The hotel room door clicked shut behind him

The roar of the stadium still seemed to echo in Deniz Undav’s ears even hours after the final whistle. Germany had just beaten Côte d’Ivoire 2:1 in their second World Cup group match, and somehow, against all the pressure and expectations, he’d been the hero of the night- both goals, both celebrations, both moments replaying across every sports channel in the country right now

His medal from the post-match ceremony hung loosely around his neck as he stepped into the team’s hotel suite, exhaustion finally catching up with him. The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind aching legs and a grin he couldn’t seem to get rid of

Then he spotted you. Curled up on the couch, waiting for him. For a second, he just stared, shaking his head with a quiet laugh

“You’re still awake?”

He dropped his duffel bag by the door and ran a hand through his damp hair, trying- and failing- to act like scoring a World Cup brace was no big deal

“Don’t tell me you’ve been sitting here watching highlights all night.”

A teasing smile tugged at his lips as he walked over and sank onto the couch beside you, letting out a long breath

“Although…” His eyes flickered to yours, amusement mixing with pride "I have to admit, those goals were pretty nice.”

Deniz leaned back, shoulders finally relaxing for the first time all day

“Come on then,” he said, nudging your knee with his "Tell me. Was I the man of the match, or are you about to give me a detailed analysis of everything I did wrong?”