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Happy.
Marcel was quiet.
He didn't exactly not talk but it was almost as if his words were limited as a result of his anxiety. This had been going on for longer than Marcel could remember, but growing up, people weren't the kindest to Marcel and would make fun of his voice and how he spoke along with his stutter. As a result of the bullying, he just stopped talking at school which then reflected at home as well however his parents also weren't the best and never cared for Marcel the way parents should care for their child, so he was silent at school and at home. Finally, as a whole, he just stopped talking and only spoke when he really needed to, but they usually only consisted of one-word sentences.
Marcel became lonely and felt the need to take up a hobby. He enjoyed reading very much and still does it to this day but it wouldn't allow him to meet new people. Music was like a best friend to him, so the thought of joining a band excited him very much, he knew how to play the drums but being such an important part of a band would mean he'd have to talk. The last thing he could think of was football. Marcel enjoyed watching the sport a bunch and knew he liked it, but he'd never tried playing it before.
He applied for his school's football team with his legs trembling with fear and his nails being abused by his teeth as he ripped into them. Marcel worried greatly that his inability to talk would affect his playing, however, his coach was the most understanding person in the world and worked around Marcel's blockade. His coach informed the rest of the team about Marcel joining the team and also how to help with his selective mutism, of course, they had questions about him and his coach respectfully answered them for Marcel
Marcel was quickly taken into the team and finally felt like he was wanted, especially when he scored the goal that secured them the first trophy that their school had won in years
People had a tendency to think just because Marcel didn't talk, it meant he was an introvert. But in reality, he was an outgoing person who enjoyed meeting new people, going to parties and more specifically meeting up with guys to hook up with
His life wasn't easy, as people would not want to get to know Marcel because of the lack of communication and unfortunately, this meant he was often turned down footballing opportunities as coaches or players didn't want to accommodate Marcel. Thankfully, RB Leipzig was willing to help Marcel and after 8 amazing years at the club, his loyalty now lay in his boyhood club, Bayern Munchen, who alas did not help Marcel at all making his time there just as horrible as the time he stopped talking. Those years were the quietest years for him until a ray of light entered his life.
A short-term loan at Manchester United
It was all quickly done and the next thing he knew he was being announced as Manchester United's replacement for Christian Eriksen, and he somewhat felt at home
Erik was incredibly adjusting to Marcel. Introducing him to everyone quickly, and in no time he had made friends Marcel was sure he was going to have for a long time. Luckily, because of this, they didn't infantilise him the way other people did. Just because he lacked in speech it didn't mean he was a literal baby, so when his teammates actually treated him as a teammate. It was a breath of fresh air
"Marcel!" Bruno's heavily Portuguese accent called for his attention at training "What the fuck! Pass it next time!"
Marcel scowled at Bruno "Shut up!"
"Do you want the goal all to yourself or something?" His body began to approach Marcel at a fast rate, the calls of other teammates telling him to calm down
"Fuck off you twat" Marcel stormed off from Bruno's intoxicating energy was beginning to suffocate him to make his way to Wout
"Now you're storming off?" Bruno's voice just got louder as Victor told him to knock it off
Marcel spun on his heel to meet Bruno's eyes so he could stand up for himself with a resentful look overlaying his face, but his mouth just opened with no words leaving it. Wout placed a reassuring hand on the smaller man's shoulder as encouragement but still, he was silent. Bruno's smug face slowly plunged into one of embarrassment and sorrow as he realised Marcel wasn't able to say what he wanted to say at that moment
"Shit I'm sorry" Bruno took a step forward to comfort Marcel as he had obviously stressed him out but he backed up into Wout who was practically hugging him from behind now
Marcel finally got a sound out which gave him the courage to finish what he wished to say to Bruno
"Fuck you" His voice sounded spiteful but ended up making the rest of the team, other than Bruno, laugh as they all surprised him. Victor ended up laughing so hard that Harry had to physically hold Victor up while also laughing himself making it harder for him to hold Victor's weight
This was a moment Marcel weirdly treasured. He silenced Bruno for once. He had made the whole team erupt into laughter. It was the moment that made Harry and Victor accept the fact that just maybe they did like one another. But more importantly, Wout was holding him.
