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Another DNF, another race he missed out. Antonio rushed through the motorhomes, hid from all the prying eyes that wanted to capture the defeat of the omega who raced alongside the alpha of the grid, the leader of their pack, Kimi. Sobs were pouring out of him and his breath got shaky. Tears filled his vision and everything got blurry. Now, he ran more or less to the safety of the pack room, not wanting to be found. He wrenched the door open and the Italian immediately fell on his knees, head in his hands and crying openly, wailing like a little child.
The race start was actually very good and he quickly overtook some of the others. But in the second round, he smashed the car into the wall, completely demolishing it, race over. And the worst of all: it was completely his own fault! The car was not to blame just his own stupidity and his incompetence. Crawling into a corner, the Italian omega took a few clothes laying around, trying to make a nest. But due to him nearly hyperventilating and shaking like a leaf in the wind, he just managed to make a pile out of it, nowhere close to being called a nest. Screaming at himself, he grabbed his hair. “What kind of omega am I?”, the frustrated omega asked himself, wailing openly while hiding his head in his knees now. His whole body quivered and his shoulders shook from the heavy sobs, hair a mess and cheeks flushed with a constant stream of tears trailing down.
But, if Antonio would have been honest with himself, the reason for his immense sadness wasn’t only just because he crashed during the race. This morning during briefing, Kimi just randomly announced his retirement. For Gio, the whole world came crashing down. His partner at Alfa Romeo, his hero, his pack alpha wanted to go? Antonio was nothing without the Iceman next to him. He needed Kimi as his anchor because otherwise, what was he? He was a bad driver, he knew that much. No one would even look at him along speak with the Italian. Only due to Kimi, others took notice of him or included the shy omega. He was aware of the fact that Alfa didn’t care about his opinion and honestly, what did he offer? He never was close to any victory, he barely received points and interviewers would rather want to try and get Kimi to talk than offer him even a simple chance. Heck, they would even go as far and get a curt reply from the not so talkative alpha and anger him instead of luring others into their conversations.
“I’m not worth it. They’ll abandon me”, Gio whined sadly, wrapping his arms tightly around himself.
But a sudden hand on his shoulder made him fall on his butt. Tears still clouded his eyes but he was able to make out the form of the other pack member: tall, blond, omega. Nico Hülkenberg. Not a single word was spoken between them. The reserve driver just looked at him and quickly put together a simple but beautiful (“Way better than my own”) nest before he gently grabbed the frightened omega, placing him in the middle of it.
“What?”, the other tried to ask but sobs were making it hard for him to speak. The blond just gently shushed him and walked away to gather more things: Kimi’s hoddie, Seb’s jacket, a few shirts from Max, Dan, Pierre and he even was daring enough to go to the beta’s secrets stash of blankets and borrowed some of them. Nico determinedly put those things around the sad Italian while humming softly under his breath, not saying a single word. Rubbing his eyes and whimpering quietly, he tried to help the German, but Antonio just noticed how tired he actually was. After Nico seemed to have finished, he looked expectedly at him.
“May I come in?”, the other omega asked gently, carding soft fingers through his long hair. Antonio whined and scooted a bit away. Why was the German asking him? It was basically his nest. But Antonio now needed the comfort of another pack member, even if he never had direct contact with said member.
Sure, they were in the same pack but the other omega was usually more outgoing, more or less the center of live, and always up for some mischief. Only after the older of the two sprung in to be Sergio’s reserve driver and he got an excellent P8 without any additional training, Gio had gathered all of his courage and talked to the German. For him, this kind of commitment was role model worthy. And to his surprise, he had found out that the two of them quite easily clicked together and had many topics to talk about. Unfortunately, he hadn’t tried to keep this up and rather stayed away, hiding behind Kimi’s or Seb’s back.
Kicking his shoes away, the tall blond easily fit himself next to Antonio, cooing quietly and nosing the top of his head. The scent of the Nico - his lemon like scent combined with another faint trace of wood - and the safety of the nest made Antonio drowsy. Gio turned around to face the other omega and curled up to a little ball.
“Why… ?”, he tried to ask but before he was able to utter a single word, he fell asleep, reassured by the constant petting of the other and the humming of a song, he had never heard before.
