Chapter Text
The world was split in three designations: alphas, betas and omegas.
The professional football world was mostly split in two: alphas and betas. There were some omegas, but not enough to even cover 5% of the total number of professional footballers.
Neymar was one, Henrik Larsson was another one, but there weren't enough to secure the plain truth that omegas were just as good as the other designations.
Neymar and Henrik Larsson were called exceptions, rare exceptions that proved nothing more than that the universe sometimes worked out in people's favour.
Most players in Barcelona were betas: Fermín, Cubarsí, Frenkie, Balde and Ansu to name a few.
Raphinha, Lewandowski, Pedri, Araujo and Ferran were all alphas.
There wasn't a single omega in Barcelona anymore.
At least not a known omega.
Gavi would like to keep it that way.
He had been on suppressants ever since he presented at eleven years old.
It had come as a shock to both him and his parents.
His short temper and confident aura was enough for most to guess that he would be an alpha.
Coming out as an omega wasn't an option.
He had just gotten a spot in La Masia, and there was no way that he would risk that.
If La Masia got information about his designation they'd be sure to drop him. Gavi had seen it happen to countless others. They were told that it was because of their performances, but most could tell that it was because of their designation.
His parents had found illegal suppressants, the illegal suppressants being the best when it came to hiding ones' designation.
Gavi had taken them without a single ounce of hesitation.
If the suppressants meant him continuing to play football, then it wasn't a question.
He's not had a single heat apart from when he first presented.
The memory of his first and only heat was enough for him to chug down the pills every morning.
Sweating, cramping, fluids - hell.
It wasn't that he didn't respect omegas, they were a necessity to society.
Gavi also knows that there wasn't a single difference in work ethic or performance between the designations, but there was a significant difference in opportunities.
Omegas only held 20% of all manager positions, female omegas holding even less, not to mention trans or non-binary omegas.
Gavi had been forced to learn how the world worked at eleven years old.
The only people who knows about his designation were his parents.
No one else.
They had made sure to let him know exactly what would happen if he did.
The consequences, the shame, the embarrassment.
His parents weren't bad.
They weren't abusive, they had his best interest in mind.
They wanted him to succeed in life, to get the best opportunities possible.
Gavi had the same goal in mind, but there were moments where he wished that he could just be himself.
The suppressants had their side effects. Cramps, shivering, tiredness, headaches.
Sometimes he wished that he could just stop, that the world would become more accepting and that he could live free.
Gavi doesn't let himself think about those thoughts a lot, it was better to ignore those needs.
They wouldn't get him anywhere.
This was better.
He's eighteen now, playing in Barcelona's first squad.
He's living his dream, and he wouldn't risk losing what he fought so hard to get.
.
Gavi's scent glands itch under his scent patches.
He ties his best to stop scratching, knowing full-well that the others would notice.
"Hey, didn't see you at the team dinner yesterday." Pedri says, walking up to him in the locker room, putting down his own bag by his cubby.
"Yeah, something came up." Gavi lies, his brain going back to the cramps that had gotten bad enough that he laid unmoving for hours.
Pedri scans his face, looking for something.
He seems to find it.
"Oh, what came up?" Pedri asks, voice light whilst his eyes had a knowing look.
Gavi scratches the back of his head.
"Aurora called, she had problems with her boyfriend again." Gavi lies, pulling off his hoodie.
Pedri nods, deeming the answer truthful.
"It would have been more fun if you were there." Pedri says and Gavi tries his best to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.
He wasn't unaware of his feelings for Pedri.
Pedri was the only one Gavi could ever think of as a potential partner.
Pedri, who was strong and wise. He was understanding without needing words, caring enough to always recognise when Gavi needed something.
Gavi's crush had started after his first year playing with Pedri.
"I bet you had a good time, the dinners are always fun." Gavi interjects while wiggling his eyebrows.
Pedri chuckles.
