Chapter Text
It was Gio’s idea.
Jude had said no a few times already when other people suggested it. It was irresponsible when they had training on Monday, but Gio insisted that if they left early morning, they would have one full day in the Canary Islands right before Jude’s eighteenth birthday.
“It better be worth it,” Jude muttered, shoving his backpack into the overhead compartment of the plane.
He heard Gio snort behind him, “Oh, it’ll be worth it.”
Jude rushed to sit down before Gio could get the window seat. It was his birthday tomorrow, he was entitled to it. Gio sat beside him a second later, swinging an arm around the Englishman’s tense shoulders.
“Can’t believe my little Judas is turning eighteen.” He said with mocking fondness.
Jude turned his head to roll his eyes. “Shut the fuck up, you turned eighteen a few months ago.”
Gio raised his eyebrows and shrugged, “Maybe but-” he said before leaning in to whisper into Jude’s ear, “I also fucked an omega long before then,” he teased.
Jude’s eyes widened like saucers, his hand instinctually swatted the American away as he laughed. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears as his entire face flushed. Jude had made the catastrophic mistake of admitting he was still a virgin a few weeks ago.
It had been after a long day of training, and filthy locker room talk was going in one of his ears and out the other. Half his teammates were arguing about where the most attractive omegas were from, and the locker room completely split. But the conversation rapidly devolved into shameless bragging.
When they tried to involve him in the conversation, it wasn’t hard to deduce that the seventeen-year-old was still a virgin. They taunted him, laughed about it, didn’t understand it.
Jude didn’t quite understand it either. It wasn’t like there hadn’t been opportunities before, he just didn’t take them. Something inside of him told him that he would know when it was the right time, and he didn’t understand the rush. His right hand perfectly sufficed for the time being.
Erling and Gio were making it too obvious that this trip was less about his birthday and more of a desperate attempt to get him laid.
When Erling finally dropped into the row seat beside Gio, he spoke up again, “Erling, can you believe our Judas is going to be an adult?” he asked the Norwegian as if they were his parents.
Erling smiled, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it, he already acts like an old man. He goes to bed at 10:00.”
“It’s called discipline.” Jude jumped in with the accusation.
Erling hummed like he was considering that very seriously. “Discipline,” he repeated. “Right.”
“It’s called retirement.” Gio joked.
Jude rolled his eyes. They could joke all they want, but it was important, his routine and composure were crucial for whatever opportunities were coming for him.
Gio leaned forward again, elbows on Jude’s armrest, like he had no respect for personal space. “Be honest, though.”
“No,” Jude replied instantly.
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
“You never ask anything normal.”
Erling tilted his head, cutting in through the bickering. “Have you at least kissed anyone?”
“Of course!” Jude whisper-yells defensively.
Gio and Erling look at each other for a second before turning back to Jude. “Who?” Gio asks.
Jude blinked. “What do you mean who? Many, many people, I’m not a prude.”
“An omega?” Gio asks.
That makes Jude pause. He tries not to make it noticeable as he prepares himself to lie through his teeth, but his teammates knew him for too long, they could read his body language easily.
“Oh,” Erling says with a teasing smile.
“You haven’t?” Gio asks, his eyebrows raised and eyes filled with amusement.
Jude clears his throat and swiftly starts digging into the pockets of his jumper to fish out his headphones. He couldn’t lie, he wasn’t good at it. He had only kissed betas before, only three. The first one of them was a girl he had known from Birmingham who kissed him right before he left for Germany, catching him completely off guard.
“Oh my god, you haven’t,” Gio repeats in shock. “Have you ever even smelled one?”
Jude nearly choked on the air. “Can you lower your voice?” he hissed, glancing around the cabin in horror.
The old woman across the aisle looked deeply unimpressed already.
His teammates laughed at him amongst themselves while Jude tried to sink further into the plane seat.
“You guys talk about omegas like psychopaths. They’re people, you know, stop talking about them like they’re- like they’re objects.” He hissed at them quietly.
They both stared at him blankly. “This is why you haven’t gotten laid yet,” Gio says.
“You overthink everything,” Erling agrees, nodding his head as he stretches his legs despite the very little legroom the Norwegian had.
“I hate both of you,” Jude mumbles, already regretting his decision despite the plane not having left the gate at the airport yet. He finally puts his headphones in, determined to tune them out for the rest of the flight.
