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"Fermín, what are you doing?" Raphinha is doing another round of squats when he hears one of the team members shouting.
He grabs the ball Eric just kicked to him, turning his attention to Fermín, Ronald, and a couple of La Masia boys who have just joined the team. Raphinha doesn't quite understand what's happening when he sees Ronald pulling Fermín away from the pair of boys, who look at the rest of the team in alarm.
"What happened?" Eric asks over the commotion that's starting. Frenkie walks over to Fermín, Gavi following him.
Hansi looks angry, his expression is steely, glaring at the participants from where Raphinha thinks a disagreement has just occurred.
"I don't know," he says. Raphinha drops the elastic band and the ball on the ground. "I'll be right back."
He walks to where they are, Fermín red as a tomato. Ronald is talking to him, his hands cupping the younger boy's face, trying to calm him down.
The scent of anger is subtle in the air, a trace of fear too, beneath all the odor blockers. But there's only so much the medication can do with them sweating as much as they're doing now.
When he gets close enough, he hears the boys talking. "—unintentionally, we didn't see he was so close. S-sorry!"
"Are you blind or something? You were five feet away from me, cabrón!"
"Fermín! Enough!" Ronald yells impatiently, pulling Fermín across the field. He tries to push Ronald's arms away from him, but the older boy is much stronger.
Fermín looks into his eyes as they pass by Raphinha. He looks angry, but Raphinha can smell the anguish underneath it all, the guilt.
Ronald walks down the stairs to the locker room with him, while Raphinha listens to the pair of boys, the puppies they are, embarrassed and exclaiming apologies to the others on the training field.
Raphinha feels sorry for them.
When Hansi tells them they're okay and walks back to his place on the field, Raphinha goes to them. He confirms the coach's words, saying that Fermín isn't like that, that he's probably just having a bad day, and calming the more nervous of the boys, who still smells a bit nervous and scared.
Now for the main problem.
He knows that the first few months after a presentation can be difficult, especially when it happens at a late age, like the younger boy.
He learned about Fermín's presentation from Ronald, a week and a half after they went on vacation. He told Raphinha how the younger boy had a high fever and intense pain for almost a full week.
He told Raphinha that nurses from the club's medical team took care of him during the first few days of his routine. They'd been monitoring the potential presentation for a few months, from what Raphinha had heard, that it could be quite difficult for him to go through it with an unprepared partner, due to the intensity it could reach.
He doesn't know if after the days of high intensity the boy was allowed to find a proper partner by his own choice, but that's really none of Raphinha's business.
As he walks back to Eric, Hansi announces a five-minute rest.
"I'm going to check on Fermín," he says to Eric. "I think he's probably already writhing in shame for what he did."
"Okay. He definitely needs to get out of his own head now."
As Raphinha descends the stairs to the locker room, Ronald is on his way up. "How is he?" he asks quietly, in case Fermín is nearby.
"He's calmer, but I think it might be better if he came back only for afternoon training now."
"I'll talk to him."
The younger alpha pats Raphinha on the shoulder encouragingly before heading back onto the field.
When he enters the locker room, the air smells of embarrassment, and something else Raphinha can't quite put his finger on. Maybe impatience?
Fermín looks at him from his usual seat, quickly bowing his head in embarrassment. He's sweaty, just like Raphinha, and his neck looks incredibly red.
"Are you going to scold me too?" he asks, his voice sounding like he's just been crying.
Raphinha sits down next to him, and the boy feels almost like a furnace, the heat radiating from his body.
"You know I'm not." he says.
Fermín shakes his head and is silent for a moment.
Raphinha doesn't want to force him to talk; he never has. Not with Fermín .
After a minute or so, he speaks.
"I don't know what came over me," he says, shaking his head again, sprinkling beads of sweat from his curly hair onto Raphinha's thigh. "I've been feeling really, I don't know, nervous, angry, lately."
"Yeah?"
He squirms a little, looking embarrassed. "I don't know, I'm fine, and suddenly out of nowhere, I feel really angry and, and... I don't know, like I need… something ."
