Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Leo
From the moment he woke up, Leo knew something was terribly wrong. His head was pounding, heart beats going crazy inside his chest. He felt dizzy, the ceiling blurring and moving in front of his eyes. He realized he was panting, sounding like he ran the marathon-two times. He tried to move but his limbs felt heavy and slow. His body felt like he was been crushed by a giant brick. He blinded searched for the bottle of water he put on his nightstand the night before, using the little bit of strength he had. He finished the whole bottle, pleasing his thirst a little bit. He couldn’t move further much less walk down the stairs to the kitchen. Everything hurt. He was so tired despite sleepy early last night. But at this moment sleeping seemed a better and less painful prospect than staying awake for this.
It took him an hour to go under, sleep swallowing him like a dark hole. A hole he happily welcomed.
When he emerged again, he still felt under, body buzzing with the aftershock of this morning.
His muscles complained as he stretched himself. He felt sore and without even having to touch his skin he knew he was burning.
"Shit!" He cursed running a hand inside his sweat drenched hair.
He took a long cold shower, letting the water massage his muscles to wake them up and cool down the temperature of his body. He pulled on simple sweatpants, staying shirtless before he went downstairs to the kitchen to take his breakfast. After a few minutes, he watched the amount of food on the table. He had training, it was recommended to avoid eating too much fat but he felt weak and everything seemed so appetizing.
He had barely finished, licking the jam from his fingers when the doorbell rang. He put away the leftovers-not much in the fridge before he answered the door.
"You are not ready yet?" Luis exclaimed taking a look at his attire.
"I didn’t hear the alarm "
Luis stayed in the living room while Leo went to change his clothes and gather his things.
"Leo, hey buddy"
The Argentinean barely heard him, his head leaning against the door of the car, his face turned towards the opened window. The fresh air felt heavenly good on his feverish body. He was getting better and better, even if the training could be a real nightmare.
"Leo!"
He jerked away from the window barely avoiding banging his forehead against the door. He turned his attention back to his friend, who was staring at him with a frown; one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding the gourd outstretched towards him.
"No thanks" Leo politely declined forcing himself not to squeak at the idea of swallowing anything bitter at the moment.
His refusal deepened the wrinkle between the Uruguayan eyebrows. He continued to alternate his gaze between the road and his passenger.
"Since when tea is a no for you?"
Leo suspected that it was unusual for him to refuse to share their famous tea.
"You're okay?" Luis asked, looking worried
Leo opened his mouth to explain, surprised that his friend still didn’t understand himself when a large stream of air entered through the window.
To his credit, Luis tried to stay stoic, calm. But small gestures do not escape Leo. The hands clenched around the steering wheel so strongly that they became white. The jaw clenched, his chest trembling under the slight grunt. "Leo ..." his voice had become so hoarse that Leo winced He folded his arms around his chest, plastering himself even more to the door. Leo wasn’t afraid of him but his reaction was completely justified. "I'm fine" "It's not..." "I’m fine." Leo insisted. "I have one more week left." Luis looked at him unconvinced, a disapproving look on his face. "I can manage, I assure you" Leo was used to physical contact: hugs from everyone at anytime, the pinches of cheeks, hair ruffling. And it didn’t bother him. But today they were more insistent than usual. Some gestures were too tender to be anything but a caress. There were more restraint from the elders and the past generation of players, but the new ones seemed more incontrollable and curious. But everything was innocent so Leo preferred to let it slide. If some had noticed that his scent was sweeter, more pronounced than usual, they at least had the decency not to mention it. They were in the middle of the round when Gerard collided against him chasing after a ball sent towards Leo by Rafinha. The giant was quick to catch him before Leo even stumbled to the ground from the impact. He pressed him against his chest, rumbling with laughter. Laughers that stopped as he took a sniff of his hair. Everything was still for a moment, then he slid his nose along the side of his head to the jointure between her neck and her shoulder. Leo whimpered weakly when Gerard began scenting his neck. He tried to exhilarate from his embrace, but the Spaniard held him firmly with his arm around his waist. Leo felt the blood in his veins warm up quickly, his heart beat faster, his cock perk up in interest. He stopped fidgeting, but rather fisted his hands in his training top pulling him closer against his body.
“Its almost there, isn’t it?” Gerard whispered
“Yeah.” There was no point in lying especially to his childhood. Beside with the way he was sniffing him, he could smell it.
“It must have been hell this morning”
“It was” Leo couldn’t help but shiver thinking about it.
A deafening whistle sounded in the air snatching them from their little bubble. Leo felt his warmed face when he met some amused looks even from Iniesta. Gerard did not seem so horny as that, he wrapped an arm around his shoulder and held it close to him. Luis and Neymar joined them a little later, running to their side. A calm and determined conversation will begin. After only a few minutes Neymar threw himself on the back of Luis, who hurried to catch him, the two men bursting with laughter. Their daily good humor was good to see. Leo turned to Gerard, who had not participated in the conversation and seemed to have his head elsewhere.
