying third at the moment, one point off of Werder Bremen, two points off of Schalke. Stuttgart was two points behind Bayern, and Bayer Leverkusen was only another two points off from them. It was a tight race and Bayern needed the win. There were only four matches left after this one in the season and the boys were intent on repeating as league winners.
But unfortunately Stuttgart were playing with the same drive and determination and there had barely been any shots in the second half; the game had turned itself into a midfield battle. Only two minutes of regular time remained and Bastian figured they’d get another one, maybe two, of injury time. Enough time to score, of course, but something drastic needed to happen.
They’d already made all the substitutions possible: Santa Cruz for a subdued Roy Makaay, Demichelis for Lucio (who limped off the field after overstretching to make a spectacular late clearance), and Ottl for a tired Salihamadzic. There weren’t any options left for Bayern so it was with a great deal of frustration that Bastian stood and watched as Benjamin Lauth came on to the field, a fresh pair of legs to replace the run-out Cacau. This wasn’t good.
He couldn’t afford to waste energy thinking about that, not when he had a corner to shoot. The final seconds available while Lauth took his place Bastian spent trying to decide on a target. Daniel was in a good spot, the tall defender definitely an option. But there was also Lell lurking behind the wall in front of the goal, a little too open for Stuttgart’s safety, but none of the visiting squad had noticed. Where to shoot? If he hit it to Lell, he’d have a good chance at hitting it in. And even if it was saved by the keeper, maybe it wouldn’t be a catch and one of the guys in front of the net would be able to make the rebound and slot it in.
These were the decisions he was used to being faced with and in the end he usually ended up letting his foot decide for him.
He took the shot and fired it behind the wall at Lell, who still had that gaping hole in front of him to shoot through. The right back met the shot with a force that reminded Bastian of Lukas’ deadly left foot (in fact Lukas had joked once that he and Chris had developed such powerful shots due to the fact that they’d both been kicked in the leg by Hennes, the Koln club mascot, a story that had left Bastian and Andi rolling their eyes while Lukas and Chris had simply laughed and reminisced about the goat) but through some stroke of luck Timo managed to just reach it with a hand, but as Bastian had hoped he wasn’t able to keep hold of it and it shot right back into the fray. Pizarro was there to meet it with his foot but as luck would have it, the Stuttgart keeper managed to bounce back to his feet quickly enough to make the save. Once again though he couldn’t control it and the ball went back out, this time hit away by Fernando Meira, Stuttgart captain and defender.
But it was hit right to Bastian, who didn’t hesitate before unleashing a deadly strike of his own. But unluckily for him, the ball hit the bottom of the crossbar and landed just outside the goal to be swept away by Ricardo Osorio. Andi was there to meet it though and he thumped it right back into the Stuttgart penalty area where it found Daniel van Buyten’s head and this time Timo could do nothing but watch.
The tall defender simply stood still while nearly all of Bayern converged around him, Pizarro the first to fling arms around him. Bastian didn’t waste any time joining in on the celebration, even though he knew now they’d probably have even more extra time added on. But it was worth it at the moment, to let off that distracting energy that would only lead to a mistake if they rushed on with playing instead of taking the time to celebrate.
Once things had settled down and play restarted Bastian had glanced at the sidelines, seeing that indeed extra time had been added. Three minutes of it. Unless they could somehow manage a third against Stuttgart, these three minutes were likely to be torturous.
The three minutes were torturous, and not only for Bastian. Lukas was sitting on the edge of his seat, nerves racing after that late goal. Too many times they’d managed to score for a win or draw at the last minute, and if they could do it, there was no reason why Stuttgart couldn’t do it too. He hadn’t even been paying attention to anything the girls had been saying to him. Lena and Katya were now on their feet along with the majority of the fans in the stadium, chanting along with the crowd to add to the energy for the Bavarian side. Daniela was still sitting too though, just as nervous as Lukas. Her hand was on his arm, gripping it tightly and Lukas didn’t mind, in fact he barely even felt it.