Wout and Marcel knew each other a little bit before, they had exchanged words when their previous Bundesliga teams would play. They had got to know each other a little bit before they moved to Manchester United, and Marcel would be lying if he said he didn't find Wout attractive so when Wout holding him by the waist at training as he giggled at Marcel's comment was one of the first things they did to show that they liked each other. Wout never brought up what he did until Marcel asked him out for dinner where he asked if this was a date which led to them having sex in Wout's house on literally every piece of furniture. Wout and Marcel wanted to tell their teammates about them but were never too sure how to answer the questions people may have for them so they kept everything to themselves the best they could however as time went on, people got suspicious
"Who'd you hook up with last night?" Victor's intrigued voice filled Marcel's ears as they sat on the bench in the training room, tying their shoelaces up
"No one!" Marcel whipped his head at Victor as he defended himself against the allegation. He and Wout did not sleep together that night, just kissing, blowjobs and grinding on one another
"Your neck says otherwise..." Victor raised his eyebrow as he tied up his other shoe
Marcel slapped a hand to his neck, reminding himself of the night he endured with Wout and how he told Wout not to go too heavy on the neck but of course he did not listen and now he was having this conversation with Victor
"Really?!" Marcel ran to a mirror before deciding to get a scarf to cover his neck instead. Manchester wasn't infamous for its heat at the beginning of the year so luckily he got away with it this time, not without Wout getting a stern telling-off once they got to Marcel's home, where they once again almost got caught
"Hello" Wout answered out of breath at the sudden Facetime that was coming from Licha
"Hey- woah!" Licha interrupted his own sentence at the sight of Wout. His hair was in a total mess. Why? Just a mere 15 seconds ago, Marcel was riding Wout like there was no tomorrow as he ran his hand through Wout's blonde hair, tugging and pulling on it as he stammered out that he was getting close
"What?" Wout replied cluelessly. He knew precisely why Licha was surprised, literally, everyone would know
"I haven't interrupted you fucking someone right?" Licha chuckled out as a joke but he was right. Wout laughed along as if Marcel wasn't next to him, out of shot, completely naked, his long curly brown his resting on his forehead and down to his shoulder as his eyes shined in the dim light.
"No of course not!" Wout laughed nervously, sliding his unoccupied hand under the sheets and resting it on Marcel's bare thigh, he tensed up at the touch
"If you insist..." Licha started before continuing, eyebrow still raised "I can't get a hold of Harry and Vic right now-"
Marcel let out a little giggle but it was loud enough for Licha to pick up, his face dropped and he immediately commented on Marcel's slip-up
"Was that Marcel?" Licha's face morphed into one of a mischievous smile
"No" Wout replied quickly, tightening his grip on Marcel's thigh to silence him as if he didn't already have his own hand glued to his mouth
"Really?" Licha tried again, his laugh becoming more prominent that he knew exactly what was going on
"I'm very sure" Wout's face was turning a shade of red from embarrassment, he was almost happy that they decided to only keep one lamp on in Marcel's room
Licha stayed quiet for a second before speaking again "Okay I don't believe you for one second so I'm going to ask someone else to try and get a hold of Vic and Harry" Wout tried professing his innocence but Licha didn't let him speak "Bye Marcel! Have fun!"
Marcel wanted to respond to Licha but decided against it and then the next thing he heard was the sound of the Facetime ending and Wout's rambling coming to an end. The room was quiet, wondering if they dress themself and Marcel drives Wout home, or if they finish what they started. Marcel wanted to continue but the image of Licha in the back of his mind, made his dick go soft and Wout noticed that and only said
"Cockblocker"
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
It was the 26th of February. The Carabao Cup final.
