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Football meant everything to Thomas, it was his job, his hobby, Bayern was his biggest love and his team was his second family. He enjoyed life as much as he could, everybody said he was talented, the future captain of the national team and Bayern, the bright future of the Bavarian club. All the fans loved him, said that his skills were incredible and that he was adorable, he was loved and he loved back. He loved every living creature, he was just happy to do what he loves and he didn’t try to hide his joy from anyone. He wanted to spread love and happiness, he had no enemies…well, at least he thought so…
Mario came to Bayern Munich, the biggest German club, and everybody said it was a big step. His last season in Stuttgart was extremely successful. He scored 24 goals and he was getting better and better, it was clear that bigger clubs would want to get him. He thought he was lucky when he got a call from his agent telling him that Bayern showed big interest in buying him. He secretly wished he would transfer to Bayern, because the Bavarians were the most successful club in Bundesliga, but also because Munich is beautiful city and it isn’t even that far from his previous home.
Mario was afraid a little, it was his first big transfer, fortunately, he knew few players from the national team, especially Bastian Schweinsteiger, they became friends when they played together at the European championship.
The former Stuttgart player felt great at the training ground. His new teammates were friendly and they made him feel at home. That’s where I belong, he thought.
-
He was about to score a goal when somebody tackled him hardly, Mario tasted the grass, landing on his face and the other player started laughing.
“I’m s-so sorry!” The young voice managed to say between small attacks of laughter. Mario looked up just to see Thomas Müller, the promising talent of German football. Mario didn’t get why was the boy laughing at him, he shook his head.
“I didn’t mean to.” Added Müller and offered him his hand to help him up. Mario refused and stood up himself instead, he didn’t forget to shoot Müller a not very friendly look, the kid didn’t stop laughing. He kept playing, but he couldn’t fully concentrate anymore, every time he and Müller crossed paths, the younger one held back laughter.
The coach allowed the player to rest a little and drink, Mario took his bottle and searched for Müller, he was chatting with Holger Badstuber and laughing, when he caught Mario staring, he beamed and winked at him. Mario furrowed eyebrows and looked away.
Too late, the hyperactive creature was already on his way to the new Bayern player.
“Hey! I’m Thomas! Sorry for that tackle, that was nasty of me.” Thomas snickered. “I had to test how fragile you are.” It was probably meant to be a joke, Mario sighed.
“Yes, I know who you are, and I assume you know who-” Mario objected, Thomas butted in.
“Yes, sure, Mario Gomez, the great striker, well, we will see.” Thomas winked again in his totally weird fashion, it looked more like if there was something wrong with his eye.
“Excuse me?” Mario asked, offended.
“Eh, nothing.” Thomas laughed, drinking more water from his bottle. “By the way, Mario, you have some grass on your face.” Thomas started laughing again, turned around on his heel and made his way back to Holger. Mario threw the blade on grass away from his forehead aggressively and watched Müller walk away, he was ready to kick his ass. Stupid kid.
The rest of the month was mostly the same, he was getting used to his new home, the trainings were better and better and the love for football in him grew even bigger, and Thomas Müller still found it very amusing to mock him in trainings.
The youngster was annoying, stupidly childish and too confident and cheeky. Mario really wanted to slap him but he knew he couldn’t, Müller was loved by everyone. He wondered if it was Müller becoming more annoying or just him becoming angrier. Possibly both…
-
Mario was chatting with Bastian when something hit his back. He didn’t even have to turn around to see who the attacker was.
“This guy is the reason God created middle finger, seriously.” Mario rolled his eyes.
“He just wants to be your friend, mate, it’s Thomas’ way of burning the walls. Don’t get him wrong.” Bastian chuckled.
“Nice, but I don’t want to be friends with that kid. He keeps annoying me.”
“I’ve noticed,” said Bastian with a smile “He apparently likes you.”
“But I don’t like him. I wish I could block people in real life.”
“Oh man, he just wants your attention, maybe if you stopped ignoring him, he would stop annoying you.”
“If I stopped ignoring him it would mean even more Müller in my life, no thanks’.”
There was another ball that hit his back, followed by laughter, Mario rolled his eyes and clenched his teeth.
“Just go, chase after him, slap him, kick his ass, Thomas will survive that, plus he would probably be relieved. He needs attention.” Bastian advised and Mario really turned around and started out, he chased the young Bavarian all over the training pitch, but Thomas was quicker, he laughed at him.