He finally looks at Raphinha, and his face is completely red. Probably from exercising in the sun for almost an hour. But there's something else there, too, simmering subtly beneath his skin.
His eyes look a little unfocused, and that makes Raphinha a little worried about him.
"Something?"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't know." He runs his hands over his face, looking frustrated at having to express his feelings. "You should know, aren't you an alpha too?"
Raphinha stifles a giggle. "I am, but I presented when I was sixteen, so it wasn't as late as yours. You're probably going through things I didn't."
"Great, fucking great." He swears irritably. "Why did it have to be different with me?" He stands up, and Raphinha watches him out of caution. "Why couldn't I have presented like everyone else?"
His scent grows astringent again, almost too unpleasant for the older alpha's sense of smell. Fermín can't go back to the field like this. He seems too out of control, too fickle.
If he's honest, Raphinha has noticed how different the younger boy has been for days, seeming listless and more tired than usual.
He initially thought it was part of the adjustment to the new hormones now coursing through his veins; that since it was such a late presentation, it’s been probably too much for him to handle.
But since they returned, Raphinha has noticed he seems reticent around him. The sweet, malleable pup seemed to be giving way to a baby alpha hesitant and wary of everyone around him.
So Raphinha decided to give him some time to adjust to being an alpha and having alphas around him.
It doesn't seem like he's doing very well so far.
Raphinha considers what to do.
"Wait here a bit," he announces, and Fermín looks at him, his eyes moist, and Raphinha takes pity on him. "I'll tell Hansi we're going for a walk. Don't do anything stupid," he says firmly.
Fermín looks like he wants to say something, but Raphinha is already climbing the stairs.
He calls Ronald, Frenkie, and Pedri, and they go to Hansi.
"I want to take Fermín to cool off a bit. He doesn't seem well; the hormones from the presentation still seem to be messing with his head." He tells them.
"I think it's a valid idea," Frenkie says. "He's not like that. He seemed like a different person.."
"He needs to go to the medical department again," Ronald adds.
"I'll talk to him later too. It's been a difficult few days for him." Pedri says.
"I promise to bring him back for the five o'clock training session."
The coach listens to the captains in silence.
Raphinha waits for his response.
"Well, I think he'll get away this time, because his conditions are really unusual," the coach says. "If you're late, don't expect either him or you to play in the next match." He addresses Raphinha specifically.
The Brazilian nods. "Okay. Thank you."
He tells Eric he'll be out for a few hours, briefly explaining the situation, and then goes downstairs to the locker room.
"Let's go." Fermín looks at him. "Hansi gave us permission to go for a walk."
His scent has diminished again, a little less distressed.
"What do you mean? Are you serious?"
"Yes." Raphinha walks to his locker, removing the sandals he brought this morning. "Is there somewhere you want to go?" He sits down to remove his cleats, not bothering to change out of his training uniform.
"Rapha..." Raphinha looks at him, untying his laces. "You're the best, seriously." He smiles at the younger boy, who smiles back.
He goes to his locker and does the same thing as Raphinha, only changing his shoes.
"Don't thank me, I'm just trying to keep you from attacking a teammate because you're too baby to handle alpha hormones yet," he teases.
Fermín glares at him, red cheeks, slipping on his flip-flops.
A shy baby alpha. Raphinha loves to push his buttons.
"You're the worst."
Raphinha laughs, and they get up to walk to the parking lot.
"So, where would you like to go?" He walks with Fermín to his car.
Even though there aren't likely to be many fans outside at this time, he still prefers they leave in a car with tinted windows. Which isn't the case with the younger alpha's car.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe somewhere with water, that's private. I don't feel like cameras pointing at me right now. I think I could strangle a busybody with a camera right now."
They get into Raphinha's car.
"Okay, big alpha." He hears Fermín half-whining, half-laughing, as Raphinha starts the car. "We can go to my place then. The pool will definitely help you and we can order food."
"Sounds good."
He drives with Fermín whining like a child about how it's been hellishly hot since he presented. Raphinha takes the opportunity to discreetly sniff out the boy's scent.