Everyone was sitting in the changing rooms, completely silent, no music today, and the atmosphere was tense. No one wanted to speak. Marcel wanted to help bring the mood up but the anxiety rushing through his body caused a blockade to form in his throat stopping the words from leaving. He wanted to let the team know that they had gotten to the final for a reason and that they could win this game because they had the passion to win it. Finally, the time rolled around to get out onto the pitch, Marcel was unfortunately not starting but Wout was so when they walked out of the tunnel as a team, Marcel walked with Wout and before he walked onto the pitch he tapped Wout's arm to get his attention before signing 'wait', and so Wout did, Marcel opened his mouth to speak but he still felt that blockade as over 85,000 people were looking down at the pitch waiting to see who was going to lift the trophy, Wout held Marcel's hand as he spoke,
"It's okay, you can just sign, I'm learning!"
Marcel smiled at Wout, wondering if he genuinely could be falling in love with Wout. He then shook his head, trying once again, the first word coming out staggeringly
"Good-"
Wout understood what Marcel was trying to say "Luck?" Marcel nodded his head "Okay let's try it together"
"Good..." Wout spoke as Marcel followed behind him "Luck" They said together. That helped Marcel to say it Wout on his own
"Good luck" Marcel's voice was somewhat shaky, but he suddenly forgot about it as Wout lit up, his smile spreading across his face as his dimples became prominent, the crinkles by his eyes being shown off like a trophy
"If I could kiss you, I would but I want you to know I'm so proud of you!" Wout finally said before Bruno called Wout to follow him and to stop chatting, Wout waved goodbye to Marcel as he made his way to the pitch and Marcel joined his friends on the bench, a spot being free next to Victor. Marcel took the seat and was immediately greeted by Victor smiling at him lovingly, Marcel raised his eyebrow to ask what he was smiling at
Victor just responded with "You two are cute!" Marcel hid his face in his hands as he leant forward so he couldn't be seen blushing, he played it off as if he didn't want to talk about it, and that's when he heard another voice entering the conversation
"I need to know what he said before he left for the pitch because you were beaming like there was no tomorrow!" Jadon's voice was now apparent, Jadon always wanted to know what was going on with Marcel, he was one of the only people he could really call his friend along with Victor
"And him helping you speak was adorable!" Another player joined in, Victor's boyfriend this time, Harry, leaning forward so he could be heard on the other side of Victor "Honestly, I think you two are cuter than Licha and Antony!"
Marcel whipped his head to the side to look at Harry. Licha and Antony were together? Marcel pointed at the two on the pitch with a confused expression written across his face. He had no idea about the two.
"Yeah, their whole backstory is adorable but you and Wout are undeniably the most adorable couple ever!" Harry smiled. Marcel sat back up and threw his head back as he signed for them to stop this conversation, not too aggressively though
"Actually stop or continue because you love thinking about Wout?" Victor joked as he placed a hand on Marcel's arm. He felt the blockade in his throat dissipate the longer he spent with everyone at Manchester United
"Continue" Marcel smiled, Victor and Harry got comfortable in their seats as they got ready to gossip all about Wout and Marcel's relationship, really there wasn't too much to it but they still wanted to hear all about it. Marcel played it off as if he hated it and it made him awkward but in reality, he was the one who kept adding little pieces of information that they didn't ask for. Marcel was able to really open up because he truly felt comfortable with them, he would stutter quite a bit but none of them ever brought it up and only listened to him talk about Wout before it then moved over to Harry and Victor's relationship and finally Licha and Antony. It was the first time in a long time that Marcel felt wanted by someone. Too bad this was only a loan.