There was a moment of fright when Hitz unleashed a hard shot on the net, Kahn barely able to punch it away. Philipp took control of it and passed it up to Mark, who sent it up to Andi on the right. Andi looked around and passed it inside to Pizarro, whose momentary chance for a shot was stolen by a pouncing Stuttgart defense. The Peruvian shot it through to Bastian, who sent it to the upper right hand corner of the net, but whose shot was barely saved by Timo. The ball went out for a corner and this time Mark was taking it. Bastian stood just outside the box, swapping places with Chris who was inside now. Mark sent the ball inside and this time Demichelis had a header, but by a stroke of luck Timo managed to block it and hold onto the ball.
As the team fell back and the keeper released the ball the official blew the whistle to signal the end of the game and Bastian could have collapsed there on the spot with relief. This was a well-earned three points; that much was for sure.
Lukas had a similar reaction in the stands, slumping back momentarily into his seat, relief washing over him. He was surprised to find that watching the match was actually more exhausting than playing in it; at least that’s how he felt at the moment. But soon enough he was standing up and hugging Daniela, getting excited again due to the girls and their energy. He looked down on the field, smiling as he watched Bastian walking back from the Stuttgart end, one arm around Chris’ shoulders, while he was using the other one to wildly gesticulate about something. Lukas grinned, though in his heart he felt that former little pang of jealousy. He so badly wanted to be back out there now. Especially with the end of the season looming. He probably wouldn’t be able to play again until the following season and that had him rather depressed. He wanted to play again now.
His friends joined the rest of the Bayern squad, standing together on the field, hands held tightly and arms raised to the fans. That’s all Lukas was today and it was still stinging. But he knew he needed to push those thoughts out of his head. He was getting back into training now, things were going well. He couldn’t afford to get upset over missing out on being out there. It wouldn’t do any good, after all.
After the team finished posing for the camera Bastian slipped away from them, that post-win relief lifting enough for him to remember that someone very important was missing from the celebration, and without him there, Bastian didn’t feel much like celebrating. So he made his way over to the stairs that led to the seats directly above the bank, smiling when he looked up and saw Lukas standing there watching him. He took the steps quickly and within seconds his arms were flung around Lukas and the urge to kiss him then and there was so damn strong and Bastian was barely able to keep himself from doing it. It was only by looking over Lukas’ shoulder and seeing the three girls that Bastian was reminded that he needed to be careful. After all, he wasn’t sure if Katya knew or not.
He leaned back against the railing, one arm around Lukas, who was quite happily reciprocating the gesture. The girls commented on the game and Katya scolded Bastian for making their blood pressure rise at the last minute. Bastian grinned and apologized on behalf of his teammates for the struggle.
While the conversation ensued Lena had her eyes firmly on the guys, noticing the way they were being so obviously affectionate with each other. While it was something she herself found adorable, she was a little worried about how the rest of the world might take it. Especially since Daniela and Bastian were still going to make the pretence of being together, Lena couldn’t help but feel like the boys were being a bit too obvious. So it was up to her to subtly remind them of that.
Lena looked at Lukas, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Lulu, you’re so rude.”
Lukas was startled by the comment, looking at Lena with a shocked expression. “Excuse me?”
Lena grinned at him. “You’re monopolizing Bastian! You’d think the man might want to kiss his girlfriend or something?” Her eyes quickly shot back and forth between them, conveying her real intent.
Luckily for them all Daniela caught on. “Oh god no are you kidding? He can stay over there with Lukas; he’s too sweaty to touch me right now.” Daniela grinned at Lena, winking at her before looking back at Bastian and Lukas.
Though he really didn’t want to move away from Lukas, Bastian knew that Lena was right. Not just because Katya was there, either; there were cameras everywhere. So he removed his arm from around Lukas and reached out for Daniela, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him while she squealed playfully and tried to pull away. In the end she ended up in his arms and he kissed her neck and they both laughed after she complained about having another shirt ruined.
While they kept Katya occupied laughing about the situation, Lena slipped next to Lukas and put her arm around his waist. “Sorry I had to break that up; you guys were giving each other the googly eyes.” She winked at him after whispering the comment into his ear.
Lukas smiled and thanked her. Had they really been that bad? Maybe not, at least he hoped. But Lena did know, so she might have seen more than anyone else would have and decided to err on the side of caution. Regardless, it was probably good that she had made the comment. It had been an easy way for them to be reminded about what they were doing without making it too obvious. It still hurt, though, to be reminded that no matter how wonderful and happy something as simple as a kiss could be for them, it was strictly off limits in public. Was he going to be able to hide this for long? Lukas wasn’t so sure. As things got progressively stronger between himself and Bastian, it was likely only going to be harder to keep themselves from slipping up in public.