"That might be true, but it's always better with you." Pedri says, looking at Gavi with those eyes that makes Gavi want to tell his whole life story to Pedri.
Gavi bites his lip.
"Of course they are. I'm always the life of the party." He says instead, smiling confidently at Pedri.
Pedri chuckles again, slapping him on the back of his head.
Gavi sticks his tongue out before turning, pulling out his football shoes.
"So, what did you guys do?" He asks as Pedri sits next to him.
Gavi had thanked whatever god it was that made their cubbies next to each other.
"Same as usual. Ate, played some FIFA and just hung out." Pedri shrugs as he removes his sweatshirt.
Gavi nods, slipping on his shoes.
His neck was really itching.
Gavi lets out an accidental groan, fisting his hands to stop them from scratching.
Pedri immediately turns to look at him, this time scanning his entire body.
Pedri's eyes seem to find their target.
"Your neck looks red. Are your patches hurting you?" He asks, voice full of concern.
Gavi shrugs, but he can't stop his hand from reaching up to scratch.
Pedri's fingers immediately go around his wrist, stopping his movement.
"Don't. You should go to the medic and let them take a look at it." Pedri suggests.
Gavi tries to ignore his butterflies for a second time.
"It's fine, just forgot to change them yesterday." He lies.
He still doesn't move his arm, letting it rest in Pedri's hand.
Pedri sends him a confused look.
"You're supposed to take them off after you get home, they're not supposed to be on for more than a couple of hours."
Gavi swallows, kicking himself for slipping up.
"It's fine, I'll take care of it after practice." Gavi shrugs, eyes locking with Pedri's.
Pedri held his gaze, his brown eyes reading into Gavi's.
"Uh are you guys finished with your stare-off? Practice is starting." Ansu's voice causes Gavi to jump away from Pedri, pulling his arm back.
"Yeah yeah." Gavi says, immediately heading to the field.
He forces himself to not look back.
He had managed to hide his crush for years, he couldn't stop now.
There was no way that Gavi would be able to be together with Pedri without having to tell him about his true designation.
Gavi knows deep down that he can trust Pedri with it, but there was still a small part that made him unsure.
Pedri wasn't an omega, he was an alpha. He had no idea of the lives of omegas, the way that one word could change their entire future.
One word was all it would take for Gavi to be kicked out.
"Hey, we missed you yesterday!" Fermín says, walking up to him along with Ferran.
Gavi sends him a smirk.
"Of course you did."
Fermín slaps him before slinging his arm over Gavi's shoulders.
"No one gets my jokes like you, literally no one was laughing at that fish-joke." Fermín whines with big eyes.
"Maybe because it wasn't funny." Ferran states, ignoring Fermín's hurt look.
"It is! Fucking tell him Gavi!" Fermín pleads towards Gavi.
Gavi shrugs.
"Depends on the delivery." He answers the beta, causing Fermín to sigh.
"Idiotas." Fermín mutters as they head to the circle.
Flick stands in the middle, board whipped out along with a whistle around his neck.
"Alright, start with the regular warm ups. After that we're doing some passing drills and some shooting drills. We'll play two-goals the last half hour." Flick states and they nod in sync.
Gavi starts jogging along with the rest of the team, hearing more comments about being missed at the dinner.
He answers with the same confidence he always has.
Most of them were surprised when he 'presented' as a beta at 'seventeen', thinking that he was classic alpha.
Pedri never commented on it.
He had never talked about their designations, probably deeming them irrelevant.
It doesn't surprise Gavi.
Pedri wasn't one to care for trivial things, he focused on the important parts.
Like the way Gavi scratches his neck throughout the practice.
Flick blows his whistle after two hours, telling them to hit the showers.
"Gavi wait." Pedri shouts as they move to the locker rooms.
Gavi swallows, stopping.
Fermín sends him a look, but he probably realises that the two were about to talk about something important.