It didn’t seem like it, but deep down he was excited to go to Tenerife. He remembers when he was younger, seeing his mum go through old school travel brochures. The Canary Islands always drew him in, he wasn’t even sure why. But hiking the volcano on the island of Tenerife, Mount Teide, and gazing at the stars from up there had always been on his bucket list. Of course they didn’t have time for that this time around, considering their flight back was tomorrow at noon, but he would come back one day to do it, he had to.
Jude closed his eyes and took a deep breath of air through his nose, his jaw was still tight, and his stomach filled with nerves. But he was going to make the best of their one day in Tenerife.
-
They landed in the island’s capital, Santa Cruz, late morning, the salty air and bright sun overstimulating Jude’s senses instantly. He had gotten rather used to the cooler temperatures of Germany, and obviously growing up in England made him not used to such warm and humid weather.
Erling and Gio were deciding the day’s plans in front of him, asking very little about Jude’s opinions. But that was because they knew Jude was indecisive and would go with anything his teammates chose. So they started at the beach. Jude decided that he had never seen water more inviting. It was too bright, too blue, like it was staged rather than real. The sand was warm between his feet, the sun was beaming so strong, he was sure Gio and Erling were going to burn to a crisp. The thought made him smile to himself, the fuckers deserved it after tormenting him.
A few hours passed, Jude tried to make it as peaceful as he could, ignoring much of the bickering and teasing from his teammates. They rented kayaks, which somehow turned into a racing competition within five minutes.
When the sting on the Norwegian’s skin became too much, they retreated to their hotel rooms to shower and go into town for a bit. The sun was much lower on the horizon now, so the island cooled a bit, which Jude was grateful for. They did some light shopping in the touristy shops, mainly just little souvenirs they would definitely collect dust.
By dusk, they found themselves in a small beach bar that was definitely beyond capacity. Erling had befriended the bartender, announcing to everyone nearby that Jude’s eighteenth birthday was just hours away. Jude tried to shrink from all the attention. Gio was making himself look like an idiot trying to order his drinks in broken Spanish, while the bartenders replied back in English.
There was a group of local kids who recognized them that they sat with them. They were from a nearby town on the island, Tagueste. They talked to the trio like it was normal for them that a bunch of footballers ended up in a random hole-in-the-wall bar. Jude didn’t talk too much at first, but a few drinks in, he opened up more and more. The tension in his shoulders lessened, he laughed without thinking about it. He felt completely at peace, like there was nothing to be nervous about, but that was probably the three bottles of Estrella.
Gio started complaining about hunger as he always did when the boys suggested a spot.
“There is a place back in town, proper Canarian food, none of the tourist garbage you find in Santa Cruz,” one of them suggests.
“Back in town?” Jude asks, already skeptical.
“Tagueste, it’s like twenty minutes away if you’re up for it. Best food on the island.”
“We can take you,” another one adds.
Jude didn’t even have a chance to protest that it would be a horrible idea, considering the safety and the timing. I mean, they had known these people for an hour, and they were just going to get in a car with them and drive God knows where. But before he could, Gio was already standing, and Erling swiftly followed. Jude watched them, chewing on his lip before ultimately getting up as well. Maybe they were right, he needed to loosen up a tad.
The drive to Tagueste was gorgeous, the scenery was straight out of a gorgeous indie film. It was over before Jude could realise he spent the entire time looking out the window. Tagueste felt much smaller than Santa Cruz, quieter but in a good way. The streets had a quiet hum to them rather than the clatter of tourists.
The restaurant was tucked in between narrow streets, the warm lights and conversation spilling out through the windows.
A man at the entrance looked up as they approached, he was older than Jude but not by too much, a beta. He smiled immediately and reached over to greet the local boys.
“Hermano, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” the man asked, clearly happy to see them.
“It wasn’t planned,” one of them replied with ease. Jude could tell they probably knew each other for a long time, which wasn’t surprising, considering the size of this town.
The man looked to the footballers who were standing awkwardly waiting to be introduced.
“Ah, Fer, this is Erling, Gio, and Jude. They’re here for the night. They play for Dortmund.”