His scent has calmed down now.
When he was an unpresented pup, Raphinha used to discreetly scent him almost daily, a habit he'd picked up naturally, because Raphinha didn't like the idea of him wandering around scentless, as if he didn't have a pack to belong to.
Then, when Fermín seemed to accept and even seek out the act, they made it a thing. It's something packs do.
So when he came back from vacation with a new scent, his own , an alpha's, it was a bit strange for Raphinha's brain to assimilate it as Fermín's scent.
With all that sweat, inside the cramped space of the car, Raphinha can smell it better than he could before.
He smells like mint, like a forest after the rain. Like comfort.
Raphinha likes it.
The drive is quick and soon they're pulling into the older alpha's house, the view of the city below beautiful as always.
They walk through Raphinha's barbecue area, Fermínwalking closer to the pool.
"You already know the place, make yourself at home," Raphinha says. "Do you want to borrow some shorts? I must have some new ones somewhere."
Raphinha grabs a juice from the cooler, while Fermín takes off his sandals and sits on one of the lounge chairs. "Yes, please, I feel I'm about to combust in this heat."
"Okay." Raphinha hands him the juice and walks inside.
He doesn't think the symptoms Fermín is experiencing are normal. He doesn't remember feeling so hot after his first routine, nor has he ever heard it from any of his alpha friends before.
And this whole anger thing? He doesn't think he's ever seen Fermín this temperamental and reactive, not even in the most competitive games. He knows this is very unusual for someone as sweet and inoffensive as Fermín.
And yet, if these symptoms had been occurring before the first routine, Raphinha wouldn't be surprised. But weeks later ?
This is definitely not normal.
He'll ask the boy later.
Raphinha changes into shorts and a t-shirt and grabs a new pair of shorts for Fermín.
When he returns, Fermín is under a beach umbrella, the juice gone, and Raphinha is a little startled by the state of the bottle.
The younger boy has what used to be the bottle between his teeth, the plastic completely warped and drool-covered. His expression is almost serious, as if he's one hundred percent focused on completely finishing off the poor bottle.
"Fermín?"
He looks at Raphinha, his cheeks looking even pinker now. His sweat-damp curls stuck to his forehead. His light brown hair almost completely turned to black.
This is definitely not normal.
“Oh.” He says, quickly taking the bottle out of his mouth, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, using the back of one hand to wipe the saliva from his lips. "You're back?"
"Tío, what are you doing? You destroyed the bottle."
Fermín hurries to get up, taking the pair of shorts Raphinha hands him. "I-I don't know. I just feel like I have a constant itch in my gums."
He goes to the small restroom next to the pool to change, even though Raphinha has seen him naked more times than he can remember.
He sits on the sun lounger, and Fermín's scent is stronger there, as if it has clung to the fabric. Raphinha sniffs curiously, and the smell is so potent it makes him want to bare his teeth.
The mint is so strong, almost challenging, as if the younger boy's alpha is ready to bite someone at any moment.
He wonders what could be causing Fermín's alpha to react so much, to make him so distressed, so restless.
He's not an expert in secondary biology, not even remotely, so all of this seems far beyond Raphinha's reach, and his alpha feels anxious about the possible problems a member so close to his pack might be facing.
“Help him. You're the oldest alpha.”
His alpha hammers in his head, instincts making Raphinha's senses alert. He needs to protect Fermín. Help him.
Fermín leaves the small restroom.
"Shall we go in?"
He smiles at Raphinha, looking a little better, bringing some relief to the older man's alpha.
"Let's go."
They enter the pool, the cool water immediately bringing relief from the intense heat of the Spanish summer.
He watches as Fermín dives into the cool water, Raphinha himself dunking his head to wet his long curls.
He dives in, heading for Fermín, surfacing to place his hands on the younger boy's shoulders and playfully dunking him back into the water.
Fermín retaliates by tickling Raphinha's abdomen underwater, making Raphinha giggle as he tries to catch the baby alpha.
Fermín comes up for air, his signature sweet smile returning. The scent of the forest softened by the chlorine in the water.