"I'll go with you to Carles. He's in the treatment room." Pedri says once he's by Gavi.
Gavi swallows for a second time.
"It's fine, I'll just take them off and apply some cream." Gavi says, shaking his head at the offer.
"You should talk to him anyways. The best thing is probably for you to not wear any scent blockers for a couple of days." Pedri counters, pushing him towards the locker room.
"Really, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern but-"
"Gavi you need get it checked out. You could have an inflamed scent gland." Pedri interrupts, eyes serious.
Gavi takes a deep breath, deciding to switch strategy.
He pulls himself out of Pedri's grip.
"I said I'm fine. Now stop talking about it." Gavi says, voice clipped.
They enter the locker room, Pedri still refusing to drop the subject.
"I'm serious, you need to-"
"Shut up, I told you I'm good. Now leave me alone." Gavi snaps angrily, pushing past Pedri as he heads to his cubby.
"Hey! What's going on between the two of you?" Raphinha asks loudly from the other side of the room.
Gavi realises that the whole team was looking at them.
It was rare to see them arguing although it wasn't exactly rare for Gavi to become angry.
"Nothing, mind your own business." Gavi mutters, ripping off his shoes.
The eyes go to Pedri instead.
"Like he said, mind your own business." Pedri answers easily with a shrug.
Gavi puts his shoes and the rest of his stuff in his bag before pulling it over his shoulder.
He slips on his sneakers, ignoring Raphinha yelling at him that it's obligatory to shower at the stadium.
Thankfully Pedri doesn't follow him when he heads out to his car.
His neck itches worse but he manages to drive the whole way home without scratching.
Gavi heads straight to his bathroom once he's home.
He steels himself before slowly pulling off his patches.
He has to bite his lip to stop himself from crying out.
The pain was bad enough that he feels blood in his mouth.
It takes almost a full five minutes for him to pull off both patches.
The bathroom is immediately filled with his scent, souring by the pain.
His scent glands definitely looks inflamed, both red and swollen.
Shit.
Gavi takes a quick shower, ignoring the pain that comes with the water hitting his scent glands.
He pulls out the bathroom drawer, finding both the soothing cream and the painkillers. He smears on the cream, almost moaning at the soothing sensation before popping two into his mouth, swallowing them dry.
That should be enough, there wasn't much else he could do.
It was worth it.
He just had to remember that it was worth it.
.
His scent glands hurt less the next day, and even less the day after.
Two rest days, just enough time for his glands to heal a bit, but he had started to get a low grade fever.
The temp showed only 37.5 which wasn't bad enough to be classified as an actual fever. Not bad enough for Gavi to start worrying, the only symptoms were headaches and being slightly warmer.
He spends the days in bed, only getting out of it to eat or go to the bathroom.
They look less inflamed, almost back to their regular size. Gavi swallows, putting on new patches over them.
The sound of knocking causes him to hurry downstairs with his bag slung over his shoulder.
He opens the door, spotting Pedri outside.
"Figured I'd give you a ride." Pedri says with a small smile.
"Why?" Gavi asks in confusion.
Pedri chuckles.
"Because I want to? We always used to carpool before you got your license." He answers easily.
"Can I come inside?"
Gavi nods, not sure what to say.
Pedri walks inside, face scrunching up immediately.
"Has someone else been here?" He asks, turning to look at Gavi.
Gavi sends him another confused look, before he realises that Pedri was sniffing the air.
"Uh yeah, Aurora and one of her friends were here yesterday." Gavi answers quickly, praying that Pedri buys it.
Pedri frowns.
"I can't smell her, only an omega smell." Pedri answers whilst continuing to sniff the air.
"She's a beta, her smell isn't as strong has her friend's." Gavi states, answer true enough for Pedri to drop it.
"Are you almost done? We need to head out in a few." He asks, resting his side against the wall.
Gavi swallows, trying his best to not stare at Pedri.
Pedri had smelled him.
