Chapter Text
Marco gets the call when he‘s cooking spaghetti. His hand is still wet from the tomato juices so he has a hard time reaching for his pocketed phone without ruining his shirt.
He looks at the screen but doesn’t recognize the flashing number so he only hesitantly takes the call.
“Marco Reus?”
A formal voice on the other end of the line answers.
“Mr Götze has been checked into our hospital. We’re obligated to inform all people listed as emergency contacts as we’re handling a somewhat considerable injury here. He’s in a stable condition but still unconscious.”
For a moment, it’s like the world runs in slow-motion – then everything comes crashing down on Marco again and he drops the phone on the kitchen floor.
His hands are almost shaking when he tries to pick it up again but it’s slippery and it takes a couple of seconds before he can breathe “What?” as a reply. Because, no, this shouldn’t be happening right now.
“Mr Götze has been check-“ the voice starts again, horribly calm and slow like a news presenter, but Marco interrupts.
“Yes! I heard!”, he shouts and somehow, despite the cold sweat running down his back, he manages to ask for an address that he writes down in an illegible scrawl.
There’s one thought running through his mind when he hurries to get to his car and punches the address into the GPS and it’s I hope Mario’s okay I hope he’s okay I hope he’s okay.
Marco clenches the steering wheel and only when the tomato juice starts running down his arms into his shirt sleeves, he remembers the spaghetti that must still be simmering away on its own.
There’s no time to turn around so he grabs his phone and presses speed-dial.
“Hey, Mats, can you – I think I forgot – shit, my stove is still on, can you go turn it off? I don’t want my house to burn down.” Marco says with a shaky voice.
Mats needs a couple of seconds before he answers, “Uh,yeah, sure – are you okay, Marco? Wait, are you in the car?”
It’s scary that Marco has to take a look around himself to make sure that he, indeed, is in a car.
“Yes, I – look, I can’t really talk right now, they called me, Mario’s in the hospital, it has to be on the news already, I’m driving there right now and – and – shit, I’m so scared!”
Marco can hear Mats suck in his breath, then footsteps followed by the tinny background noise of a tv.
“It’s on the news,” Mats confirms, “they only have some blurry shots but they say Mario’s okay, only out of it.”
“I don’t think being unconscious for the time it takes journalists to turn an accident into a shitty news story qualifies as being strictly ‘okay’ in medical terms.” Marco laughs dryly.
Mats clears his throat and Marco can hear him swallow over the phone.
“Okay, I’m on my way to your house. Call me back when you have news about Mario.”
Marco says goodbye and ends the call, his heart still pounding.
It feels like he’s already been driving for hours already, like the roads are longer than they used to be, like all the other drivers are faster.
But at some point Marco arrives at the hospital and rushes into the building. Of course there are reporters trying to shove microphones into his face because decency is an alien concept to journalists but Marco shoves right back and pushes through the crowd.
A nurse recognizes him and leads him through a side corridor and when they turn around the corner, Marco is greeted by the unsettled faces of a flock of Bayern players. The guys are wearing grass-stained jerseys and Marco hazily remembers that they had a match today.
“Where is he?” Marco asks, louder than intended, and everybody gestures towards the door behind them like they’re doing synchronized swimming and not football. They are eyeing him like he’s a suspect in a murder investigation.
Robert slowly steps forward and puts his hand on Marco’s back. His voice sounds weirdly cautious when he says, “Mario is. Fine. He, uh, woke up.”
A wave of relief washes over him and Marco almost answers something but he’s still too strung-up to deal with this shit. He pushes someone who might be Basti out of the way and bursts into the hospital room.
Mario is sitting up on a bed, looking healthy if a little pale except for the bruise on one cheek. He’s watching something on the tv and when Marco follows his gaze, he can see the replay of Mario’s injury from the match on the news – another player jumps, crashes into him elbow first and Mario goes down like timber.
“Marco!” Mario calls when he sees him and his face instantly lights up. He reaches out for Marco’s hand and pulls him closer which is vaguely strange already but then he doesn’t take his hand away again so Mario and Marco end up holding hands over the hospital bed which is greatly strange.
“I got hit during our match and I must have fainted right there but I can’t remember a thing about it. But the doctor said I’m fine now – and I’m feeling fine. Apparently they had to call all my emergency contacts so I’m sorry if you were too worried.” Mario says and his thumb is starting to soothingly stroke the back of Marco’s hand. It sends a shiver down Marco’s spine and he has to chastise himself not to think the wrong things.
“You’ve set me as your emergency contact?” Marco asks because that’s something he can concentrate on right now.
Mario shrugs and nods. “Sure. I mean you’re my boyfriend so...”
He doesn’t finish the sentence but he doesn’t have to because Marco has already fallen over and nearly hit his head on the bed rail.
“Oh, you okay, babe?” Mario asks with genuine worry because apparently he’s dead-set on pulling this joke off.
Marco looks around to figure out where the hidden cameras are and at what point Thomas is going to jump out of a cupboard but nothing happens.
“Are you okay?” Mario asks again but more amused this time and definitely more with his hand rubbing Marco’s sweaty neck. That’s not brotherly anymore.