But for now he was just going to not think about that and be grateful that Lena was watching out for them. He looked over at Katya, who was laughing at something Bastian had just told her. When she looked at him he motioned for her to come with him. “Let’s go see what we can do about Timo, then. I can’t promise anything since they lost, but he is a nice guy, so you might be in luck.”
Katya bounded over to Lukas, linking her arm through his and following him down to the field. She pressed herself closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thanks, you’re the best!”
Lukas smiled and the five of them made their way down underneath the stands, searching for Lukas and Bastian’s national teammate. Lukas couldn’t help but be reminded of the fact that right now he had to walk along with Katya on his arm, Bastian behind him with Daniela at his side, when all either of them wanted was just to walk beside each other and share a little kiss. But that would be put off for a while. As long as they were in public they were only best friends, and best friends don’t kiss the way they kiss.
Lukas had just finished eating when there was a knock at the door and he cursed the timing. It was stupid, of course. The whole point in Daniela coming over early was because it would give them some time to get used to being around each other again now that things had changed. He wanted to get things as normal as possible again, but he just hadn’t wanted to be the one to get the door when she arrived. But with Bastian getting dressed, he didn’t have a choice.
He left his plate by the sink and walked over to the door, taking a moment to get himself together before unlocking it and pulling it open. And then suddenly there she was, standing in front of him and looking up at him expectantly, both of them not quite knowing what to say. After a few seconds of silence Lukas finally moved aside, letting her come in. He felt like an idiot; speaking to her right now, saying hello at least really shouldn’t be that hard. They really needed Bastian to break the silence.
And suddenly there he was and Lukas had never felt more relieved to see him. Things would be okay once they got over this initial bit of weirdness, he was sure of that. But right now they just needed a bit of help to get going.
“Hey Dani.” Bastian gave her a hug, looking over her shoulder at Lukas. He winked at him before pulling away from her. “Pink won’t do; you should go ask Lena for something red instead.” Daniela looked at him with a bit of confusion on her face, before glancing at Lukas questioningly.
Lukas shook his head and looked annoyed. “As you can see, he hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still an asshole.” He grinned at Daniela, who looked back at Bastian.
“See, Lukas is supposed to wear white, and I think any women who are around him ought to wear red. I want to see if the media will pick up on that.” Bastian grinned smugly as though it was the cleverest idea in the world.
Daniela’s expression turned to one of annoyance too. She looked back at Lukas with raised eyebrows. “Why are you with him?”
Lukas laughed at the question. “I have no idea; I really should have learned after watching him with you the past few years, right?” Suddenly this all felt normal again, almost as though Bastian had known that the best way to get Lukas and Daniela comfortable again was to sacrifice himself.
Daniela nodded. “Yeah really, take my advice, get out while you can. It only gets worse over time.” She nodded at him before looking back at Bastian and smiling.
“You know, I didn’t invite you over so the two of you could insult me.” Bastian frowned, though inwardly he was happy. The fact that they had immediately banded together to jump on him was a good sign.
“Well, it is what we always used to do before, isn’t it?” Daniela winked at Bastian before glancing at Lukas. “So really, Lukas and I are just doing what we normally always did; ganging up on you.”
Bastian tried to remain frowning but he couldn’t, eventually breaking into a smile. “Yeah, I guess you guys are back to normal then, aren’t you? I’m so good.”
While Bastian gloated over his ease at getting the two speaking again, Lukas and Daniela looked at each other and smiled, before Daniela walked over to him and hugged him. Lukas wrapped his arms around her, at the moment feeling extremely grateful that Daniela was so at ease with this. He supposed it wasn’t so bad right now anyway, not while he and Bastian kept some space between them. He just hoped Bastian would realize that and not try to be too affectionate with him while Daniela was around. Sometimes Bastian had a habit of forgetting important things like that when he was having a good time.