It was the first time that Pedri had smelled his scent.
Gavi always used scent blockers during the whole night if he knew that Pedri would pick him up the next day. An assurance that Pedri wouldn't find out.
He tries his best not to feel giddy.
"Earth to Gavi." Pedri waves his hands in the air and Gavi immediately snaps out of his thoughts.
"Yeah yeah, I'm good to go." Gavi answers, side-stepping Pedri as he moves to the door.
Pedri follows.
"So, how are your scent glands feeling?" Pedri asks as they're sitting in the car.
Gavi sends him a soft smile.
"They're better. I put some cream on and went without patches for the rest days." Gavi explains.
Pedri nods slowly, not taking his eyes off the road.
The rest of the drive was mostly in silence, apart from a few comments about the upcoming game.
Flick had already told them the starting line.
Pau, Eric, Araujo and Christensen as defenders. Raphinha, Lewy and Lamine as forwards. Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie as midfielders.
Gavi wasn't a clear starter as he used to be before his injury, so he took every opportunity that he could to prove to Flick and the team that he was good enough to start every single game.
"We have a good chance at winning, Celta de Vigo has only thirty points." Pedri states which causes Gavi to chuckle.
"You of all know that it's not up to chance." Gavi teases, earning a fond huff from Pedri.
"Well, statistically we should win." Pedri corrects himself and Gavi nods.
It was true.
Celta de Vigo was a team they were supposed to beat.
It doesn't mean that it would be reality, the game still needed to be played.
Like the commentators always stated "the ball is round and there's 90 minutes on the clock to prove it."
They mostly says it to try and create some suspense in the games, but it didn't make it any less true.
Pedri parks the car outside the stadium.
They walk side by side into the locker room which is already half-full.
"Have you guys finally kissed and made up?" Pau asks when he spots them walking together.
"Ha-ha." Gavi answers Pau humourlessly.
Pau sends him a smirk before turning back to talk to Víctor.
It wasn't especially strange that the two were best friends, the strange part was that they had the same first name.
The team had simplified it, calling Cubarsí Pau whilst Víctor was named Víctor. Probably also because Pau Cubarsí became part of the squad before Víctor.
It was almost the same as Gavi and Pablo Torre, except Gavi had gotten his nickname already at the beginning of La Masia.
"Have we? Made up?" Gavi asks quietly, looking over at Pedri with anxious eyes as they sit down.
Gavi had been ashamed and embarrassed of his reaction towards Pedri. Pedri had only tried to help, and Gavi had practically bitten his head off.
Pedri sends him a gentle smile.
"There's nothing to make up for." He answers gently, placing a hand on Gavi's.
Gavi smiles dumbly at him and Pedri sends him one of those special smiles back.
One that's full of warmth and care, the one that makes Gavi dream of a world where they could be together.
Gavi swallows, nodding slowly.
Pedri squeezes his hand before letting go.
They nod to each other, almost a secret nod, like they were the only ones that knew how much they cared for each other.
Gavi feels himself smiling again.
"Who's ready to win tomorrow?!" Eric shouts as he enters the locker room, ending Gavi and Pedri's moment.
Eric was probably on his fourth coffee by the way he's jumping up and down.
They give him a half-hearted cheer back, which makes him give them the finger.
Laughter erupts as Eric cusses them out.
Gavi's smile doesn't leave his face.
It stays on for the rest of the day.
.
Gavi inhales and exhales slowly, moving his body as he warms up.
He looks over at the Celta de Vigo players warming up on the opposite side.
Yesterday's training had been good, one of his better.
"Alright come on guys! Focus on dominating the ball and force them into offsides." Flick states as the last talk.
The referee blows his whistle, indicating that the players get ready to start.
Gavi nods to himself.
He already knows his role in the game: manage to get the defenders focused on him and stop the ball once Celta gets it.
He sends Flick a nod as they head out onto the field.
