Chapter Text
When Kevin and Manuel meet on the airport to board the plane to Brazil, Manuel knows that everyone (including himself) is expecting some kind of epic rivalry showdown.
Shkodran actually whips out his phone and starts recording as soon as Kevin walks through the door – as if they are going to re-enact Fight Club in the middle of the hall.
Manuel had promised to hold back with insults but Jogi doesn’t really get this whole thing they’ve got going on.
Frenemies, vague emphasis on enemies perhaps, but it’s definitely all fine, alright? It’s Kevin’s fault that he’s so dumb and easy to insult and that he plays for Borussia Dortmund.
Long story short, Manuel loves to hate Kevin and hates to love- uhm, whatever.
Their quarrelling is an important part of who they are so Manuel opens his mouth as soon as he sees Kevin.
Didn’t you find a kebab shop on the way here or why are you on time, Großkreutz? he wants to say but he doesn’t even get past the “didn’t” when Kevin walks up to him and. Okay. What?
Kevin hugs him.
Kevin hugs him?
It’s not even one of those bro-type hugs, it’s a full-on good-to-see-you-again-brother hug and for a second, Manuel wonders whether this is some practical joke.
He closes his mouth, opens it again and closes it again. He looks like a struggling fish on land and doesn’t know where to put his hands although Kevin is apparently quite happy with his on Manuel’s back.
Everyone is staring at them; even Basti and Lukas stop their elaborate game of gay chicken (that had transcended all rules of manly relationships during the years) to eye Manuel and Kevin.
Manuel awkwardly pats Kevin’s back and moves out of the embrace.
“Good to, uhm, good to see you again?” he says with a voice that you could describe as steady if you looked for the broadest definition in some illiterate corner of the Internet.
Kevin smiles at him like they’re goddamn BFFs or whatever before it turns into a sly grin and he laughs.
“All the other goalies sick or why are they taking you?”
Manuel feels himself loosen up again although he didn’t even know he had held his breath. It’s like the insult breaks the spell that had somehow turned Kevin into a remotely normal, nice human being who one could get along with.
“Fuck off!" he manages to say and okay, so he isn’t going to be nominated for Greatest Comeback 2k14 but he also didn’t even mention kebab once so he figured he might deserve the medal for Greatest Restraint 2k14 and decides to ask Jogi about that later.
Kevin walks off with his suitcase to talk to Mats and leaves Manuel wondering what the hell just happened.
It’s a pretty popular question among the group of guys standing close to him, as it turns out.
“What the hell just happened?”, Basti asks and if he had been a little more confused, a literal question mark would have appeared above his head.
“Whatever it was,” Shkodran grins and waves with his phone, “I’ve got it all in perfect quality and I’m selling to the highest bidder.”
They laugh and synchronously enter a joke competition about Manu and Kevin. The winner (Thomas for explaining the striking parallel between them and the last fighting couple on Goodbye Deutschland) is crowned just as their flight is announced ready for boarding and Manuel decides that they can all screw themselves and takes the seat next to Mesut on the plane.
Mesut looks up from the travel guide he is reading and whines for what feels like a whole minute because now Sami has to sit behind him but Manuel is not going to give up this perfect, quiet, five-rows-away-from-Kevin seat.
The whining stops when Mesut and Sami discover that they can still share headphones across one row.
Manuel swears he can hear Atemlos playing lowly from the headphones but figures he must be imagining it.
He doesn’t feel entirely in balance yet again after Kevin’s totally heinous hug attack at the airport. After an hour or something, Manuel cranes his neck to try and get a glance at that douche behind him but surprisingly, Kevin is not spending his time knitting Anti-Manuel scarves for the entire team but seems to be reading a magazine.
Of course, Manuel can see right through this act of innocence and decides to create a fake fan-account on instagram to spite-follow Kevin.
He pulls up the website on his phone when he feels a nudge in his shoulder.
“You know you’re kind of obsessed with him?” Mesut whispers, his headphones still connecting him to Sami.
“Why are you whispering?” Manuel asks instead of replying because no way in hell is he going to give Mesut any kind of satisfaction about this.
Mesut answers by pointing out the sleeping players around them.
Some of them are still awake, Thomas for example is drawing moustaches on the security instructions of the plane, with his legs propped up against the seat in front of him in a way that has to be uncomfortable.
Most of the guys are sleeping though. Lukas is drooling on Basti’s shoulder who in turn is drooling on Lukas’ head and it’s disgustingly cute.