They went into the living room to sit down and Daniela immediately asked them about the situation with the coaching staff. She had only found out about it after getting home last night; a friend of hers had called her, wanting to know what was going on. When she’d gotten off the phone she’d been tempted to call Bastian and yell at him for not telling her about it when they’d been together at the shop. She didn’t know how something that important could have slipped his mind while they’d been talking.
Bastian grinned sheepishly when she asked, knowing from her gaze that she couldn’t believe that he hadn’t told her. “Yeah sorry about that; I guess I was too distracted last night?”
Daniela huffed in annoyance. “Too distracted by what? Your coach resigning is kind of important, isn’t it? What could distract you from imparting that news?”
“Uh, you looked really pretty last night?” Bastian grinned as he gave the answer, ducking to avoid the pillow she threw at him. At the other end of the couch Lukas just laughed at him.
“Nice answer, loser.”
Daniela fixed her glare on Lukas now instead. “Are you saying I’m not pretty enough to be distracting?”
“No! No that’s not what I meant!” He had that proverbial dear-caught-in-headlights look on his face, shaking his head while she continued to look pissed off. “Please don’t throw anything at me.”
Daniela finally laughed after his last comment. “Fine, I’ll spare you for now.” Now that they were through joking around, Bastian explained what was happening with the coaching staff. For the time being assistant-coach Sepp Maier would be running things until a replacement was found. The current rumour in the locker room was that Uli Hoeness was trying to convince former coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to return. Everyone hoped that would pan out, since he knew the majority of the Bayern players anyway, so taking over wouldn’t really take that long.
Soon it was time for Bastian to leave, and they both got up to see him off. Lukas was feeling a little uncomfortable, hoping that Bastian would remember to be respectful of Daniela. He’d managed to be good during the morning, but now that they were parting, Lukas was hoping he wouldn’t be tempted to do anything too obviously affectionate. Bastian had hugged Daniela and now he was standing in front of Lukas, sliding his arms around him. Okay, a hug was fine, that wasn’t too showy. But when Bastian pressed his lips to Lukas’ and kissed him, Lukas couldn’t help but feel bad, like they shouldn’t be doing this right now. How could Bastian be so thoughtless? Finally he pulled away, saying a final goodbye to both of them before pulling the door open and stepping out into the hall. Daniela told him to have a good game and that he’d better score, while Lukas could only wave at him, still feeling too awkward about having kissed in front of her.
When Bastian was finally out of view Daniela closed the door and turned to look at Lukas. She walked up to him and stood before him. “Lukas, my dear, in case you didn’t realize, I know you guys are together now, so really, it’s okay if you kiss in front of me.”
Lukas was a little caught off guard with the comment, as was evident by the look on his face, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. Was she really that okay with it?
“Look I know you’re probably worried about you two being affectionate upsetting me, and really, that’s very sweet of you, but it’s not necessary. If I wasn’t ready to see you guys with each other in that way, then I really shouldn’t be here right now.”
Lukas didn’t say anything in response right away; he simply stared at her for a moment, taking her words in. It made sense, really. If she wasn’t willing to try and move on, to let them move on, then she probably wouldn’t come to visit them at home. She’d sooner just see them in public where they wouldn’t be able to display much affection toward one another. Maybe he was just overreacting, again.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m sorry; I guess maybe I’m more uncomfortable with it than you are.”
Daniela grinned at his response. “Oh Lukas, you’re a dying breed, you know that?”
He looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
She smiled back at him. “You’re a sweet, thoughtful guy. So unlike that one you’re with now.” She winked at him, and he grinned back.
“Yeah you’re right; he’s a bit pushy, you ever notice that?”
Daniela laughed at the comment. “Does that comment come with a story I want to hear?”
Lukas quickly shook his head. “No, well, I don’t know. I just don’t really feel comfortable telling you about it.” They both laughed at the comment and Daniela asked him what he wanted to do until they went to the match, as they still had a few hours.
“I don’t know; oh is Lena coming with us?”
Daniela looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I haven’t talked to her about it. Wanna go tell her she’s coming, whether she wants to or not?”
Lukas nodded. “Yeah, the more the merrier, right? Besides, we’re meeting someone else there. Remember my OT, Katya? She called me last night, wanted to see how training was going. I invited her to come and sit with us, since the friend she usually goes with can’t make it.”
Daniela smiled at the news. “Awesome! I really liked her.”