***
Sleep didn’t come easy and it was more of a nap. He felt achy, the whole scene drained the Italian and he felt so done. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself clinging more or less to the German. Nico was sitting up and leaned against the wall while Antonio clutched the German’s slim waist, cuddling the other tightly. Nico didn’t seem to notice that he woke up, still pushing rhythmic fingers through his long hair, following the whole length of it before starting again. In the other hand, the older omega held his phone, apparently looking through something.
“What should I say?”, Antonio asked himself only to hear a small chuckle. Realizing that he spoke those words out loud, the Italian looked up, panicking a bit. Amused blue eyes met his own and the German leaned his head to one side.
“Were you able to rest a bit?”, he asked softly, rumbling deeply in his chest, instantly soothing and calming down the tense driver.
Antonio just shrugged his shoulders and tried to rumble in return, to let Nico know he was okay, but he couldn’t muster up the strengt to do so. Instead, a small squeak was emitted and he blushed a bright red.
Of course the other omega heard him and now switched over to cooing at him, drawing soothing patterns on his back.
A few minutes passed and neither of them spoke a word. Their breathing matched up and they were in sync.
Antonio enjoyed the peace and nearly fell asleep again. After all, Nico let out these gentle sounds, which originally were used to sooth frightened pups and the Italian sure as hell was no pup, but they still had the same effect on him.
But shortly after that, he heard Nico clear his throat for a second and he inwardly sighed. He should have known it: the older of the two still wanted to talk with him. Dammit.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me. Just listen to me for a second. You are neither stupid or worthless. If you ever feel like this again or you have even worse thoughts than that, speak to someone, please. With this mindset, you’ll destroy yourself in the near future and you are far too great for that. If you ever need an open ear, I’m a great listener”, Nico started, looking at the young driver in his lap.
Antonio gulped. When did he say that or why did the other know this? Nico now probably must think he’s a lost cause…
“How did you find me?”, he asked instead, not wanting to talk about this uncomfortable topic.
Nico huffed sadly. “Like always, I watched the race. After I saw your crash, something inside me needed to make sure you were alright. Then I saw you having your breakdown, hiding in a corner and decided to interfere. Did you know you were pulling quite harshly on your beautiful hair? Anyways, after you started falling asleep, I took the liberty to message the others and let them know, where we are. But we’re still mid race, so… if you want to talk, I’m here for you”, blue eyes told him their story, straight forward and nothing but the truth. Somehow, Antonio felt touched at the other omega’s words. But, why now?
Tears started streaming down his face again and before he knew it, he hugged Nico.
Something inside him, a barrier he tried to keep up, broke at hearing the things Nico saw. And Nico didn’t hesitate or leave him alone.
“Shh. Let it out, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay, pup. Alright? I’m here for you”, strong arms and the comforting smell surrounded him. Antonio felt safe and protected by it. He wailed openly and pushed his nose against the others neck, desperately scenting him.
He noticed how Nico stiffened for a second and he instantly felt guilty. Antonio tried to push away and apologize but the other omega purred again, pulling him even closer and allowing the close contact.
This was the last straw for Antonio. He needed to let it out now because he couldn’t handle it no more.
“I’m nothing”, with a small voice he began.
“No one takes notice of me, besides the pack of course. Next to Kimi, I’m worthless. I make mistakes on track, interviewers rather go and talk to someone else and I have nothing to offer for the team. I-I don’t know what to do now and with Kimi retiring, what will happen to me? I’ve never won anything, I have not even a pole position. Basically, I’m laughingstock. They all will eventually get rid of me…”, Antonio trailed off at the end, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak let alone swallow down the bitter truth.
To his surprise, Nico just huffed out a laugh. Offended and even hurt, the Italian tried to pull away but the older omega just shushed him then, cooing gently.
“Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just … it’s hard for me to imagine you doubting yourself. Sweetheart, you are fantastic the way you are. You are young and talented. Interviewers may not indulge you a lot but have you seen the your fan base? Gio, you are very much loved and they’re crazy for you. You can and will survive even without Kimi being next to you in the garage, I will bet with you on that”, and with that, the blond haired male rumbled soothingly and nuzzled the top of the other’s head. He also gently guided the Italian’s head to one side to drag his own cheek against it, scenting him to get the lingering smell of sadness away.