The beta, Fer, Jude assumes, eyes go wide with surprise, “Holy shit, you brought me VIPs.” He jokes before grabbing menus and leading them to a table near the corner of the restaurant. It was rather busy for a restaurant in the middle of a small town, it felt like everyone knew each other as chatter went beyond tables.
The best way Jude could describe it was that it felt lived in, warm, clearly family-owned. On the wall there was F.C. Barcelona memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and murals.
“Lots of Barca,” Gio exclaims, looking around.
Fer laughs, “Yeah, my grandfather founded Peña Barcelonista de Tenerife, our family is all culers,” he explains.
Jude hums absentmindedly while Gio and Erling inquire more about the fan club. As he still admired the decorated walls, in the corner of his eye, he spotted someone.
Someone standing near the back of the restaurant. Jude’s attention stalled instantly, an omega. He was young, looked even younger than Jude. He was thin and short, giving away his designation. He was talking quietly to an older woman behind the counter while drying glasses with a towel.
The restaurant’s lighting caught his slightly tanned skin in the best way. His soft wavy hair was messily draping over his forehead. His lashes were long, and the light directly above him made them cast a shadow across his cheeks.
Pretty.
He was unfairly pretty.
Jude couldn’t help but stare, his brain just stopped working for a second.
The omega laughed softly at something the woman said, and Jude felt the hairs on his arm stand. The rest of the room had dulled around him. The omega brushed some hair out of his eyes, and Jude had the thought that he might actually be the prettiest person he’d ever seen in his life.
“Jude,”
He was practically startled awake, quickly diverting his eyes and turning to the American beside him.
“You alive?” Gio asked.
Jude nodded, looking up at Fer, who was still talking to Erling about the origins of the fan club. Eventually the conversation died, and Fer nodded to their menus. “You guys know what you want?”
The boys all looked down at the menus simultaneously. The menu was entirely in Spanish, they looked up to their new Canarian friends for help who smiled up at Fer and asked him for a few minutes.
Fer nods before speaking. “Take your time, Pedri will come over in a bit to take your orders,” he says.
One of the local boys chirps up. “Pedri is back in town?”
“Yeah, just for the weekend to help out a bit. You know how he is.” Fer replies with a smile before excusing himself.
The trio ultimately decides to let their new friends order for the table. Jude doesn’t care, the hunger he was feeling when he walked in was practically all gone. It was replaced with a pit in his stomach caused by an omega he doesn’t even know the name of.
The conversation at the table flowed easily without him. Their new friends argued over what dishes the footballers had to try while Gio insisted they would eat anything, literally.
Jude didn’t hear much of it, because every few seconds, his eyes would search for the omega. He moved easily around the restaurant, greeting customers who talked to him like they watched him grow up, which they probably did.
Eventually, the woman behind the counter said something to him and subtly nodded toward their table. The omega turned, his eyes immediately locked with Jude’s.
Jude felt it physically, it was as if his heart was beating too strongly for his ribcage to handle. The omega slowed for a second, clearly just as caught off guard. But just as his eyes widened enough that Jude could see his eye color clearly, he looked away, gripping the order pad tighter as he took a deep breath. It took him a moment before he approached the table.
He somehow looked even prettier up close.
“Pedrito!” One of the Canarians chirped up when he saw him.
Ah, this was Pedri.
Pedri smiled down at them, making sure not to look in the direction of the Englishman.
“How is La Laguna?” Another one asked him.
Pedri nodded before replying, “It’s good, I still miss Tagueste though.”
Fuck.
Jude thinks Pedri has the nicest voice he has ever heard. He was soft-spoken. Not exactly timid, just… gentle. The soft island accent curled around the words as he spoke. It was just one mere sentence, and Jude was already entranced.
Maybe it was the alcohol or the heat or the fact that Jude had barely interacted with omegas before in any meaningful way, but he couldn’t stop noticing everything.
There was a faint scar on the side of his cheek, Jude had to bite his tongue to stop himself from asking how he got it.
God, he was pretty.
Pedri finally looked toward the table properly, clearly trying to focus on his job. “So,” he said quietly, flipping open the order pad. “What can I get you guys?”
The locals started listing off dishes, none of which Jude knew or had tried before. Pedri jotted them down with ease, Jude watched his fingers as they moved across.
“-Oh, and some of the famous croquettes for the birthday boy,” one of the locals adds as they point to Jude.