“Yeah, I thought Lena would get along well with her too, so I didn’t think you guys would mind.” They continued to chat about the subject as they put on their shoes and jackets, heading next door to pick up Lena.
Lukas had been right, Lena and Katya had gotten along wonderfully from the very first minute. They were now sitting in the stands, Lena next to Katya and Lukas in between Katya and Daniela. The teams were out warming up and Lukas was shaking his head listening to Katya and Lena talk about Timo. Daniela was grinning on his other side, not bothering to join in the conversation (because Timo really wasn’t her type) but being amused at Lukas’ reaction anyway.
“I told him that in order to thank me for all of my hard work during his recovery, he ought to introduce me to Timo. The bastard just laughed at me!” Katya complained to Lena, looking to annoy Lukas about the subject again.
“What a jerk, huh? He used to be such a sweet boy too, I don’t know what happened.” Lena grinned as she reached around Katya and slapped Lukas on the shoulder.
“There’s no need to get violent, Lena. And you,” Lukas shifted his gaze to Katya, “it’s not like you did that much for me anyway.”
“Excuse me? Putting up with all your whining is enough to earn me at least an introduction.” Katya winked at him.
“Whining? When did I ever whine?”
“You’re doing it right now,” Lena interjected, winking at Lukas.
“I am not, I’m just disagreeing.”
Katya and Lena grinned at his response and Lukas turned away from them, looking at Daniela, as though he was seeking her reinforcement. Daniela just grinned at him. “Women are horrible creatures, Lukas. You’re the one who thought those two would get along, after all. You’re just going to have to live with it.” She patted him on the knee and he slumped back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Aw look at that little boy pout; that’s so adorable.” Katya patted him on the head while Lena laughed and Lukas couldn’t help but think to himself that this was going to be a very long match.
When the team had arrived at the training grounds in the afternoon they’d been informed that just as rumours were saying, they had reached an agreement with Ottmar Hitzfeld to return to the squad to replace Magath, who would definitely not be returning due to his wife’s still mystery illness. Replacing a coach was never an easy thing, but the majority of the squad knew Hitzfeld and for those that didn’t, they were assured by those who did that this was going to work. Hitzfeld would be at the match today, but coaching duties would still be left to Maier, since Hitzfeld didn’t know the workings of the current squad yet.
Now the match was just about to get underway, the guys on the field, waiting for the whistle of the official. Bastian was standing out on the left, looking up in the stands across the field, his eyes on the seats where Lukas and the girls were sitting. When he’d come off the field after training and looked up, he’d noticed Lukas looking a little annoyed and all three of the girls grinning and he didn’t find himself jealous of Lukas’ position after all.
He was happy that Lukas and Daniela were here together, the way they’d always been before things had changed. It made him feel like nothing was amiss, the fact that he still had the two most important people to him there. The only difference now was that their meanings to him had changed slightly.
He didn’t have long to think about it before the whistle of the official rang out and suddenly he found the ball at his feet off a pass back from Roy. Bastian didn’t waste any time, taking the ball and heading up the field. He sent a cross over to Brazzo who’d found himself a nice bit of space on the right side, moving up with the midfield line as he watched the ball sail into the middle of the box, where Roy was waiting for it. Unfortunately it fell just a bit short and into the arms of a prepared Timo Hildebrand who handled it well.
The ball was kicked down into the midfield and Bastian clashed with Hitzlsperger for it, which ended in a foul on the Stuttgart player’s part. He offered his hand to Bastian, who took it and got back to his feet with a bit of help from his national teammate and friend. It always felt a little strange to play against the guys from the national squad, the temptation to smile and joke about something very strong. It was an urge he’d failed at ignoring back when Lukas had still been at Koln, on the occasions they’d played Bayern.
But that had been over a year ago and Bastian was older now, he was supposed to be more mature and responsible after appearing at the World Cup. So why did he have to fight to restrain the urge to cuff Hitz on the head for fun? Maybe he wasn’t that much more mature after all. Or maybe it was just because it was the start of the game and things weren’t overly serious yet.
The thoughts didn’t last long before he was right back into the game, battling duels with Stuttgart’s midfield. By the time the thirty third minute came the teams were equal when it came to shots on goal with three a piece. Both keepers were on form today.