Gio let it happen, whining in happiness and forever grateful that the German is trying to help him. When was the last time he spend time with the other omegas in the packs who weren’t called Charles or Sebastian?
“Besides, I think now, without Kimi alongside you, your performances will improve. Nothing against Mr. Iceman of course but… You can go out now and show them “Hey, I managed to do this without a big name next to me”. It may not happen in a month or in a year, but you’ll get there. Give it some time”, he argued and let Antonio hid his face in his neck again, sensing that the younger omega wanted to hide his face. Small hiccups and sniffles still wrecked the frail body but the other slowly calmed down and listened closely to the words Nico spoke.
For Nico, this was a complete new feeling. Usually, he was not the type of person, others were this close to. Sure, he had Sebastian, sometimes Max or Daniel and now Kevin as his mate, but others scenting him? Well, that rarely happened. After all, he was considered to be the brash and “not typical” omega. But the way Antonio looked at him and searched for his proximity, somehow this awakened some urges in him because now all he wanted to do now was to protect the scared Italian.
“But I’m serious. I hope these thoughts of yours were a one time thing, only brought out by the sudden exclamation of Kimi and his retirement. Otherwise, we have to seek out help. Thoughts like this might spiral out of control, drag you into a hole of self destruction and destroy you from the inside. You might not notice it yourself but others will. You’ll get quieter and your whole behavior will change. Antonio, tell me, have you always felt like this?”, Nico inquired with a stern voice.
“Maybe I should have said something sooner? Maybe this is all my fault”, the blond thought to himself, angry at his own blindness.
When he didn’t receive an answer, he softly but determinedly grabbed the others head, forcing direct eye contact.
“Be honest with me”, he warned.
“I-I don’t know? Like, sure sometimes I think I could have done certain things better. But… I-I think today was an exception. I swear, Nico!”, Gio stuttered and with wide eyes he observed the handsome face in front of him.
Calculating eyes watched the Italian before exhaling loudly. “Just promise me, you’ll come to me if you ever doubt yourself again, alright?”
The nod he got in return was enough confirmation and the German smiled a bit.
“Also”, Nico continued and now looked directly into his eyes. “It may not sound very reassuring but you’re taking to THE person who never won anything at all. Hell, my only good “place” is the ranking of the persons who had many starts but no wins.
But what I want to say: The big difference is, you are an amazing driver and you’ll have a promising future. I’m sure if that”, he ruffled Gio’s hair and giggled softly.
Antonio wanted to do so many things. He wanted to thank Nico for being here for him, he wanted to hug the other but he also wanted to sleep now because he felt completely exhausted. Who knew telling others about your fears and worries took so much energy.
But before he was able to do anything, the door to the pack room was wrenched open.
Kimi, quickly followed by Sebastian, Kevin and some of the others, came running over to them.
The pack alpha directly walked into their direction, eyes wild and breath ragged. All of them still wore their racing suits and were out of breath, did they just finish the race?
Antonio, who still felt slightly insecure and didn’t want the others to see his teary face, squeaked in fear and quickly hid behind the tall German, putting a barrier behind himself and the pack leader. Maybe Kimi was angry at him for getting another DNF?
Apparently, this was exactly the wrong thing he could do. Kimi just got more worried and tried to move closer, even going as far as stepping into the nest.
This made Nico lash out, hissing and showing his teeth at their pack alpha. He growled dangerously at Kimi and made himself even bigger, pulling his shoulders back and bracing himself for a fight. Surprised at this, the Finn stumbled away but growled back, showing the German who was the true leader.
But instead of backing down, Nico continued on, making sure Antonio stayed hidden behind him and muttering the word “pup”.
Sebastian and Kevin, who at first couldn’t understand what was happening, tried to step in but Kimi rumbled at them, having understood the situation himself. So, he crouched down, far away from the nest and bared his neck a bit.
He also offered his open hand to the two omegas.