“You better run, you little bastard!” Mario cursed, Thomas just turned around and stuck his tongue out at him, and he was apparently enjoying himself.
Mario finally got him and tumbled him to the ground. It was Thomas who tasted the grass this time.
“Ew, Gomez, get off me.” Thomas laughed, pushing Mario away. “You should eat less, you almost squashed me,” Thomas mumbled.
“You should eat more,” Mario protested and got up. Thomas will hopefully leave him alone after this. The young Bavarian got up too and grinned at him.
“You have grass on your face.” Mario teased him.
“Where?” Thomas frowned, Mario shrugged.
“Can you get it off?” Thomas pleases.
“No.”
“Please,” Thomas begged, Mario rolled his eyes and tossed it off Thomas’ cheek. They younger one smiled. “Thanks’”
-
It was Bastian’s party and Mario was bored, all his teammates were chatting together, Arjen, Anatolij and Franck were playing FIFA, Franck was very laud and kept patting Arjen’s head. Basti laughs with Holger, and Thomas seems to be listening avidly to Miroslav, enjoying his beer.
Mario decided to join Basti and Holger.
“Hi, Mario, having fun?” Basti asked.
“Of course, just tasted your BBQ winks, they’re great,” Mario said.
“Oh, thank you, do you have enough beer? I will bring you some.” He smiled and walked alongside Mario to the kitchen, he took two cold beers from the fridge, opened them and hanged one to Mario.
“So, what about Thomas? Does he still annoy you?”
“Um, yeah.” Mario mumbled. Thomas spent the whole evening talking to Miroslav, he was probably too busy to annoy him.
It wasn’t like Mario monitored him the entire time…
Mario realized that with Thomas, annoying him all the time, he had no chance to feel bored. But now, when Thomas was busy with his polish friend, Mario felt alone, he didn’t get the attention he was used to.
When he came back to the living room, Thomas seemed to be currently very drunk, and climbing on annoyed Arjen from behind, Mario chuckled, Arjen tried to shake him off.
“Please, go annoy somebody else!” Arjen grumped and tried to push the Bavarian away. Thomas eventually left him alone and came back to Miroslav, but Miroslav had nothing to say and Thomas was unusually quiet too, he got up and walked to the toilet when he saw Mario, he grinned and changed his direction.
“Hi, Mario.” He grinned mischievously.
“What do you want, Müller?” Mario rolled his eyes, he recognized that smirk.
“Umm, I want to talk? Is that horrible? Why so mean?” Thomas frowned.
“I don’t know, maybe because when you usually show up, you want to throw something on me or, push me and just do something I wouldn’t like,” Mario answered.
“No, I just want to talk. I Promise, I won’t do anything.”
“I don’t believe you but whatever.”
“You seem like you don’t want to talk to me.”
“Well, I’m trying my best to hide it.” Mario rolled his eyes.
“Why are you always so mean?”
“I’m not mean, it’s just my self-defense, Müller.”
“Why are you nice to Basti and the other teammates, but you can’t act normal around me? Why do you keep pushing me away? What have I done to you? I…I just don’t get it.”
“Oh, you don’t get it? I act nice to Basti because he is nice to me too.”
“Am I not nice to you?”
“You keep annoying me, mocking me…ugh.”
“But I…I don’t mean it. I just want to be friends with you, I like you.”
“Okay, Thomas, I’d say it for the last time, you and I will never be friends! I don’t like you! I don’t want to be friends with you, okay?”
“But-” Thomas interrupted him.”
“Please, shut up your mouth for once in your life and listen to me! No offence, but you’re the most immature, annoying, cheeky person I know! Grow up, Thomas, and please don’t talk to me again! Thank you!” Mario hissed, Thomas looked at him with the most hurt and offended puppy look, turned around and walked away. Mario sighed, he shouldn’t have yelled at his teammate.
Suddenly, he realized everybody was watching him, Thomas slammed the door and left the room with the saddest expression.
“Oh shit,” remarked Franck.
“What did just happen?” Asked Bastian.
“Somebody got mad.” Chuckled Holger.
“Got what he deserved,” mumbled Arjen, still recovering from his shock after Thomas’ attack.
“I should probably go check if he is okay,” said Miroslav and walked off the room silently. The room was silent again, all eyes were on Mario, who pursed his lips and looked at the ground. He knew, he fucked up.
-
When Miroslav entered the kitchen, Thomas was sitting on one of the chairs, covering his face with his palms.