But then a moment of good fortune happened for Stuttgart as striker Cacau was fouled on the edge of the penalty area by Lucio. Though the hit had occurred outside the penalty area, the official had judged it to be inside from his angle and awarded the team with a penalty. Lucio protested heavily and had to be shoved away by Daniel van Buyten, while Mark van Bommel calmly tried to sort out things with the official. The Bayern players were warned off and the penalty stood.
Marco Streller took the gift of the chance and sunk the penalty into the net, the ball just grazing Oliver Kahn’s outstretched right hand. Stuttgart celebrated and Bayern shook their heads. This would just lead to yet another heated discussion about the necessity of video replay by the players at the end of the game.
But luckily for Bayern fate hadn’t completely turned her back on them for the game, as only twenty seconds after the re-start Pizarro scored from a perfect pass inside from Christian Lell, which had come from another perfect pass from Bastian. The trio converged on each other and was joined by everyone else on the Bayern side close to them. With things evened now, the Bayern squad wasn’t feeling as bitter about the penalty at the moment.
The game held to the 1-1 draw as the whistle blew for half-time and the teams made their way off the field. Bastian walked off alone, looking up when he reached the edge of the pitch, smiling when he caught Lukas staring at him. He didn’t look quite as annoyed now as he had earlier before the match, so Bastian figured that the girls must have given him a break during the action of the game.
As he made his way down into the tunnel Bastian found himself wishing that he could skip the half-time chat and go sit with Lukas instead. Maybe he was a little jealous, after all, but not of Lukas. He was jealous of the girls, able to sit with him and enjoy the game and his attention. Bastian wanted Lukas with him, not up in the stands. He knew it was stupid, maybe even a tad bit on the obsessive side, but he couldn’t help it. It was different having Lukas sit there and watch him than it had been when he’d been with Daniela. She wasn’t a part of this, after all, so he’d never given thought to the idea of her sharing a moment with him right there on the grass of the pitch.
But he and Lukas had bonded on that grass and Bastian missed having him there. Even if he could only sit on the bench, like he’d done during the national game against the Czech. He’d still be able to run over to the sidelines and touch him, if he felt the need. Of course he wouldn’t, not unless he scored a goal and got caught in the moment like he had against their Euro qualifying competitors. But the possibility was still there. And Lukas would be here right now beside him, walking down the stairs and brushing his arm to Bastian’s because that would be the closest they’d be able to get without giving anything away.
Instead Bastian was alone and Lukas was sitting somewhere above him with three other people that were not him. It didn’t bother him while he was playing, but now that he had this pause, it was bugging him. These fifteen minutes couldn’t possibly pass by quickly enough for him.
And while Bastian was moping down below, Lukas was sitting and listening to the girls discussing the match, but he was only half listening. His heart ached a little to be down with the team right now, to be involved. He knew he should be thankful that he was going to get the chance to resume playing again at all, because with head injuries you really couldn’t predict when or even if a comeback would occur.
He didn’t want to be thankful right now, though. He just wanted to be with his team.
It was nearing the end of the second half and the score was still a frustrating 1-1 tie. They needed these three points from this game if they wanted to keep their spot in the table. They were currently lying third at the moment, one point off of Werder Bremen, two points off of Schalke. Stuttgart was two points behind Bayern, and Bayer Leverkusen was only another two points off from them. It was a tight race and Bayern needed the win. There were only four matches left after this one in the season and the boys were intent on repeating as league winners.
But unfortunately Stuttgart were playing with the same drive and determination and there had barely been any shots in the second half; the game had turned itself into a midfield battle. Only two minutes of regular time remained and Bastian figured they’d get another one, maybe two, of injury time. Enough time to score, of course, but something drastic needed to happen.
They’d already made all the substitutions possible: Santa Cruz for a subdued Roy Makaay, Demichelis for Lucio (who limped off the field after overstretching to make a spectacular late clearance), and Ottl for a tired Salihamadzic. There weren’t any options left for Bayern so it was with a great deal of frustration that Bastian stood and watched as Benjamin Lauth came on to the field, a fresh pair of legs to replace the run-out Cacau. This wasn’t good.
