Chapter Text
They were in the Finals. It seemed so unreal they could barely believe it. Of course they had been training extremely hard for the World Cup, but still, they didn't expect to get this far. However, there was no time to celebrate. The big game was on the next day and they needed to rest. Obviously, no one could sleep peacefully before such an important event.
Thomas was lying on the bed, awake, in his jeans and a simple black T-shirt, not bothering to change into his boxers. He'd been awake for hours now, staring at the ceiling while listening to music on his iPod. His roommate, Mats Hummels, was snoring loudly across the room.
Thomas was pleasantly excited and equally nervous about the upcoming game. He couldn't wipe his stupid grin off of his face. His dream was coming true. If they won against the Argentine National Team tomorrow, he thought he would be happy forever.
Of course, it wouldn't mean to give up football – that would never happen. It was his life and he had no idea what he would do without it. Maybe become a coach when he got too old to play but right now, he didn't want to think about it. All that mattered was the Final. And if the outcome depended on him, they would definitely win.
~
The crowd was practically roaring and Thomas felt adrenaline bursting through his veins, giving him pleasant goosebumps. Yeah, this was it. The moment he'd been living for. Hundreds of thousands of people staring at the screen from every corner of the earth, cheering for Germany. It was mind-blowing. He was determined not to let them down. He almost cried when the crowd sang the German national anthem with them.
~
Only ten minutes left and neither team had managed to score a single goal so far. You could touch the tension in the air. Thomas knew he couldn't let anxiety get the better of him. No one in the team had that luxury. They had to stay focused and calm, playing better and harder than before. They had to give their best performance ever.
Seven minutes left. The Argentines started to become desperate, their moves uncontrolled, their passes sloppier. It was their big chance. Erik managed to intercept the ball and started towards the net. Thomas was running with him simultaneously a good six meters away, waiting for a pass. He got it.
Sidestepping a defender, Thomas continued running, he was still too far from the net and couldn't risk giving the ball away. He could feel two Argentine players chasing him only a step behind. Another player was coming at him from across and he knew it was a now or never chance. He crossed the ball just before he collided with the other player with brutal force and he doubled over, flying helplessly in the air. He saw everything in slow-motion; the ball going straight into the net only missing the keeper's hand by a few inches, the fans jumping and screaming and his team shouting in triumph. Then the back of his head connected with the ground and everything went black.