SECRET

Chapter 1

— Joshua, my decision is not discussed, you will play again on the flank, — Joachim Low looks at the guy with a dissatisfied look. Kimmich always takes on too much, and now he is trying to challenge the decision of the head coach. But it won't work with him, if he decided that Kimmich will play on the right, then so be it.  Joshua's fists clench, he doesn't say anything and silently returns to the other trainees. No one notices a small altercation between him and the head coach, because the midfielder often expressed his opinion. Kimmich knows that no matter what he says, Joachim will still treat him well, just like the player himself treats the coach. But playing on the flank is getting harder and harder for him every time, they barely beat Hungary. Joshua managed to play a little bit in his favorite position in the second half, but if he had been there the whole game, everything could have turned out better. They might even have won.

Goretzka agrees with Kimmich. After the evening training session, when they are finally given some free time, Leon tries to find Joshua, who, apparently, is worried again because of the unsuccessful game against Hungary. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Kimmich was recognized as the best player of the match, with which the guy himself categorically disagrees, but he will never admit it to anyone. Goretzka knows how a truly happy Kimmich behaves, and Kimmich receiving this award was not happy. Immediately after the presentation, he disappeared somewhere and Leon thinks that Joshua was crying again. Kimmich often cried, although he tried to hide it. And he hid it quite successfully, because only a few people knew about his weakness.

Goretzka shrugs off Havertz, who calls him to play some game, he keeps looking for Kimmich, because they haven't had a heart-to-heart conversation for a long time. Leon noticed that the friendly relations between them slightly deteriorated after Goretzka fiercely supported LGBT people at one of the general training. Kimmich was not homophobic, but the way he looked sharply at Gnabry first, and then at Leon, and asked to close the topic was very strange. Serge then distracted Leon, and he did not push further and thereby ignite a conflict with Kimmich. They had not communicated normally for about a month, and if Joshua was busy with grueling workouts, then Goretzka was trying to recover from an injury, so their schedules did not match.

— Do you know where Josh is? – Goretzka asks Muller, who somehow miraculously has always been aware of everything that is happening. — I can't find him.

— He said he wanted to be alone, – Thomas answers quietly, so that no one can hear and shrugs his shoulders.

— I...

— Leon, don't touch him. I've already tried to talk to him.

— But I want too, – Goretzka grabs Muller by the forearm and leads him out of the common room

—Hey, Hulk, take it easy, you're going to break my arm like that,– Muller grins when they're alone in the hallway, and then crosses his arms over his chest.
— And I don't know where he is.

— You're lying, please tell me. I just want to talk to him.

— This is so unlike you, — Thomas raises an eyebrow skeptically, — you could talk to him at training. But for some reason you didn't do it, and now you're demanding to give me where he is, and I really don't know...

— I heard him talking to Joachim at the end of training, so now I want to talk to him.

— What a conversation?–Thomas's eyes light up with curiosity, and he moves even closer to Leon, as if he wants to hear something secret.

— Nothing important.

— Then your conversation can also be postponed.  

— Okay! Kimmich said he was upset about the draw.