He couldn’t afford to waste energy thinking about that, not when he had a corner to shoot. The final seconds available while Lauth took his place Bastian spent trying to decide on a target. Daniel was in a good spot, the tall defender definitely an option. But there was also Lell lurking behind the wall in front of the goal, a little too open for Stuttgart’s safety, but none of the visiting squad had noticed. Where to shoot? If he hit it to Lell, he’d have a good chance at hitting it in. And even if it was saved by the keeper, maybe it wouldn’t be a catch and one of the guys in front of the net would be able to make the rebound and slot it in.
These were the decisions he was used to being faced with and in the end he usually ended up letting his foot decide for him.
He took the shot and fired it behind the wall at Lell, who still had that gaping hole in front of him to shoot through. The right back met the shot with a force that reminded Bastian of Lukas’ deadly left foot (in fact Lukas had joked once that he and Chris had developed such powerful shots due to the fact that they’d both been kicked in the leg by Hennes, the Koln club mascot, a story that had left Bastian and Andi rolling their eyes while Lukas and Chris had simply laughed and reminisced about the goat) but through some stroke of luck Timo managed to just reach it with a hand, but as Bastian had hoped he wasn’t able to keep hold of it and it shot right back into the fray. Pizarro was there to meet it with his foot but as luck would have it, the Stuttgart keeper managed to bounce back to his feet quickly enough to make the save. Once again though he couldn’t control it and the ball went back out, this time hit away by Fernando Meira, Stuttgart captain and defender.
But it was hit right to Bastian, who didn’t hesitate before unleashing a deadly strike of his own. But unluckily for him, the ball hit the bottom of the crossbar and landed just outside the goal to be swept away by Ricardo Osorio. Andi was there to meet it though and he thumped it right back into the Stuttgart penalty area where it found Daniel van Buyten’s head and this time Timo could do nothing but watch.
The tall defender simply stood still while nearly all of Bayern converged around him, Pizarro the first to fling arms around him. Bastian didn’t waste any time joining in on the celebration, even though he knew now they’d probably have even more extra time added on. But it was worth it at the moment, to let off that distracting energy that would only lead to a mistake if they rushed on with playing instead of taking the time to celebrate.
Once things had settled down and play restarted Bastian had glanced at the sidelines, seeing that indeed extra time had been added. Three minutes of it. Unless they could somehow manage a third against Stuttgart, these three minutes were likely to be torturous.
The three minutes were torturous, and not only for Bastian. Lukas was sitting on the edge of his seat, nerves racing after that late goal. Too many times they’d managed to score for a win or draw at the last minute, and if they could do it, there was no reason why Stuttgart couldn’t do it too. He hadn’t even been paying attention to anything the girls had been saying to him. Lena and Katya were now on their feet along with the majority of the fans in the stadium, chanting along with the crowd to add to the energy for the Bavarian side. Daniela was still sitting too though, just as nervous as Lukas. Her hand was on his arm, gripping it tightly and Lukas didn’t mind, in fact he barely even felt it.
There was a moment of fright when Hitz unleashed a hard shot on the net, Kahn barely able to punch it away. Philipp took control of it and passed it up to Mark, who sent it up to Andi on the right. Andi looked around and passed it inside to Pizarro, whose momentary chance for a shot was stolen by a pouncing Stuttgart defense. The Peruvian shot it through to Bastian, who sent it to the upper right hand corner of the net, but whose shot was barely saved by Timo. The ball went out for a corner and this time Mark was taking it. Bastian stood just outside the box, swapping places with Chris who was inside now. Mark sent the ball inside and this time Demichelis had a header, but by a stroke of luck Timo managed to block it and hold onto the ball.
As the team fell back and the keeper released the ball the official blew the whistle to signal the end of the game and Bastian could have collapsed there on the spot with relief. This was a well-earned three points; that much was for sure.
Lukas had a similar reaction in the stands, slumping back momentarily into his seat, relief washing over him. He was surprised to find that watching the match was actually more exhausting than playing in it; at least that’s how he felt at the moment. But soon enough he was standing up and hugging Daniela, getting excited again due to the girls and their energy. He looked down on the field, smiling as he watched Bastian walking back from the Stuttgart end, one arm around Chris’ shoulders, while he was using the other one to wildly gesticulate about something. Lukas grinned, though in his heart he felt that former little pang of jealousy. He so badly wanted to be back out there now. Especially with the end of the season looming. He probably wouldn’t be able to play again until the following season and that had him rather depressed. He wanted to play again now.