"What's up?" Leo was unused at to this expression, so serious and disturbed by the Spanish.
The latter took longer than normal to notice that he had been spoken to. He raised his head to Leo, studying him for a moment without hiding his disapproval.
"You know it's only going to get worse every time, right?"
Leo rolled his eyes, feeling the conversation heading for a direction he detested.
"Not now please, Geri"
"Then when, Leo? You've been doing everything to avoid it since you were 19 years old"
"I did not want to talk about it!" Leo exclaimed exasperated. "I thought I was clear and you told me you understand my choice ?!"
"I understand that, it doesn’t mean I approve." It was Gerard turn to get angry stopping right in front of the smaller man hovering over him. “It hurts me to see you get through it on your own and suffering when— “
“Stop it, okay?!” Leo snapped uncaring of the eyes looking over them. “I’m not some damsel in distress. I managed it alone all this years. I’m not going to just spread my legs to the first Alpha coming my way in the hope of finally receiving my bite”
He could feel the blood in his veins boil to the point it almost hurt. The back of his eyes burning with unshed tears.
Sensing the change in the air, Gerard quickly took him in his arms, kissing his hair.
“I’m sorry” He mumbled caressing his back in comfort. “I didn’t meant to upset you but we really need—“
“Geri, please” Leo whimpered burying deeper into his friend body, using him to shield himself from the eyes looking at him in shock.
The rest of the training session went smoothly. Gerard dropped the topic for now; Leo wasn’t stupid enough to think he won the war, just the battle. Leo loved the guy to death, there was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do for him but he couldn’t understand Leo’s feelings as much as he wanted to or think he did. He was an alpha, he couldn’t possible understand him. No one dared mention what happened outside on the training field.
After everyone went back home, Leo had to stay behind, order from the team doctor. Luis had proposed to stay so he wouldn’t have to drive, but Leo politely declined. He would have felt bad keeping him away from his mate longer than necessary. He never had someone he loved like that, being an unmated omega than he was, but from what his eyes have seen over the years, he knew it was torture for them. The both of them.
He knocked on the door of the infirmary after taking his shower.
“Come in” said a strong male voice.
Leo closed the door behind him walking over the desk. The doctor looked up smiling warmly at him, Leo smiled back. He gestured to the seat and Leo sat down putting the training bag on the floor at his feet.
“How are Maria and the kids?” Leo asked
“They’re doing fine.” The doctor smiled taking off his glasses. He had a tender look on his face. “Joseph is going to school for the first time tomorrow”
“Ahh, he must be excited. I remember having to calm down my little cousin for hours before he finally fell asleep” Leo smiled at the memory.
“He is.” The doctor laughed. “Don’t know for how long though before he cries begging me to bring back home to his mom”
Leo nodded suddenly feeling nostalgic. Practically everyone around him was settle and with kids. From time to time, he felt sad thinking that maybe he will never have that. Someone to love, to cherish, to welcome home after days apart or kids to raise, to pick up from school with their new drawings to stick to the fridge or to tuck in bed at night.
What the hell was that?
“Leo?”
He shook his head quickly throwing all this thoughts from his mind. He couldn’t afford to think like that. Not now or ever for that matter. He plastered the fakest smile on his face as he looked back to the man.
“I made you stay over to talk about your incoming heat.” He said after a moment of his eyes scanning Leo’s face with a frown. “I know there still a week left but I don’t know if you noticed that your scent is quite strong despite having that amount of time.”
“I did” Leo admitted. As much as lying was tempting, he didn’t want to cause him any problem if he ended up giving him the green light for the game tomorrow because Leo was withholding information. “Last night, I think it must have been around midnight, I woke up in pain like I was in some kind of pre-heat moment”
“What kind of pain?”
“Everything. I wasn’t feeling…horny or needy thought.”
The doctor nodded scribbling some notes. “Just like before every clasico for the past five years, right?”
He nodded.
“But every time its hurts more than the last time?”
Another nod.
“And you feel better as soon as you get on the field. Its like you feel …” He searched through the pile of paper in front of him, before he found what he was looking for. “..at peace”
Again another nod. This one more hesitant though.
“Do you have any idea why is that?”
“I don’t know.” Leo said truthfully.
To be honest, he had never sought out why. Mentally he felt better, more at peace. A bit like how he felt with Gerard but ten times better. But physically it was a completely different story. He felt needier than he used to especially when his heats weren’t for at least weeks. He had to increase the amount of heat-suppressants before every clasicos to stop the leaking between his legs and the pain in his stomach.
“Do you want me to give you some heat-suppressants?”
“Yes, thank you” He sighed grateful. He was feeling better but with the big match coming tomorrow, they couldn’t take any risks.
Even thought he felt better, he still took the pills. He had a slight fever but he wasn’t hurting as much as during the day. One thing was still there thought, that feeling he couldn’t shake off even after all this years.
Emptiness.