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Jude can feel the sweat dripping down his spine before he even makes it out of the tunnel. The scent patches are abrasive against his skin, tucked just under the collar of his shirt like that will hide his designation from the prying eyes of the sixty five thousand people staring down at them and the other however many millions of people watching at home.
Still, the only man who has the right to know or concern himself with Jude's designation is standing behind him on the opposite side of the tunnel, nose slightly upturned like he can smell what Jude is trying so hard to conceal.
And the thing is, it's not like Erling couldn't work it out, like if he wasn't pre-occupied with the weight of his countries world cup hopes that he wouldn't have figured it out by now.
But he was pre-occupied, and therefore he hadn't clocked the way Jude's scent had turned a little sweeter this week, or the way even in the air conditioned rooms he was still sweating against the scent neutralised bed sheets.
Jude understands the pressure, so he keeps quiet.
Except the sweat dripping down his back as he stands in the tunnel is getting worse, and his fingers itch to go and run themselves through Erlings hair, and he has a quarter final game to win.
So he gets to work.
The heat is sweltering, he distantly thinks that there should be some sort of rule against them playing in these conditions, but the fans will not be denied and management will not be bartered with.
So he ignores the way his body screams at him to drag his alpha off the pitch and go and find a place to nest, and tries to keep himself hydrated long enough to make it to half time.
He hears is alpha's roar of joy as Norway score, and then he scents the wave of pride as he puts one in the back of the net not long after.
Erling's hand brushes his elbow as they pile off the pitch and into the air conditioned locker rooms, so he dances his fingers across the alpha's lower back in response as he passes the other way and goes to collapse in his stall.
Declan is to his left, side-eyeing him like he knows exactly what's not being talked about.
"Hot in here, eh?" Declan murmurs, and Jude can see the AC buffering the loose material of the other omega's shorts.
"Yeah, just gotta get through the game," Jude replies, effectively shutting down the line of questioning he knows is coming.
He knows it's dangerous, knows the consequences if he gets caught.
But it's not like he has a choice, he can't pull out of the quarter final game because he's a day away from his heat.
England would never forgive him.
He worries Haaland wouldn't either.
So he slips into the trainers room, locks the door and digs around for a couple of new scent patches, and then makes his way back to the locker room in time to hear Harry giving some speech about momentum.
He's nearly on his knees by the time he realizes they'll be going into extra time, and he allows himself just the one gentle shove of his alpha as they line up for a corner, let's a smile slip past his facade before channeling his focus back to the game at hand.
When he scores again, he let's himself relax just a touch. He doesn't take his foot off the gas, but he allows himself just a few seconds to drink in his alpha's scent, to let out a little of his own to sooth him as he walks towards the bench.
There's a righteous anger in there, the part of him that isn't the opposing team, the beating heart inside him that wants his alpha to succeed as much as he wants it for himself.
When all is said and done and the crowds are singing his name and the boys are piling on around him, he finds himself letting the leash slip, his eye's searching out his future mate in all his misery and gathering the lads for handshakes so this can all be over and he can finally give in to his baser instincts.
It's when the handshakes are taking place that it happens, his scent patches begin to become unstuck, and suddenly there's an alpha in his neck.
An alpha that is not his.
Erling is on him before the alpha can even remove his head from Jude's neck.
"Mine," he growls.
Jude's grateful for his mate's restraint, that even in the blind haze of realization and rage, that he can hold it together in front of the crowds.
It all happens fairly quickly after that.
They're off the pitch with an unspoken agreement to skip the showers, and then Jude is on his way to Erling's hotel with a bag of his teammates hoodies and his fingers clenched into fists to stop himself ripping his scent patches off.
Erling holds no such restraint, pulling him in through the suite door, fingers immediately stripping him of his sweat soaked shirt.
"Baby, why didn't you tell me?" Erling murmurs, long fingers cradling his face as he brings him in close.
"You know why," Jude replies, pushing his alpha backwards towards the bedroom.