Mario is using something that looks suspiciously like a jersey with the number 21 on it as a pillow. Sami has been lulled to sleep by the pop-tunes on their ipod.
Manuel feels another nudge in his shoulder and he curses Mesut for being so damn persistent.
“I’ve known Kevin for a long time, alright? We’re just... rivals. But I don’t hate him – or like him! It’s all for show on the pitch.”
Manuel doesn’t even believe himself when he says that while closing the instagram tab on his phone.
Mesut raises an eyebrow and still doesn’t let it go.
Maybe choosing the seat next to the most attentive person on the team wasn’t the greatest idea when Manuel himself wasn’t even sure why he was so set on avoiding Kevin when Kevin himself seemed set on trying to be nice.
But Manuel never said he was smart so you can go and write your snide remarks on a piece of paper, tear it in pieces and shove it down your throat, okay?
Mesut pulls a face that might be described as “I am talking to you right now instead of reading this informative book about Brazil so you better be grateful that I’m wasting my time on you without charging my usual fee for life advice”.
Well, maybe Mesut is just putting on a small smile but Manuel can totally see right through that, better believe it.
“Whatever it is, you should try to get on with him during this whole thing even if it’s just for the team. He’s actually an okay guy.” Mesut says , shrugs and turns around to the window and closes his eyes.
Conversation concluded apparently. Whatever.
Manuel decides that he needs a new friend because Mesut is way too reasonable. He opens instagram again, after making sure that his seatmate wasn’t looking anymore and risks a glance into Kevin’s direction five rows behind him.
Kevin looks up at the same moment and sends back a short but honest smile before returning to his magazine.
Manuel concludes that this World Cup is going to be the weirdest event that ever happened to him and tries to sleep for the rest of the flight because what the fuck, maybe everything will be back to normal when he wakes up.
It isn’t and apparently, “five rows away” is not the distance that God (or Jogi or whoever is screwing this up right now) wants Manuel to have from Kevin during their stay in Brazil.
They are going to share a house. A room even. Thanks. Awesome planning. Team spirit and shit.
If Kevin snores, he can get ready to sleep outside, Manuel angrily thinks to himself. Team spirit can go die in a ditch if it means that Kevin will act all weird and hug him and insult him right after.
However, Kevin doesn’t snore. Kevin also doesn’t block the bathroom for too long in the morning. Kevin is tidy enough, gets up to get the remote when the team watches tv together, knows a couple of good jokes that don’t involve Schalke.
Kevin does insult Manuel sometimes but it’s in a familiar kind of way, in the way that Mats calls Benni a dick when he steals his sun glasses.
Manuel throws insults right back but his heart isn’t in it like it used to be and when he calls Kevin slow now, it’s with a smile and a playful punch at his shoulder. This play-nice thing is contagious.
Kevin generally is a cool guy to room with and to train with and to play poker with and to hang around.
Kevin, Manuel decides, is a piece of shit for making himself so likeable, and he complains to Miro about it when they’re working through the warm-ups together.
“This has to be some kind of plan, right? To make me like him and then he’s going to – he’s going to – okay, I don’t know what he’s going to do but it’ll be horrible.”
Miro just shakes his head and sighs like Manuel didn’t just explain an n-tv-worthy conspiracy theory to him.
“For all I know, he’s going to throw kebab at – Miro, are you even listening? Grandpa?” Manuel tries again and has to cry out when Miro pushes against his leg too much and over-stretches it painfully for a second. That traitor.
“Call me grandpa again when you’ve scored as many goals as I have.”
Manuel pulls a face and Miro mimics him mockingly.
During the rest of this session, the team gets paired up and has to pass through different training stations. And, because the universe hates him, Manuel has to pair up with Kevin. They glare at each other for three seconds, then Kevin jabs his elbow into Manuel’s side and cheerfully says, “Loosen up, Manu”.
Manuel looks at Kevin making an actual effort to be his friend and brings himself to return the favour. The two of them start working out together and they even start doing small-talk about movies and songs and all that normal stuff.
Manuel thinks that maybe, yes, they had been childish and that they actually didn’t know each other very well and wow, Kevin liked Philipp Poisel, too? The others had always made fun of him for that guilty pleasure.
Not that they’re BFFs now. More like BTSGTKEOASHEO. Which translates to Best Team-Mates Slowly Getting To Know Each Other And Stop Hating Each Other. Obviously. Manuel puts this one on his list of things he wants to get a registered trademark for.