“I didn’t mean to startle you two. ‘Am not gonna hurt your pup, Nico”, he mumbled. This seemed to do the trick because Nico shook his head and looked quite embarrassed. Immediately, he touched hands and bared his throat in submission while also whining a bit in apology. Kimi just waved him off, offering a smile and inwardly very proud that the two quickly developed such a bond.
Meanwhile, Antonio watched this all with big eyes. Nico would have protected him from Kimi. The omega would have fought the other off, for him!
Without thinking, he hugged the blond from behind, purring happily.
A constant stream of “thank you”, combined with the Italian scenting the German, could be heard in the whole pack room.
“I think now it’s the time for you to talk this through with Kimi, alright?”, the clearly embarrassed Nico mumbled, only to find himself with a lap full of said Italian.
Antonio nosed him quickly, smiled and asked whether Nico meant those words. Hopeful eyes pierced his soul and Nico just nodded gently. Antonio squealed and flung himself at the older omega before promising to talk with Kimi. With that he stood up and went to the pack alpha, with a courage that wasn’t typical for him. He grabbed Kimi’s and Seb’s hand, because those two were hardly separated, and pulled them to the direction of the couches. The other pack members slowly retreated, sensing there was a lot to talk about and due to them having to be present at their briefings.
It wasn’t very unusual for an older omega to “adopt” and take care of younger omegas in a pack. But calling them “pup” was a whole different thing. It meant that the more experienced omega saw something in the other which made them protective over them. They’d even go as far as risking their own life for the sake of their “pup”.
Antonio pushed the leading pack pair on a free couch. All the while, a small but sad smile adorned Antonio’s face because it suddenly clicked. He now understood what Nico had tried to do, why he had sought him out: Nico spoke out of experience. He saw something in him that the German must have experienced himself.
Maybe he should have a talk with his new role model, too?
Epilogue: (which may differ to my usual writing stuff 0-0)
Kevin’s POV:
From ♥️: I’ve got him, we’re in the pack room. Can you maybe bring Kimi and Seb, too? I don’t know if I can help him, honestly …
Never before did I run with Kimi and Seb this fast. We all saw some of the pictures with Antonio and his teary face. To hell with all those reporters! Couldn’t they have just left him in peace?
Kimi nearly destroyed the door before entering. There I saw my beautiful omega, sitting in his nest and Antonio… hiding? Why is he so scared of Kimi?
… Did … Did Nico just growl at Kimi? Did he call Antonio “pup”?
Apparently, this pleased my inner alpha because I started purring quietly. But not quiet enough because Daniel next to me eyed me and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Hot, am I right?”, the omega said but I snarled at him and just said: “Mine”. Daniel only looked shocked for a second before smirking devilishly.
***
I waited until the others were out of sight before I went over to Nico. The omega still sat in the nest and observed how Antonio dragged the leading pack pair to the couches. Tiptoeing, I sneaked myself up behind him. Then, without a single word, I snatched my mate around the waist and put him over my shoulders.
Of course this startled Nico and he tried to hit me but a warning growl made him halt in his tracks … and maybe also the slap I delivered on his ass.
Although the German was way taller than me, he was also very lean and light, for me at least. I carried him around until I reached a hallway where no one would be looking for us. Rather harshly, I pushed my omega against the wall.
Using leverage, I put him to my height, pushed a knee in between his legs and bit his neck.
Nico moaned at the contact and bared his throat for me. I rumbled, very pleased at this.
I rutted a bit against him, sensing that he was as aroused as me and smelling so deliciously.
“What are you mhm Kev, stop for a sec, oh scheiße”, Nico whimpered as I nibbled his offered neck.
“Do you know how hot you were, protecting the pup? Made me nearly push you down there and ravish you”, I managed to say, my hands roaming the beautiful body in front of me.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Nico smirking and wiggling his eyebrows at me: “I had to help my pup. But, shall we continue this somewhere else?”
Never before did we two agree to one thing this fast.
And if the others saw a very pleased Nico the next day, scenting Gio and with a proud Kevin trailing behind him, no one said anything.
Only Antonio’s smile and agreement to cuddle both of them, was worth mentioning at the end.