The eleven players round up in a circle, Tek reminds them about fighting, something Raphinha is quick to jump in on.
They break, lining up against Celta.
The Celta player Pablo Durán starts with the ball, waiting for the referee to start the game.
The referee blows his whistle and Durán immediately kicks it to Fran Beltrán, their starting central midfielder.
Gavi feels his body moving on autopilot, his legs taking him to where the Celta player stands waiting for the passed ball.
Gavi immediately intercepts, kicking it over to Pedri who's started his sprint.
Gavi spots Lewy further up on the field, something Pedri must've seemed to realised to as he kicks the ball over to Lewy.
Lewy dribbles past the only Celta defender that has managed to rush back, leaving him completely open against the goalie.
Lewy sends it, the ball hitting the net with ease.
Gavi immediately runs towards him, jumping and cheering.
He jumps into Lewy's arms, shouting and clapping him on his back. Pedri joins them, the three hugging and jumping. The rest of the team is quick to follow, cheering loudly.
It had been less than two minutes into the game, and Barcelona had already scored.
The fans are chanting Lewy's name, the stadium in full action.
Gavi looks over to Flick who stands in the coaching zone. Flick claps his hands and sends him a big grin.
Gavi nods, happy that Flick appreciates him in the play.
They jog back to their side of the field, hungry for more.
There was no way that Gavi would give this up.
.
Second half still shows the score 1-0 to Barcelona. Gavi's skin was starting to feel warmer for every minute.
He could hear himself panting, out of breath from a creeping exhaustion.
There was only twenty minutes left of the game when the first dizzy spell hits Gavi.
He forces himself upright, rapidly blinking his eyes in hope that it disappears before the referee starts the game again after a free kick to Celta.
The world tilts back onto its axis just as the referee blows his whistle.
Gavi brings his focus back on the opposing team.
They manage to get past Barcelona's first line of defence, but Pau is quick to send the ball out of the penalty area.
Celta gets a throw in, being taken by Durán.
Gavi spots Hugo Álvarez make a rush for it. Gavi quickly runs after him, seeing the ball being thrown towards them.
They sprint towards the ball before them, elbowing each other in hope of getting to it first.
Gavi manages to kick it to his left, rounding Álvarez as he manages to get control of the ball.
Álvarez is hot on his heels and Gavi knows that he has to pass it fast before Álvarez takes it.
He scans the field, sending a long pass to Raphinha.
Álvarez swears behind him and Gavi feels a hard shove in his back.
He manages to stay upright, the dizziness coming back in full force.
Normally he'd turn around, chest pushed out and head ready to connect to the opposite player. He would shout at them, ask them what their problem is, tell them off.
Not this time.
This time Gavi could only focus on staying upright.
He feels sick, like he's going to throw up.
He pushes that down too, pushes everything down as far as it can go.
"Hey!" Eric shouts, having run up to the two players.
" 's fine." Gavi manages, finally being able to see properly.
Eric sends him a confused look, clearly expecting Gavi to be furious with the other player.
Gavi focuses back on the game, realising that Celta had retrieved the ball and steadily moving forward.
Gavi rushes towards the player with the ball, ignoring the forming headache.
He doesn't have time for his body to start breaking now.
Push through it.
It's your future at stake.
Don't lose what you've worked so hard to get.
The thoughts forces him to focus on the player making their way towards him.
Gavi pulls his arms behind his back, not ready to get a handball violation even though he's not even in the penalty area.
It's one of the newer players in Celta; young and cocky.
Gavi angles himself, forcing the player to go to Gavi's right.
The player tries to cut in on the inside, but Gavi is quick to kick the ball out of the newbie's feet.
They scramble for the ball, the newbie clearly not ready for his team to lose possession of the ball.
Gavi feels the newbie's cleats suddenly digging into his right ankle.
He falls, immediately clutching his hurting ankle.
The sound of a whistle makes the hurried voices in his head calm down.