After the training, Mesut gives Manuel the thumbs up in the changing room and it’s probably related to Kevin but Manuel just returns the gesture without thinking about it too long.
Kevin and Manuel gradually start doing more and more things together and somehow, Manuel doesn’t even really notice until Philipp mentions it one day.
Jerome tells them about some great beach bar and Mats, Benni, Kevin and Manuel all decide to go along with him.
Manuel doesn’t have his swimming shorts with him and runs to get them while the others are waiting for him and he has to pass by Philipp sitting in a garden swing, reading a book.
The first time Manuel runs by him, Philipp just smiles and does a little wave but when Manuel is on his way back from his house, Philipp speaks up, just as he is walking past him.
“If I didn’t know that you’re supposed to be the worst rivals, I’d say you actually seem to... get on pretty well with each other.” Philipp says without looking up from his book.
The statement seems innocent enough but there’s some undertone that Manuel can’t decipher.
He knits his brows and asks, “Who are talking about it?” although he knows but what is he supposed to answer? Yes, actually Kevin and I are looking to elope? Can you hire a pastor?
“Kevin.” Philipp replies calmly and turns a page. “You’re... friends, right?”
Why the fucking pause? Why the fuck does everyone here suddenly want to life-coach Manuel about Kevin?
“Yeah, sure.” Manuel says and is surprised by how easy that answer was. Yeah, they’re friends. Somehow. Wow.
Philipp nods like he knows something that Manuel doesn’t. He rubs his upper arm where the captain’s armband stays when they’re on the pitch.
“It’s nice that you’re able to show that in front of the team. No need to play up the old rivalry and everything.”
Philipp turns another page but he definitely isn’t reading the book anymore.
Manuel doesn’t get what Philipp is trying to say so he just hums affirmatively and wants to leave already when Philipp continues.
“We’re all going to be supportive, you know? I always had that feeling that you guys where just doing the fights for the media. It must be hard, that kind of relationship across different clubs. So, whatever, basically I’m saying be yourself here. With him. It’s okay.”
Philipp looks at him all supportive and like he’s talking to his son and Manuel feels like he forgot to get on the right train.
Eyes wide, he asks, “What the hell?” because what the hell???
Manuel replays the conversation inside his head to the point where Philipp says ‘that kind of relationship’ with a secretive undertone.
Then he rewinds to what Mesut said on the plane about him seeming obsessed or whatever. Thinks about Kevin and himself hanging out together. Not unusually often but unusual for two guys who used to call each other the worst footballer on the planet, if not the universe.
Looks at Philipp who does the absolute best as a captain for the team and tries to be accepting of everybody and makes sure no one’s sidelined and-
Oh.
Oh.
Shit.
“It’s not- Kevin and I- We’re not – Together! Dating! We’re not – we’re not, uhm, doing that. At all. We’re friends.” Manuel says in a rush, shaking a little and if he didn’t know better, he’d say Philipp actually looks a bit disappointed.
“Oh. Right. Don’t take it this the wrong way then. Just doing the best for the team.” is the only thing Philipp says after that and returns to his book like nothing happened.
Just doing the best for the team, Manuel thinks and feels weirdly hot under his skin.
He turns around to where he can see Kevin, Mats, Benni and Jerome waiting for him across the yard. Mats has one arm around Benni’s shoulders and is gesticulating wildy.
Whatever he’s saying, it seems to be funny because everyone is laughing and shaking their heads, including Kevin.
Manuel sees Kevin’s smile and has to think of shitty fucking rainbows and god-awful puppies and wonders when the fuck that happened because he certainly missed the Big Gay Memo on since when Kevin is supposed to be attractive.
Damn Philipp planting things into his mind. Must be the heat.
Manuel shakes his head to get rid of all those thoughts and jogs over to his friends, trying to forget this new gay revelation.
Not that the gay revelation in itself was new. But the one about Kevin definitely was.
Well, not that there was anything about Kevin. They were just friends. It only seemed weird because they were rivals before and they’re okay-ish friends now, right?
Nobody says anything about Mats and Benni touching each other all the time, Manuel starts to think but doesn’t reach any conclusion because exactly those two guys decide to attack him and drop him into the water when they reach the beach.
Best to ignore all this and it will all go away.
Yeah, right, he was in love with Kevin, Manuel repeats mockingly in his head. And he was the Queen of England. And Germany’s going to win the Cup in a stride. Sure.
Philipp probably just got confused from reading those harlequin romance novels. Totally.