“Uh, yeah, totally, I’m fine, I’m the finest, I’m okay, I just have to go... do something.” Marco flees out of the room and leans against the closed door in the corridor, thoughts racing through his head.
Robert and Philipp and an elderly doctor turn to look at him, the others aren’t there anymore.
“Boyfriend?” Marco asks in an accusatory voice and it’s like the magic word that makes them look at the floor awkwardly, “Is this some joke? You let me drive here to see my dumb face when Mario calls me his boyfriend? I get it, it’s super funny since we’re so close. I’m laughing.” Marco isn’t.
Philipp sighs. “I don’t think it’s a joke,” he says slowly and shares a look with the doctor, “he’s been calling for you – his boyfriend ever since he woke up.” There’s a pause before he continues. “I mean, you’re not – ?”
Philipp vaguely gestures and Marco deciphers it to mean ‘actually together’. Ha, he wishes.
Marco’s frown must have been answer enough because Philipp nods. “Sorry, I had to ask.”
The doctor clears her throat. “Mr Reus, I know this might be hard for you to handle. What we’re looking at is that Mr Götze suffered a substantial blow to his head. It’s not uncommon for patients to have trouble remembering things or mixing up reality. It will get better by itself eventually and there’s not much we can do right now except – try not to disturb him.”
Judging from the way Philipp is kneading his hands, Marco can already see his way to hell getting a clean new pavement.
“By ‘not disturbing’, I mean, in layman’s terms, playing along. Act as his boyfriend. For now. I can’t see this lasting longer than three days, maybe it’ll just take a good night’s sleep.”
Marco’s head is spinning and he vaguely considers asking the doctor for her medical license to make these kinds of claims.
“I can’t-“ Marco starts but doesn’t continue because he’s afraid of just how much he can.
Robert softly claps him on the back. “It’s just for a short time." he offers and tries to give a sympathetic smile. He fails and just looks like he always does, somewhat evil.
Everybody just seems to accept that Marco is going to have to take one for the team here although he never actually agreed to this – and it all goes way too fast after that.
Marco has to sign some consent paper, they push a bag with medicine for Mario into his hands and ten minutes later, the two of them are sitting in Marco’s car, holding hands again.
“I love you, babe.” Mario says and it should be a symphony in Marco’s ears but all it does, is leave a bitter taste in his mouth. Mario doesn’t even know what he’s talking about.
“I know.” Marco answers like the asshole he is and has a hard time not cringing.
“’I know’? What is this, Star Wars? I get hit and I don’t get an ‘I love you’? Come on, we haven’t seen each other face to face for two weeks.”
Mario laughs and Marco forces a smile, too, because joking around makes this much easier.
“This isn’t the declaration of love you’re looking for.” Marco answers and is grateful when Mario playfully punches him in the shoulder because seemingly the romantic relationship Mario plucked out of the air for them is not that far from their actual relationship.
This insight should probably make Marco wonder but he hasn’t earned the black belt in denial for nothing so he carefully pushes Mario’s hand away that had crept up on his thigh.
“I’ve got to call Mats before we can leave. I promised to tell him as soon as I know you’re okay.”
Even though you’re not, Marco adds in his mind and gets out of the car to be able to talk without Mario listening in.
Mats answers after the first ring but Marco doesn’t care to give him the chance to say hello.
“Mario is fine except for the fact that I’m now his boyfriend.” Marco says and on the other end of the line, Mats chokes.
It sounds like something drops to the floor and Mats yells ‘damn’ before incredulously adding ‘Congrats?’ at Marco.
Marco sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “I mean, Mario apparently was hit so hard he was sent into a parallel universe where we’re dating which would be nice except for the fact that he doesn’t know what he’s fucking doing and I just feel like a creep.”
Mats starts replying but Marco isn’t done yet.
“No, you don’t understand – he thinks we’re dating and I’m not allowed to tell him we’re not because the ‘emotional distress’ would be too much to handle right now or whatever!” and Marco recounts everything that happened in the hospital.
For a second there’s silence, then Mats laughs for a minute straight. Marco times it.
“Holy shit, Marco, I don’t even know what to- Okay, I mean, focus on the good things about this.”
“What could ever be good about this?” Marco asks and kicks the back wheel of the car. Surprisingly, nothing happens except for the fact that his foot kind of hurts now.
“You got yourself a boyfriend. I didn’t think that was ever going to happen. With your crush on Mario that can be seen from outer freaking space and everything.” Marco can almost hear Mats’ smug smirk over the phone.
“Haha. I’m fucked.”
“Hang on, I thought you two were going to take it slow.”
Marco kicks the wheel again but Thomas still doesn’t jump out to tell him he’s been punked.
“You know what I mean. Fuck you.”
“I thought we were going to take it slow, pumpkin.”
“Okay, go fuck yourself then. Or go fuck Kevin for all I care.”
Mats mockingly sucks in air like he’s majorly offended. “Wow, that’s harsh.”
Marco sticks out his tongue even though Mats can’t see him and ends the call. He takes a deep breath and returns to Mario who is still sitting in the passenger seat with an honest smile on his face.
Mario looks at him like he’s a live-giving sun and all Marco can think is how truly, utterly and god-forsakenly doomed he is.