He doesn't have to stand up right now, the game was paused.
"You good?" Frenkie asks, being the first by his side.
Gavi bites his lip, nodding.
The action makes his head spin worse, his stomach churning.
The heat was getting worse, like the sun was skinning him alive.
Gavi forces himself to sit up, watching his ankle.
There was no blood, only pain.
Frenkie pulls out a hand, helping Gavi stand up.
Frenkie pats his back just as Pedri arrives.
"You okay?" He asks, looking into Gavi's eyes.
There must be something that Pedri sees, because his eyebrows furrow in worry.
"Gavi?" Pedri asks again, slower this time.
Gavi swallows down the bile.
"I'm okay." He manages to answer, trying his best to force the world back into balance.
Pedri doesn't get to interject.
The referee blows his whistle, indicating that they have to start again. The Celta de Vigo player is showed a yellow and Gavi is awarded with a free kick.
The rest of the team move up the field, waiting for Gavi's hand signal.
Gavi swallows, ignoring Pedri's worried look.
He holds his hand up, indicating for everyone to expand outwards.
Gavi sends the ball to Pedri, hoping that it makes Pedri lose focus on him.
It works.
Pedri scans the field, his brain already seeing three steps ahead.
Pedri starts dribbling, pushing past two defenders before sending it to Lamine on the right.
Lamine easily picks it up, dribbling past his own defender, cutting on the inside.
It's his favourite move, and also the move that he scores most goals on.
Lamine shoots.
The ball sails over the goalkeeper's outstretched hands and into the goal.
Lamine immediately throws his arms out and takes off running. The others hurry after him and Gavi forces himself to do the same.
He forces himself into the hugs, ignoring the way his skin was starting to feel like it was on fire.
Pedri sends him a look full of concern, but Gavi ignores it.
"That's it! Keep going hermanos!" Raphinha shouts, slapping everyone on the back.
Gavi forces down the vomit again, his dizziness getting worse.
Pedri moves forward to steady him, but Gavi immediately moves away.
He forces himself to jog back, eyes focused on the grass.
One foot ahead of the other.
He looks up at the clock.
Ten minutes left.
Only ten minutes.
Then he could go home and lay in bed.
He worked too hard to give up now.
Ten minutes.
The referee blows their whistle, Celta immediately pushing forward.
Gavi follows their movements, his skin burning.
Ten minutes.
He just had to stop the ball, send it to someone else and then hope that they take care of the rest.
Álvarez comes back with full force, dribbling past Pedri.
Gavi runs, ignoring his throbbing head as he tries to kick the ball away from Álvarez.
He manages to get a foot on the ball, sending it out the sideline.
Álvarez swears loudly, the sound almost not reaching Gavi's ears that are ringing.
He can feel his entire body starting to shut down.
Gavi moves to mark Álvarez, waiting for Celta to throw in the ball.
The Celta player throws it to another player and Gavi keeps following Álvarez.
Follow Álvarez.
That's all he had to do.
He sees Frenkie stealing the ball.
Barcelona starts running and Gavi forces himself to follow.
The ball manages to get to Lamine who shoots for a second time.
Iván Villar catches it comfortably, laying down with it.
Good.
More time wasted.
Gavi looks up at the clock again.
Five minutes.
He runs back, focusing on staying upright rather than which player that was coming towards him.
Celta sends a long ball, being caught by the newbie.
Gavi swallows down the bile, spotting Beltrán finding a free area.
The ball is sent to him and Gavi runs.
He's not fast enough.
Beltrán dribbles past him, running towards the penalty area.
Gavi feels close to collapsing.
He sees Pau blocking the shot, the ball going out the end line.
Corner kick.
Gavi jogs to the penalty area.
The other players surround him, smells growing stronger by the second.
Too much.
Everything was too much.
Celta sends the ball, a high kick.
Players jumps to either send it into the net or away.
Tek manages to jump the highest, grabbing ahold of it.