Pedri pauses for a moment before finally drifting his eyes to Jude.
“Is it- It’s your birthday?” he asks, his voice as syrupy sweet as ever, Jude wanted to drink it.
The alpha cleared his throat immediately, suddenly aware of everyone at the table watching him. “No,” he says while shaking his head, “Tomorrow.”
Pedri’s eyes lingered on his for a second too long before he smiled a little. “Happy birthday,” he said, heat rising to his cheeks before he turned his attention away and finished writing down the order. He didn’t look at Jude again, but Jude didn’t look away at all, not even as Pedri walked away from the table.
Gio leaned across the table so fast, his chair made a horrible squeaking noise.
“Oh my God.”
Jude blinked, his attention finally leaving the omega. “What?” He said, looking around, trying and failing to look nonchalant.
“You like him,” Gio said with a teasing smirk.
Jude’s eyes widened. Was it that obvious? Did his friends have that good of a read on him, or was he gawking at the omega too hard?
“I do not,” he said, clearing his throat.
Erling nodded immediately. “I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that.”
Jude felt his face heat instantly. “Can you both shut up?”
“He likes you too. He refused to even look at you, and he was stuttering.”
Jude rolls his eyes at the assumption, “He was not.”
“He was a bit, actually, more than usual,” One of the locals cut in, a smirk playing on his face as well.
Gio and Erling exchange a knowing glance before the Norwegian asks, “You know him well?”
They all shake their heads. “We know Fer better, his brother since he was in our year. But Pedri is a few years younger, I think eighteen now.” One explains.
“He goes to uni on the island but in La Laguna,” another continues, “What’s he studying again? Something smart, right?” he jokes.
The other two just shrug before adding more background info for God knows who, “He’s basically everyone’s favorite person.”
Erling grinned. “Does he have a boyfriend?”
Jude choked on the water that he had been babysitting in an attempt to sober up. He shot the Norwegian a mean glare.
“What? He’s cute, if you’re not going to go for it…”
“What do you mean if I’m not going to go for it?” Jude interrupted sharply. Only after he said it did he realize how upset he sounded by the sheer thought of that.
Gio’s mouth fell open dramatically. “Oh my god, already so jealous. Calm down, Judas, we’re not gonna snatch him up.” He exclaimed, professing false innocence by throwing his hands up.
“I’m not jealous,” Jude responded like it was absolutely ridiculous, because it was. But what was more ridiculous was that he did feel a surge of jealousy course through him at the sheer thought of one of them flirting with Pedri.
He didn’t even know him.
Didn’t know anything about him besides the fact he was pretty and soft-spoken and apparently everyone on this island adored him.
Erling leaned back in his chair with a grin. “This is incredible.”
Jude opened his mouth again to argue but immediately stopped when he noticed Pedri emerging from the kitchen carrying food carefully balanced on a tray.
Any half-intelligent thoughts he had went out the window immediately.
Pedri moved around the table quietly, setting the appetizers down one by one as the locals explained what they were. He didn’t really pay Jude any special attention at all. If anything, he seemed to avoid looking directly at him at all.
Jude knew how stupid he looked, staring at the omega, mouth agape like he was a piece of art hung in the Louvre. But he didn’t care that he was being embarrassingly obvious. When Pedri leaned over slightly to place a plate on the far side of the table, their eyes met for a split second.
Blush instantly rose into his cheeks, and to Jude’s absolute horror, the omega smiled at him again. It was so slight, it might as well have been unconscious, as Pedri immediately looked away again and stepped back from the table.
“Enjoy,” he murmured softly before turning toward the kitchen again.
The second he was far enough away, the entire table burst into teasing laughter.
“Oh, he is finished.” Gio laughed.
Jude’s head fell into his palms as he groaned. His face still felt hot from the whole interaction, despite not much even happening.
The worst part was, they were right. He might genuinely be finished. It was ridiculous, he barely knew anything about the omega. And yet for some reason, he felt drawn to him in a way he had never felt before, with any other omega. It was like he was waiting for him for these past eighteen years. Like something deep inside him had recognized Pedri instantly.
Jude felt insane.
He was sitting in a crowded family restaurant in a tiny town on Tenerife on the eve of his eighteenth birthday, with a terrifying feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him the trajectory of his life had just changed forever.