After signing the jerseys and chatting with Laura Woods, Theodore headed straight back to his apartment to crash.
The next morning, he was out on the Bodymoor Heath training pitch before seven o'clock, getting his touches in early.
Half an hour later, John McGinn jogged out onto the dewy grass.
"Theo! You're here early, mate," McGinn called out, tossing him a ball. "Heard you had a blinder on your national debut. Three assists? Won't be long before you're running the show for Norway."
Theodore waved it off with a tired smile. "Just got lucky, John."
"You didn't do too bad yourself for Scotland," Theodore shot back, trapping the ball. "A goal and an assist? You're practically their main man now."
The two midfielders shared a laugh, knocking the ball back and forth as the morning mist cleared.
Slowly, more Villa players trickled onto the pitch.
Dean Smith's schedule strictly dictated an 8:30 AM start.
But the clock ticked past nine, and it wasn't until 9:30 that Jack Grealish finally ambled out of the dressing room.
There was no hiding it—the skipper had definitely been out on a massive party the night before.
He looked rough, sporting heavy dark bags under his eyes.
"Jack, mate, you're an hour late," Theodore pointed out, tossing him a training bib.
Grealish squinted at the grey sky, clearly still battling a hangover.
He rubbed his face and mumbled, "Where's the music? Get some tunes going, lads."
Theodore just stared at him, shaking his head.
The captain was still half-drunk, acting like he was stumbling through a Birmingham nightclub.
Dean Smith had lost his patience with Grealish's antics a long time ago.
The gaffer had fined him, warned him, and even dropped him to train with the under-23s as punishment in the past. But no matter how hard Smith tried to discipline him, Jack remained as stubborn as a mule.
Eventually, Smith just threw his hands up and let Grealish be Grealish, as long as he produced the goods on match days.
...
Two days later, the tension in the city reached a boiling point.
It was the eve of the Second City Derby.
During the pre-match press conferences, the two managers were already trading verbal blows.
Birmingham City's boss, Garry Monk, was leading the charge.
At just 40 years old, Monk was a relatively young manager and he carried a fiery arrogant attitude.
"We've had a solid week of preparation," Monk told the packed press room. "Tomorrow is going to be a bloody war, but I back my boys to get the three points. Villa are on a seven-game winning streak and sitting fifth. Their form is good, yeah, but Birmingham City doesn't fear anyone at St. Andrew's. We are going to win this derby and snap their little streak."
Sitting in the front row, Sky Sports reporter Laura Woods raised her microphone.
"Garry, do you think your squad can contain Theodore Bjorn tomorrow? The teenager currently leads the Championship's assist charts."
Monk offered a dismissive smirk.
"Look, I'll admit the kid is a decent talent. It's rare for a 17-year-old to string a few good games together at this level. However," Monk leaned into the mic, "we aren't going to build our entire defensive game plan around a teenager. Our primary targets are Tammy Abraham and Jack Grealish. As far as I'm concerned, those two are the real threats to our goal."
Across town, Dean Smith was holding his own presser at Bodymoor Heath.
It was his first media appearance since serving his touchline ban and he looked fired up.
"The lads are ready for a fight," Smith stated firmly. "The international break took a toll on some of our players' legs, sure. But we have more than enough quality and grit to go into their backyard and take the points. It's a derby. The boys will leave everything on the pitch tomorrow."
...
Match day.
By 5:00 PM, the streets surrounding St. Andrew's were swarming with thousands of hostile supporters.
The bitter rivalry hung heavy in the freezing air.
Rival factions chanted viciously over each other, their voices echoing off the brick walls of the city.
Eventually, the tension snapped.
Violent skirmishes broke out outside the turnstiles, forcing riot police and mounted officers to intervene and separate the furious sets of fans.
It was pure derby day chaos.
Inside the stadium at 7:30 PM, the noise was deafening.
The away end was a sea of claret and blue, singing their hearts out, while the home fans showered them with boos and insults.
Kickoff was just five minutes away.
Deep in the cramped players' tunnel, the atmosphere was suffocating.
There were no handshakes, no friendly nods.
The two squads stood shoulder-to-shoulder in grim silence, eyes locked forward.
Led by the referee, they finally marched out onto the hostile turf of St. Andrew's.
Theodore walked at the back of the Villa line. The moment his boots touched the grass, a vicious wall of noise hit him.
A roar of support came from the traveling Villa faithful, instantly drowned out by a deafening chorus of venomous boos from the Birmingham City home crowd.
Up in the broadcasting gantry, the Sky Sports crew was ready for the massive clash.
"Welcome, everyone, to a bitter afternoon of Championship football," Gary Weaver's voice cut through the broadcast.
"It is the Second City Derby. Birmingham City hosts their fierce hated rivals, Aston Villa, at a hostile St. Andrew's!"
"Let's take a look at how the two sides line up," co-commentator Don Goodman took over.
"For the hosts, Garry Monk has set up in a traditional, hard-working 4-4-2. Lee Camp is in goal. A back four of Wes Harding, Michael Morrison, Harlee Dean, and Kristian Pedersen. Across the midfield, Jacques Maghoma, Maikel Kieftenbeld, David Davis, and Jota. Up top, the physical pairing of Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz. Birmingham sit 15th in the table and are desperate to snap a miserable three-game losing streak today."
"For the visitors, Dean Smith has opted for a 4-4-1-1 system," Weaver added.
"Jed Steer continues in goal. Neil Taylor, Kortney Hause, Tyrone Mings, and Ahmed Elmohamady make up the defense. The midfield four features Anwar El Ghazi, Conor Hourihane, veteran Glenn Whelan, and the Norwegian wonderkid, Theodore Bjorn. Captain Jack Grealish plays in the number 10 role just behind the lone striker, Tammy Abraham."
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