He does the same as Villar, gently going down with it in his arms.
Gavi looks up at the clock.
Two extra minutes.
Just two more minutes.
Tek rolls it out to Araujo who kicks it to Pau. Pau sends it back to Araujo.
They're trying their best to waste as much time as possible.
Pau sends it to Gavi, and it's a miracle that he manages to both receive it and pass it to Frenkie.
Frenkie stands with it for a couple of seconds before passing Pedri.
Gavi watches the ball being passed between the players until Raphinha decides that it's time to attack.
Raphinha dribbles past his defender, sending a pass to Lewy who's right in the middle of the penalty area.
Lewy passes it to Frenkie, who sends it to Lamine.
Lamine runs, kicking the ball over to Lewy again.
A Celta defender manages to get ahold of the ball, sending it up the field.
Gavi manages to get it, kicking it down to Pau.
The sound of the referee's whistle feels like a blessing.
The team runs, hugging each other tightly.
Gavi tries his best to do the same, but the dizziness forces him to turn towards the tunnel.
He needs to get out of here.
"Gavi!"
Oh shit.
Pedri runs over to him, standing in front of him, blocking Gavi's way.
"Move." Gavi says, trying his best to sound assertive but it comes out more as a plea.
Pedri scans over his face and immediate understanding crosses over his face.
He grabs Gavi's left upper arm, guiding him into the tunnel.
Gavi stumbles on the steps up to the locker room, Pedri's hold being the only reason that he manages to stay upright.
"You're burning up." Pedri murmurs, opening the door for Gavi.
Gavi immediately sinks down on the floor.
He must've blacked out, because when he opens his eyes he's laying on his back.
Pedri kneels down next to him, the other staff asking them questions.
Gavi doesn't answer.
His mouth opens and he immediately chokes on the vomit coming from his mouth.
Hands immediately move him onto his side, holding his head so that the vomit doesn't choke him again.
The retching was probably loud considering that Gavi could feel his stomach and throat constricting.
The ringing was growing louder, drowning out the sound of his teammates entering.
He retches a couple of more times before his stomach's decided that it doesn't have anything more for Gavi to throw up.
Someone wipes his face, moving him to lay on his back again.
"-burning up."
"-he responsive?"
Gavi trembles, pulling on the end of his jersey.
Hot.
It was too hot.
Hands help him out of his jersey as cold towels are placed on his chest and behind his neck.
Gavi sags in relief.
"Gavi? Gavi can you hear me?" A voice breaks through the ringing and Gavi turns to see Flick crouching down next to him.
Gavi swallows, the taste of vomit making him shudder.
A water bottle is put in front of him and Gavi greedily drinks it, his head being supported by strong hands.
"You have to tell us what's going on Gavi." Flick says once Gavi's done with the bottle.
The voice telling him to fight, to lie and twist away has disappeared.
There was only pain left, pain that pleaded for Gavi to tell someone, to make someone help.
"Hurts." Gavi whines, feeling a gentle hand stroke his forehead.
He realises that his head is laying in Pedri's lap, and that it was Pedri's hand on his forehead.
Mate.
"Where does it hurt?" Flick asks surprisingly gently.
" 'm head, my skin, neck." Gavi slurs, trying his best to keep his eyes open.
"Skin?" Someone asks, making Gavi realise that the whole team was still here.
"Neck? Gavi- I'm going to take off your scent patches, okay?" Pedri's voice immediately interrupts the other person.
Gavi tries to shake his head, mouthing no.
Pedri sends him a sad look, caressing Gavi's cheek.
"I'm sorry, I have to." Pedri apologises.
Hands touch his neck, reaching for his patches.
Gavi lets out a blood curling scream of pain when Pedri tugs on his patches.
Pedri immediately freezes whilst Gavi sobs.
It hurts.
"-have to keep going."
"-going to be okay Pedri."
The hands come back, this time pulling both patches off.