His friends joined the rest of the Bayern squad, standing together on the field, hands held tightly and arms raised to the fans. That’s all Lukas was today and it was still stinging. But he knew he needed to push those thoughts out of his head. He was getting back into training now, things were going well. He couldn’t afford to get upset over missing out on being out there. It wouldn’t do any good, after all.
After the team finished posing for the camera Bastian slipped away from them, that post-win relief lifting enough for him to remember that someone very important was missing from the celebration, and without him there, Bastian didn’t feel much like celebrating. So he made his way over to the stairs that led to the seats directly above the bank, smiling when he looked up and saw Lukas standing there watching him. He took the steps quickly and within seconds his arms were flung around Lukas and the urge to kiss him then and there was so damn strong and Bastian was barely able to keep himself from doing it. It was only by looking over Lukas’ shoulder and seeing the three girls that Bastian was reminded that he needed to be careful. After all, he wasn’t sure if Katya knew or not.
He leaned back against the railing, one arm around Lukas, who was quite happily reciprocating the gesture. The girls commented on the game and Katya scolded Bastian for making their blood pressure rise at the last minute. Bastian grinned and apologized on behalf of his teammates for the struggle.
While the conversation ensued Lena had her eyes firmly on the guys, noticing the way they were being so obviously affectionate with each other. While it was something she herself found adorable, she was a little worried about how the rest of the world might take it. Especially since Daniela and Bastian were still going to make the pretence of being together, Lena couldn’t help but feel like the boys were being a bit too obvious. So it was up to her to subtly remind them of that.
Lena looked at Lukas, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Lulu, you’re so rude.”
Lukas was startled by the comment, looking at Lena with a shocked expression. “Excuse me?”
Lena grinned at him. “You’re monopolizing Bastian! You’d think the man might want to kiss his girlfriend or something?” Her eyes quickly shot back and forth between them, conveying her real intent.
Luckily for them all Daniela caught on. “Oh god no are you kidding? He can stay over there with Lukas; he’s too sweaty to touch me right now.” Daniela grinned at Lena, winking at her before looking back at Bastian and Lukas.
Though he really didn’t want to move away from Lukas, Bastian knew that Lena was right. Not just because Katya was there, either; there were cameras everywhere. So he removed his arm from around Lukas and reached out for Daniela, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward him while she squealed playfully and tried to pull away. In the end she ended up in his arms and he kissed her neck and they both laughed after she complained about having another shirt ruined.
While they kept Katya occupied laughing about the situation, Lena slipped next to Lukas and put her arm around his waist. “Sorry I had to break that up; you guys were giving each other the googly eyes.” She winked at him after whispering the comment into his ear.
Lukas smiled and thanked her. Had they really been that bad? Maybe not, at least he hoped. But Lena did know, so she might have seen more than anyone else would have and decided to err on the side of caution. Regardless, it was probably good that she had made the comment. It had been an easy way for them to be reminded about what they were doing without making it too obvious. It still hurt, though, to be reminded that no matter how wonderful and happy something as simple as a kiss could be for them, it was strictly off limits in public. Was he going to be able to hide this for long? Lukas wasn’t so sure. As things got progressively stronger between himself and Bastian, it was likely only going to be harder to keep themselves from slipping up in public.
But for now he was just going to not think about that and be grateful that Lena was watching out for them. He looked over at Katya, who was laughing at something Bastian had just told her. When she looked at him he motioned for her to come with him. “Let’s go see what we can do about Timo, then. I can’t promise anything since they lost, but he is a nice guy, so you might be in luck.”
Katya bounded over to Lukas, linking her arm through his and following him down to the field. She pressed herself closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thanks, you’re the best!”
Lukas smiled and the five of them made their way down underneath the stands, searching for Lukas and Bastian’s national teammate. Lukas couldn’t help but be reminded of the fact that right now he had to walk along with Katya on his arm, Bastian behind him with Daniela at his side, when all either of them wanted was just to walk beside each other and share a little kiss. But that would be put off for a while. As long as they were in public they were only best friends, and best friends don’t kiss the way they kiss.