“Hey, Mülli? Are you okay?” Miroslav took a chair opposite Thomas and places both of his palms on his shoulders. “He didn’t mean it.”
“Yes, he did. He hates me, Miro.” Sobbed Thomas. “I wanted to be friends with him and he just pushed me away.”
“Hey, he doesn’t hate you.”
“Why can’t he act to me like he does to everybody else? Why can’t he like me?” Thomas put his hands down, Miroslav could finally see that there were tears in Thomas’ eyes. “What he said to me was rude, but it was true, I’m just an annoying pain in the arse.”
“You’re not. You just…you’re different, but in a good way. Mario will find our eventually.” Miroslav smiled at him.
“Please leave me alone now, Miro. I just want to think about things.”
“Okay.” Miro ruffled his hair and left the kitchen.
-
When Miro came back, he found Mario in very similar position like Thomas just a moment ago, he was sitting on the couch, covering his face with his palms. Basti and Philipp on each side, comforting him.
Only when he saw him walking away, he realized that he would never feel that at home at Bayern without Thomas, Thomas made him feel not alone, he didn’t mean to be rude, and he never did. It was probably just his way how to get close to people and everybody in the team understood it and accepted him apart from him. Thomas was honest and innocent and maybe, if Mario acted nice to him format the first place, they could’ve been friend by now. He knew that Thomas was nice, loyal to his friends and to his club.
Miroslav was sick of these youngsters and their problem, really.
“Mario, stand up, please.” Miro said calmly. Mario looked up at him confused, probably expecting Miro to slap him, he took little Thomas under his wings, it wouldn’t be that surprising, but that was just because Mario didn’t know how peaceful Miro was.
“Go to him!” Miro ordered and Mario didn’t dare to talk back. He got to his feet and walked to the kitchen. He opened the door slightly, he noticed Thomas was crying, it scared him and he backed off.
“What are you doing here?” Philipp asked when Mario nervously returned to the living room.
“He’s crying, what do I do?”
“Go comfort him.”
“How do I do that?”
“Start with hugs”
“With what?” Mario mumbled and Arjen rolled his eyes, there was a silence.
“Hug, verb, definition: squeeze (someone) tightly in one's arms, typically to express affection. Synonyms: embrace, cuddle, squeeze… according to google,” Arjen muttered and looked directly at Mario with pursed lips, “Now get your shit together and go hug him”. Mario looked at Miroslav doubtfully.
“Go, or I’d have to push you there,” Philipp said and Miro with Basti nodded, Mario sighed, he was really unsure, nevertheless, turned around and walked to the kitchen door slowly.
He fully opened the door this time and walked to Thomas carefully. He hesitated first, but when he saw the innocent hurt creature, he couldn’t help himself. Thomas didn’t even look up at him, so Mario just wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. Thomas was trembling a little, co he started rubbing his arms gently.
“I’m sorry, I overreacted,” Mario mumbled gently. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, I really regret it now, I wish you’d forgive me. It was a lie that I don’t want to be your friend, I’d love that…” Mario sighed, and he was telling the truth this time. Thomas looked up, he realized he was still hugging him, he let go and Thomas straightened up.
“Did you really just apologize?” Thomas looked at him with big eyes and raised eyebrows.
“Yes.” Mario pursed his lips.
“Then, I’m sorry too, for annoying you,” Thomas said sheepishly “But unfortunately, I can’t promise you that I’d stop doing that.” He giggled.
“I don’t want you to stop.” Mario chuckled. “But maybe, we could choose different way how to get to know each other,” He offered.
“That sounds good, little boring though”
“I wanted to say, that we could hang out, if you’d like to.” Mario smiled.
“Like a date?” Thomas winked.
“What?” Mario raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Thomas chuckled.
“However you want to you call it.” Mario rolled his eyes.
“Oh, admit you love me! You wouldn’t come to me if you didn’t!” Thomas teased.
“Well, I was very much convinced that I hate you just a half an hour ago so don’t get your hopes to high.”
-
BONUS
“I’ve never seen Thomas like this,” Bastian mumbled.
“Me neither, I’d say that our little Thomas has crush on Mario” Miro chuckled.
“No wonder, he is hot…” mumbled Franck.
“Oh, come on, he is just a boy, Mario is more like his idol.” Philipp rolled his eyes.
“I bet 10 euros that he has crush on him.”
“I’m in, old man! I bet 10 euros that he hasn’t!”
“Fine”
“Fine”