"I really needed this. I couldn't take the heat anymore," he says as he does little jumps in the water. The pool isn't very deep, but he crouches down so the water is up to his neck.
"Good thing you have me then, right?" He smiles at Fermín, who splashes him playfully.
They dive in and play in the water. Raphinha pushes him into the water only to irritate him and hear him whimper repeatedly.
They stay in the water, playing and cooling off for almost half an hour. Raphinha jumps off the edge of the pool, causing Fermín to cough up water and complain to him.
It's a nice afternoon.
At one point, when they're playfully sparring again, the younger alpha climbs onto Raphinha's back, his legs wrapped around the older one's waist, while Raphinha tries to throw him off once more. One moment, they're laughing euphorically, the next, Raphinha growls when Fermín presses his lips very close to his odoriferous gland. His teeth scraping the skin.
He pulls the boy off him in milliseconds, the younger alpha whimpering and showing the neck in submission immediately.
It's so fast that Raphinha can't even think before growling at him.
Fermín looks utterly embarrassed, breathing heavily, his face bright red, and he smells like a puppy that's just been kicked by its owner.
Raphinha breathes for a few seconds, trying to gather his thoughts.
He looks at the younger alpha and feels sorry for him. He’s still frozen and breathing heavily
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Fer, I didn't growl on purpose." Fermín maintains his punishing stance. "Look, I didn't mean to, okay? It was just my stupid alpha instinct. Don't be like that."
He slowly reaches out to the younger boy, and when he doesn't pull away, Raphinha gently touches his damp hair. Fermín lets out a small squeak before Raphinha pulls him into a hug.
"I'm sorry," he says softly to Raphinha, who strokes his hair, silencing him, apologizing as well.
He holds Fermín for a while, until he relaxes in his embrace and holds Raphinha back.
"Shall we order lunch?" he says, pulling away to look the younger boy in the eye. His eyes are a little moist, and it's almost a punch to Raphinha's gut.
"Okay." He nods.
Raphinha kisses his forehead gently for a few seconds. Then he pulls him to sit on the lounge chairs.
Raphinha lets him choose lunch while he goes to get some fruit and drinks to keep the electrolytes in.
He grabs some towels for them and sits in the chair next to Fermín. They chat about other things, mainly to put the awkward atmosphere behind them while they wait for the food.
Did he really want to bite Raphinha? Or was it just his instincts kicking in?
When Raphinha thinks about it, the juice bottle wasn't the first time he'd seen Fermín do that. Now that he thinks about it, he remembers seeing the younger alpha constantly chewing gum or using lollipops for the past few days.
He just thought it was his sweet tooth again. But after this near-bite in the pool? Maybe not.
They eat peacefully by the pool when the food arrives, something with lots of seafood, which Fermín ordered.
The midday heat has subsided a bit, giving way to the cool breezes coming off the sea.
"Why does everything taste better when we eat after a while in the water?"
"I don't know. In Brazil, we say that water stimulates the appetite? Maybe it's a matter of calorie expenditure?" Raphinha responds, finishing his shrimp rice.
Fermín listens to him like a disciple of a wise master.
"I think you're right." He sips his strawberry juice. "Whenever I have a problem with my appetite, I'll remember that."
"Whenever you feel like you're not hungry, will you take a dip in the pool? Even in winter?" Raphinha smiles at him.
"You're an idiot." He smiles back. He leans back in his chair, looking satisfied. "What time do we have to be back?"
Raphinha imitates him. "We have to be there before five, so…" He turns on his phone screen. "We have about two hours left."
"Time for a nap?" He suggests with a mischievous, childlike smile to Raphinha.
Raphinha just adores him.
"I think we can do that." Raphinha smiles at him, nodding.
Raphinha gathers up the leftover food and packaging and discards them, while the younger alpha brushes his teeth with a new toothbrush Raphinha hands him.
After Raphinha brushes his own teeth too, he grabs some mats and takes them to the grass near the pool, where there's some shade.