Gavi arches forward in pain, screaming from the acute pain.
He's guided back down, his head placed once more in Pedri's lap.
The room was silent apart from his cries and Pedri's quiet apologies.
"Shit."
"He's- he's an omega?"
Gavi's sobs ebb out when something cool is massaged into his scent glands.
"Gavi?"
Gavi turns, seeing the team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia kneeling next to him, holding a tube of cream in his hand.
"You have a serious inflammation and infection in both your scent glands. We have to call an ambulance, your body is starting to shut down and it's very possible that you might go into or already have sepsis." Carles explains, but Gavi shakes his head.
No.
No hospital.
There couldn't be any records of his designation.
"No one can know." He pleads, tears leaving his eyes.
"Gavi we have to call an ambulance. You could die from this, it's not up for discussion." Flick states, looking angry rather than gentle.
Gavi lets out a sob.
"How long has it been since you presented Gavi?" Carles asks gently.
Gavi swallows.
It was out, his secret was out now.
"Since I was eleven." He whispers, trying to focus on Pedri's hands that were stroking his hair and cheek.
The room grows even more quiet.
Carles nods slowly.
"So you've known for seven years then. Are you on any suppressants? The hospital will need to know." Carles asks calmly.
Gavi swears in his head.
It wasn't bad enough that he wouldn't get to play football, now he would go to jail for the illegal suppressants.
"Rhamzytadoxin." Gavi says quietly.
Carles swallows, looking less calm.
"The illegal suppressant?" He asks, voice clear from accusation.
Gavi only nods.
"When did you start with it, and did you ever pause or stop using it?" Carles continues, writing down Gavi's answers.
Gavi feels confusion coursing through his entire body.
"Since I was eleven." He answers, looking at Carles to see if it was a trick question.
He could hear quiet swearing in the locker room.
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes." Flick says, breaking the shock in the room as he stands up.
"Have you been made aware of the side effects that Rhamzytadoxin has?" Carles asks, seemingly too shocked to keep asking about Gavi's medical records.
Gavi shrugs.
Carles waits for an answer.
The team stays silent.
"Doesn't matter, I need it to play." Gavi finally answers but Carles doesn't seem content by Gavi's answer.
"Can you explain? Do you have an illness?"
Gavi wishes that he didn't have to explain this.
He was tired, in pain and tired.
"Can't be an omega and play professional football at the same time. This was the only way." Gavi explains tiredly.
No one argues.
Either because they agree or because they still doesn't quite believe what's happening.
"Okay, and who knows about your designation?" Carles asks, sounding like it's his last question.
"My parents." Gavi answers easily, melting into Pedri's body.
He looks up at Pedri.
Pedri looks back, his eyes red rimmed but full of something that can only be described as complete and unwavering protectiveness.
"It's going to be okay Pablo, I'll fix this." Pedri promises, his voice gentle with a dark shadow underneath it.
The door opens and Gavi sees five paramedics hurrying inside.
The rest of the team moves back, but Gavi suddenly grabs ahold of Pedri's hand, forcing him to stay.
Mate.
"Páblo Martín Páez Gavira?" A muscular man with blonde curls and green eyes asks.
A weird combination of muscles, blonde curls and green eyes.
Carles answers for Gavi, something Gavi feels incredibly grateful for.
The paramedics check him over, checking his blood pressure and pulse.
"Low blood pressure and low pulse. He needs to be rushed in now, he has a high fever 42.5." The weird man states, pulling off the strap from the blood pressure machine.
"They can't know." Gavi pleads whilst looking up at Pedri.
Pedri sends him a pained look, but it quickly turns into a steady one.
"We'll fix it, don't worry. No one's going to find out unless you want to from now on." Pedri answers.
It soothes something deep inside Gavi.
Mate.
Gavi feels his eyes slipping shut despite of the loud voices trying to force him awake.
His mate would take care of it.