The rest of the first half happened and they were 2-0 up, the locker room was absolutely ecstatic as everyone congratulated Casemiro and Marcus on their goals. Once Marcel had hugged the English and Brazilian man he found his way gravitating towards Wout who noticed his presence
"Hey" He smiled down at Marcel as he pulled him into an embrace, the rest of the guys on the bench had really worked up his vocal cords and calmed his nerves so full sentences weren't a struggle for Marcel
"Hi!" His voice was happy and could be described as sunny "I'm really pr-p-proud of you" Marcel said, who knew a smile could get bigger than the one that homed itself on Wout's face? Victor noticed the interaction between the two and smiled to himself before motioning to Harry the way they looked at one another. Marcel looked at Wout with the purest, most adoring look on his face, like in that moment no one else mattered other than Wout being here with him as they won their first trophy with Manchester United. Wout had nothing short of a look of sheer love, if eyes could become the shapes of hearts, Wout's would be heart-shaped any time he looked at Marcel. They continued their conversation that Victor and Harry couldn't hear any more as Erik started giving their half-time talk, before heading back out and only making one substitution, Diogo Dalot for Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The Austrian and Swedish man sat together once again, having less to talk about this time, occasionally inviting Alejandro or someone else into the conversation until the manager's voice was heard by everyone on the bench
"Scott. Marcel. Get ready you're going on."
That was all he said. Scott stood up quickly to get his shirt on and to stretch quickly. Marcel however was in too much shock to even move, let alone speak, he was going to be playing in a final? Marcel only regained motion when Victor nudged him, giving Marcel his shirt. He couldn't believe it for one second yet here he was, standing with Scott as the linesman showed who was being subbed off. 17 for 29. Fred was coming off for Scott. 27 for 15. Wout was coming off for Marcel. When he first saw that he was coming off for Wout, his heart dropped for the Dutchman, he deserved to play the whole 90 minutes, an apparent frown being seen on his face now but when Marcel looked up from the ground to see Wout approaching him with a big smile on his face he couldn't help but retaliate. The moment Wout was in front of him, Marcel held his hands out for Wout to high five to indicate he could go on, but Wout didn't. He instead signed 'I'm proud of you' and then pulled Marcel into a hug, nothing but love filled Marcel's heart in that instant. He ran onto the pitch, his heart racing at how much he was falling for Wout, when he saw Bruno who loudly spoke,
"You okay?" Marcel just nodded at his question "Good!... Remember, pass it!" Bruno joked about their training session at the beginning of the season, it was a ritual for them whenever Marcel was subbed on or he started and Marcel always replied with
"Fuck you" with a giant smile on his face, sometimes the opposing players wouldn't understand and would genuinely think they were arguing and were losing communication but when they started back up and the two were working as if Marcel had been at Manchester United his whole career with Bruno. This was how they played for the rest of the time being, with only two substitutions being made, Jadon coming on for Antony in the 83rd minute and Harry replacing Marcus in the 88th minute, he ran over to Marcel before getting into his place to give him a message from Wout
"Wout told me to tell you that you're playing amazing" Harry smiled, and Marcel looked over at Wout who blew him a quick kiss before they played the remaining minutes of normal time and the few moments of added time without conceding them a goal, sealing their hopes of winning the Carabao Cup. Wembley Stadium erupted in a roar of cheers the second the whistle blew, he immediately looked for Wout who was already running towards him, arms open ready for a hug and that's what he got. A massive hug from the man he cared about most as Wout celebrated his first trophy in his career, Marcel had already celebrated a few at Bayern Munchen but the way he felt right now was never how he was ever made to feel while at Bayern. As Wout pulled away he repeated himself from before the match
"If I could kiss you, I would"
Marcel wanted that right now, "Do it." His voice was stern but still had that soft touch to it
"Can I ask you something before I do?" Wout asked, placing his hands on Marcel's waist, he just nodded at Wout's question, letting himself be in possession of Wout
"Will you be my boyfriend?"