Fermín lies down as soon as they adjust the two mats together, letting out a happy sigh. "I could die of happiness right now. It's incredible that I could have a moment to rest while everyone is having their skin ripped off by Hansi at the gym right now."
Raphinha lies down beside him. "I think I deserve the award for best alpha of the year, right?"
He gives Raphinha a harmless punch on the shoulder, his angelic smile on full display. "You should win for most cocky alpha, that's what."
Raphinha looks at the curls forming in his slightly longer hair now. They look soft after being washed by the chlorine from the pool. Raphinha brings his hand to them, gently twirling them with his fingers.
Fermín lets him, his smile small and soft on his lips now.
"You've never had your hair this long before." he comments.
"Yes. I wanted to change it up a bit this summer."
"It looks nice on you." Raphinha smiles softly at him, and is rewarded with the increased scent of the forest.
Fermín turns to face the cloudless blue sky with rosy cheeks. He struggles with the compliment a bit. "Thank you."
Birds sing in the distance, and the smell of salt carried by the wind makes Raphinha want to sleep here. He hears Fermín peacefully breathing beside him.
But he needs to ask Fermín. Reassure his alpha that he's not in danger.
It looks like a good time.
"That heat you've been feeling..." he begins, Fermín turning his attention back to him. "Did you feel it before the presentation? Or during it?"
Fermín looks a little red as he thinks about his first routine.
"Well... yes, a little," he says, looking somewhere over Raphinha's shoulder. "I felt very hot the first few days of the routine, like, like I was dying."
"Oh?"
Fermín continues after a moment, even though he seems completely shy. "The club doctors told me that since I presented late, some of the symptoms could be very severe and even unusual." He pauses. "And... since I didn't have uh-- a partner, for the first routine, that some symptoms could last for a few weeks beyond the routine, but that it wasn't anything to really worry about, just my body adapting to the new hormones."
"So, what you're going through now, all this heat and other strange things... did they warn you?"
"Well, yes," he says.
"But that didn't do anything to prepare you for how strong they would be, right?"
"Right."
Raphinha sees how shy he seems about this whole presentation and routine thing, but he has to ask.
"Those symptoms they told you about, did they... say anything about the urge to bite?"
Fermín looks completely red.
"I... they said that within the symptoms, it could happen."
"The urge to bite?"
"Y-yes."
Raphinha approaches him, curious. The scent of forest and mint grows softly.
"And how has it been? Do you feel the urge to bite, like, mark? Or just bite?"
"Well... I don't really know. Sometimes it's like, like I just need to bite and bite to make the itch go away. And other times..."
He turns to face the sky, and Raphinha rests his head on his hand, bending his elbow to raise herself slightly above him. And his chest is all pink, starting from his solar plexus, all the way to the top of his cheeks.
Beautiful .
"And other times?"
Fermín glances at him, looking away before speaking. Raphinha watches as his chest rises and falls a little faster, but not much.
"Other times, it's like my senses sharpen, telling me to bite. To mark."
Well, that just raises another question in Raphinha's racing mind. His alpha pushing him to question, to inquire.
"Like in the pool?"
Fermín whimpers, covering his eyes with his hands.
Raphinha waits, the scent of shyness wafting through the air.
"I, y-yes."
Raphinha feels heat flood his belly at his words. His baby alpha.
Another question.
"And have you done this to anyone else? Have you tried to bite anyone after becoming a baby alpha?"
"Raphinha!"
His cheeks are incredibly red, but he knows it's not from the heat of the sun now.
He lets the index finger of his free hand run over the side of his abdomen gently, the skin spasming at the contact.
"Have you?"
He looks at Fermín, who stares back.
"No," he says, looking away. "It hasn't happened to anyone else."
And Raphinha can't control the low growl in his throat. Fermín stretches his neck again in response, his chest rising and falling faster.
Raphinha closes his eyes to concentrate. He needs to focus on helping the younger alpha, not his own deviant thoughts.
He lies down again.
"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry. Again," he says, pulling Fermín to him, limp as a rag doll. "I... I couldn't help myself."