"Help me get these off?" He asks, sitting on the side of the enormous bed and letting Erling kneel between his legs.
His alpha nods, placing a gentle kiss to the inside of his thighs before reaching up and peeling at the barely stuck down patches.
Jude still winces as they come off, the skin red and a little raw where the glue was.
His scent curls around them both, soothing the agitated one emanating from his alpha.
"I'm sorry," Jude starts.
"Is not your fault, and if it can't be us, I wanted it to be you," Erling whispers, sitting back on his heels. Jude knows then, that he had nothing to worry about, that the man kneeling between his legs is utterly devoted to them, to him.
Jude doesn't respond, just finally gives in to that impulse from earlier and runs his hands through his alpha's hair. Erling pushes into his hand like a cat, letting out a little rumble as the omega scratches at his scalp. That thing that's been fizzing inside him settles a touch, soothed now that he finally has his alpha in his arms.
"We need to shower," Jude murmurs reluctantly.
The alpha nods from where his face is resting against his thighs, peeling back and holding out his hands for Jude to take.
He let's himself be pulled from the cloud like mattress, mourning the loss of comfort despite the need to clean himself.
They stand under the spray, colder than Erling probably wants but just right to take the edge off the burgeoning heat inside the omega.
Erling lathers him in soap, washing away the scent of the alpha that couldn't control himself and the sweat and grime of the game until Jude's instincts finally settled, his alpha sat on the bench and allowing him to do the same.
"Wanna nest," Jude whines quietly as Erling wraps towels around them both.
His alpha just nods, letting out waves of soothing scent that are like a balm to Jude's rapidly oversensitised nerves.
He doesn't bother getting dressed other than a pair of boxers, dumping the towel on the floor and making a beeline for the bag of clothes he brought with him.
He was never more grateful for their status than now, the size of the private suite and bed making the perfect place to nest.
He was vaguely aware that his alpha was puttering around behind him, thankfully staying out of his way while he gets to work.
So get to work he did. Yanking all the pillows from around the room into a pile on the floor, rolling their used towels into barriers against the wall, further buffers created by the duvet and top sheet.
Then the real fun began, tucking the pillows into gaps, swiping his alphas clothes from the open suitcase on the floor before raiding the laundry bin.
He couldn't help the way he'd bury his face into the clothes of his teammates and alpha, their familiar scent calming and gentle against his overrought olfactory senses.
They each found their home in his nest, tucked into little crevices and folded neatly around the perimeter towards where their heads would lay.
The final piece was waiting for him, standing against the door frame of the living room, eyes soft and loved up as Jude finally turned towards him.
Jude titled his head in offering, holding his hands out towards his alpha as he made his way across the room, an affectionate little smile plastered on his face.
"It's perfect, snusken." Erling murmurs against him, letting himself be pulled towards the nest.
Jude kneels on the bed, pulling his alpha forwards until they collapsed into a pile of intertwined limbs.
The omega pulled Erling in close, re-arranging his long limbs until his instincts finally settled at the sight.
His fever was getting ready to peak, he could feel it moving inside him, the way his body was preparing him, the urge to hold his alpha close crawling underneath his skin.
"Is close," Erling muses, pulling him until Jude is lying almost completely on top of him, letting him nestle his head up against his scent glands, drinking in the pheromones.
"Want you to bite me," Jude whispers, pressing his lips to the expanse of neck in front of him.
Erling's breathing stutters underneath him, heartbeat picking up a few notches as his hands tighten around the omegas waist.
"You sure, baby?" He murmurs, cradling the back of Jude's neck against his chest where he's finally settled.
Jude can only nod, sleep is trying to take him. He knows he needs it before the marathon of the next fourty eight hours.
"Okay snuskin. Sleep now, I'll be here when you're ready." The alpha murmured, tightening his arms around him and letting his body relax properly into the nest.
Jude nestles further down against him, and as he lets sleep overcome him, finally begins to purr.