Wout and Marcel had never put a label on their relationship. Yes they kissed, yes they held hands, and yes they had sex but never exclusively called each other one another's boyfriend (So the hoards of times Victor had asked "Are you and Wout dating?" and Marcel replied with a no, he wasn't lying because they weren't dating up until now.), Marcel hesitated to answer Wout's abrupt question, not because he was thinking about whether he wanted to be with Wout or not, it was an instant yes, but did he really want to put Wout through his hard days? The days he didn't utter a word? The days his anxiety was through the roof and nothing would help? The days when he got angry at everything? Wout could see the cogs turning in Marcel's head, but not thinking about what Wout had asked him but his own questions. Marcel had been pretty open to Wout when they first started this little thing with each other and mentioned that some days he really hated the way he was, Wout couldn't believe someone as sweet and beautiful as Marcel hated himself
"Yes." Wout moved a hand from Marcel's waist to his chin to make him look at him as his head had fallen to look at his feet "I want to put up with your bad days if it means I get to be with you."
That was all Marcel needed to hear to accept Wout's invitation to be his boyfriend. As soon as the words left his mouth, Wout's lip connected with Marcel's as they shared a passionate kiss that was seen by all of Wembley but more specifically Victor, Marcel could hear him screeching in excitement as he called Harry's name, Marcel melted into the kiss as his shoulders relaxed and Wout was holding him up by one hand, a smile and a giggle leaving his lips onto Wout's as he thought about how the Wout Weghorst was kissing him now in front of a crowd of almost 90,000 people
"Something funny about how much I like you?" Wout pulled away and asked with a chuckle
"Victor" Marcel said, and Wout let out a drawn-out 'oh'
"That was Victor screaming? Couldn't figure out if it was Licha or Victor" Wout laughed, crinkling the sides of his eyes as he did so, Marcel's favourite thing
Victor ran over and jumped on Marcel's back, Wout warning him just before so he could catch the younger man, "You kissed!" He screamed as Marcel held him on his back like a piggyback
"We did indeed" Wout smiled at Marcel who once again looked down to hide his red face that was forming
"Now stop being so fucking cute and come join everyone else celebrating the cup!" Victor directed the couple towards the big circle of United players jumping up and down singing, he stayed on Marcel's back as they made their way to the big patch of red, dropping Victor off at Harry before jumping up and down with everyone. Fuck, he really loved this team. He couldn't leave after his loan. He begged and prayed in that second that Bayern Munchen didn't want him back, and they wanted to sell him straight to Manchester United.
The team slowly split up, celebrating with other people, in little duos or alone, sometimes celebrating with the fans. Marcel felt bad for Newcastle but everyone at Manchester United gave their 100% to win this game so he didn't want to resist the urge to celebrate to spare other people's feelings. The team had a picture all together before they headed to the stands to do the trophy lift, just seeing that trophy being raised by his two captains was the best sensation in the entire world. They took some more pictures in the locker room before heading back to someone's house for a party, they had just won a trophy after all. Some of them ended up heading to their hotel rooms to go to sleep after a long or would head home for a change of clothes but most people just stayed in their kits, a change of shoes being the only difference, the medals stayed on. It wasn't long until everyone was slightly tipsy or drunk
Marcel, Wout, Victor, Harry and Jadon all ended up on an 'L' shaped couch together at Marcus's house talking about the night and how much this day meant to them
"This is my first trophy ever!" Wout sat on the sofa so his back was to the armrest, Marcel resting between his legs, his back on Wout's stomach
"Shit really?!" Victor looked at Wout from the other side of the sofa, Harry being tucked into the armrest as Victor cuddled into him
"Me too" Harry's voice slurred out
"Aww baby, I'm so happy for you!" Victor gave Harry a quick peck on the lips before Marcel spoke about his trophies
"I won a few with B-Bay-Bayern but this one is s-special, I can feel it" Marcel smiled and looked up at Wout
"Feel like I'm third wheeling or whatever, but I won a few when I was in Germany too" Jadon now added to the conversation
"Did you like Germany?" Wout asked
"I enjoyed it but not as much as I'm enjoying everything right now" Jadon beamed, playing with the medal around his neck
Harry began talking to Jadon about how they should've won the Euros, letting Marcel and Wout have their own chat
"How are you feeling?" Wout played with Marcel's long brown hair, he had taken it out once they had arrived at Marcus's
He couldn't think of any other words other than just "Happy."