Fermín snuggles against him, looking a little overwhelmed. Raphinha gently strokes his curls. He doesn't say anything for a while, and Raphinha feels a little guilty.
He thinks of something. It could go very wrong, but he doesn't care.
"If you want... you can bite me," he says softly.
Fermín seems frozen for a second. "W-what?" he says, looking at Raphinha, eyes wide and cheeks red.
"I'll let you." He answers honestly. "Of course, not in my scent gland, nor in visible places. But yes for the other parts, if it will help you with the biting urge."
The scent of mint and forest explodes, so strong that Raphinha feels almost drowning in it. His own scent of wood and pine grows to mingle with Fermín's.
He breathes deeply, pleased that the younger alpha is excited about the offer.
He's startled when Fermín stands up slightly. He stares at Raphinha for a moment, his cheeks flushed and beautiful. "You... you mean that? R-really?"
Raphinha smiles softly at him. "Yes."
He hears the younger alpha stifle a low growl, Raphinha's own alpha reacting to it, causing him to squeeze Fermín's neck roughly, establishing dominance. This makes the boy's eyes moist with unshed tears.
He slowly loosens his grip, and Fermín struggles for breath before lowering himself languidly. Raphinha follows him with his eyes, his hand only lightly stroking his sensitive neck.
He moves closer to his collarbones, pressing his chest against Raphinha's, who sighs. Raphinha feels Fermín shyly brush his lips against the skin of his right shoulder. He encourages him by stroking the base of his hair, even though his alpha warns him a little about the potential danger.
"Rapha..." He hears him whimper. Raphinha wraps his other arm around his waist.
"It's okay," he whispers.
Fermín leaves kittenish licks over the skin, before Raphinha feels his teeth scrape lightly. He licks his lips and strokes the baby alpha's head approvingly.
Fermín's scent intensifies.
Then he increases the pressure, kneading Raphinha's flesh, who breathes more heavily from the sting.
His mind sings with the feeling. Anything to help the baby, Raphinha would do anything for him.
Fermín withdraws his sharp canines and licks the spot several times. Raphinha can't contain the satisfied purr in his chest at the sensation.
He then does this all over Raphinha's shoulders, sometimes stopping when he gets too close to the older alpha's neck and Raphinha growls at him.
He descends then, and Raphinha's chest is covered in teeth marks and saliva. Raphinha's head is a mess as he struggles with the sensations, but the scent of arousal Fermín exudes is like a drug to him, and his alpha .
He lets him do this until Fermín seems completely overwhelmed and Raphinha has to take control of the situation.
Fermín breathes heavily, his eyes completely unfocused as Raphinha pushes him onto the mat.
The scent of their arousal is so strong that he feels a little dizzy from it. The arousal of another alpha .
"Satisfied, baby alpha?"
He looks at Raphinha, as if he's been drugged. He lifts a thumb and rubs one of the bites on Raphinha's belly, one that bleeds a little, causing the older alpha to squeak a little.
"Y-yes."
"Yes?"
"No."
Raphinha smiles at how adorable he is.
He leans down and gently kisses Fermín's lips, who purrs in response, his arms slinging around the older alpha's waist.
When he pulls away, tears have rolled down his face, and Raphinha bends down to lick them away. Fermín sighs, his eyes closed.
Raphinha lies down beside him and pulls him close so they can cuddle.
"Raphinha..." He whispers into Raphinha's chest after a few minutes of them breathing together, the pine and mint almost one now.
"Yes?" Raphinha nuzzles his hair, spreading his scent over him, just as he has Fermín's now.
"I... I really like you."
Raphinha feels butterflies in his stomach.
"I really like you too. My baby alpha."
Fermín places a small kiss on the marked skin before leaning back again.
-
When they return to five o'clock training, Ronald comes up to Raphinha after he speaks with Fermín.
He sniffs the air and shakes his head at Raphinha, as if confirming what he was thinking. "You're a bastard."
Raphinha walks off to train with Eric, unfazed. "I really don't know what you're talking about."
If Fermín returns to training that day as the angel he always was, what can Raphinha do?
He's always been someone who enjoyed helping people.