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David, his suit half-open, which he had had to wear for a photoshoot, gesticulated excitedly as he recounted an epic braking move, he had made at Turn 5 in the previous race.

Diogo tried to position himself right next to Marc, interrupting David every so often with phrases like:

"But you saw what I did at Turn 10, didn't you?! You showed me that in Portimão, remember!"

Máximo snorted, twirling a pen between his fingers with an impatient expression. He was waiting for his turn to tell his warm-up anecdote, although with each passing second, he seemed less interested in the story and more frustrated at not having Marc's attention.

And Ángel, calm but sharp, limited himself to making brief, pointed comments that suddenly brought everyone's eyes back to him... except Marc's, who seemed focused on nothing and everything at once.

Above all, Marc continued to relax while trying to pay attention to everyone.

"You're like a group of hyperactive puppies trying to hunt the same gazelle" Marc finally said, amused. "But I'm the gazelle... and I'm in no hurry to die"

The boys laughed, although no one let up. The competition for his attention continued.

Meanwhile, Alex and Fermín watched the scene in amusement. But after a while, Alex noticed that Marc was starting to tire.

"Okay, okay, puppies" he said, mockingly “Leave old Omega alone, he's already given you enough Zen wisdom for today. Come to me, I'll listen to you... and I'll even treat you to pizza”

"I'll go if there's pineapple!" Diogo said, raising his hand.

"That's a betrayal" Máximo said, standing up "Pineapple doesn't go on pizza. Dennis said so"

"And what would an Italian who only eats pasta know about pizza?" David joked.

"Pineapple on pizza is definitely an abomination" Ángel agreed.

"You don't know what you're missing, I'll have to make you try it" Alex declared while looking at pizza places on his phone.

"Bro, if you keep saying things like that, you're going to get kicked off the team, and I'm too young to be the number one driver" Fermín lamented.

"You're a clown" he elbowed him, making everyone laugh.

The relaxed atmosphere disappeared in a second. Everyone noticed how Marc tensed up, even though they couldn't smell him. Marc always wore patches in the paddock. But there was little doubt about the tension when they saw Valentino walk with Pecco and Franky.

Everything would have been fine if they had kept walking, but Valentino stopped to see the scene, putting everyone present on guard. The silence between them wasn't broken, but the air seemed to thicken a little.

Marc knew he might be being a little irrational. Valentino had never been physically violent, nor was he going to make any comments in public or to someone's face; that wasn't his style. There were no cameras.

But Marc's omega couldn't shake the feeling of danger and protection pulsing beneath his skin. And without moving a muscle, Marc fixed his gaze on Valentino and gave the man a slow, intense, dangerous smile.

Everyone tensed; an omega who sensed danger toward his own pack was the most dangerous thing you could find; he'd go for your throat, regardless of who you were.

The pups grew nervous and began to move closer to the brothers, which caused their gazes to focus on them, which in turn provoked a roar from Marc. There would be no other warning.

Alex placed his hand on Marc's arm, trying to convey calm, but it wasn't as if he didn't also feel the urge to go for Valentino's neck with extreme violence, despite being a beta.

Meanwhile, Valentino remained impassive, analysing everything. On the other hand, Franky and Pecco were feeling the very real danger. As Alphas, the sensation of threatening an omega and their pups made them want to show their necks and keep a safe distance. But Valentino didn't seem affected at all. Was it pure willpower? Or because Marc's scent wasn't noticeable?

In Pecco's opinion, there wasn't even a need for any smell to be noticed to see that Marc Márquez would tear out Valentino Rossi's carotid artery in 2 seconds. And that wouldn’t be good for the team. David and Gigi would be angry with him for letting Marc commit murder by preventing him from racing.

"Valentino" Pecco called and flinched a little at the sight of all the attention directed at him except Marc and Valentino. Great. "Valentino, we have to go" he reminded him. He grabbed his arm to pull him away, but Valentino jerked free.

Marc jumped before he could even think about it and didn't move forward because Alex quickly grabbed his shirt, but he did let out another grunt. There would definitely be no warning.

Everyone froze. Was the movement violent? Was it because of Pecco? Pecco didn’t want to stay to find out; this would all be a headache for later.

Franky also seemed to react and pushed Valentino from behind to move forward. Valentino hadn't taken his eyes off Marc for a second and hadn't reacted in any way, except to look. But everyone thanked whoever was up there when Valentino let himself be moved. But he didn't stop staring at Marc until it was impossible without turning around.

No one moved until the trio of Italians was out of sight. There was a sigh of relief, but Marc was still tense, staring back the way they had gone.

"If looks could kill..." Fermín blurted out, and he immediately shrank in on himself from the tension of the moment, but he relaxed when he saw Alex laugh. Marc did too, feeling and hearing his brother laugh, which allowed him to sit back down.

"You say the most inappropriate things at the best of times, man" Alex laughed.

The puppies, seeing that the tension had disappeared, also relaxed. But Máximo, being the little one, moved without thinking toward Marc, who hugged him without saying anything.

"You're such a baby" David mocked.

"Weren't you the one who went to Marc's the night of the storm two weekends ago?" Diogo mocked, making Ángel burst out laughing.

"Shut up" he mumbled, embarrassed.

"Well, if you think you're so grown-up, I won't give you any more hugs" Marc mocked, squeezing Máximo, making him laugh at the threat to the others.

"Hey, hey, I didn't do anything," Ángel complained. He also approached Marc until Marc included him in the hug, pushing Alex to the side.

By adding another person, and since Marc was still sitting, Máximo sat next to him with an arm around his shoulders, and Ángel was in the same position, but the other way around.

The push toward Alex meant that Fermín, who was next to him, had to get up because there was no more room on the bench.

"I didn't do anything, and some little guys kicked me out of my rightful place," he complained, sitting next to David and Diogo. Máximo and Ángel stuck their tongues out at him.

"They're definitely as annoying as you," Alex laughed, making his brother laugh. "I don't need hugs" David declared. Diogo looked at him in disbelief.

"Well, better yet, more hugs for us" Máximo smiled triumphantly. David frowned as the others laughed.

"Yes, they're definitely just like you" Fermín said, looking at Alex.

"Are you calling me annoying?" Alex was offended.

"You said that" Fermín retorted.

That made Marc laugh, releasing the residual tension that still lingered. Although deep down, Marc had decided to talk to Pecco about what the hell that had all been about.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the paddock, Pecco, who had cowardly said goodbye to Franky and Valentino because he didn't want to be in the middle of things any longer than he already was, felt a chill. He definitely wasn't eager for tomorrow to arrive, and it wasn't exactly because of the pressure of a race weekend.

It wasn't open hostility. Alex was polite, professional, but distant. He responded to greetings with a light gesture, to technical questions with just the right amount, but avoided any personal conversation. And Fermín, who arrived eager to fit in, felt the chill.

The team tried to lighten the mood, but the sidelong glances were inevitable. Some assumed Alex saw Fermín as a threat. Others assumed he just missed his brother. But the truth was much more complicated.

Alex didn't suspect Fermín could replace him. The kid was good, but he was Alex Márquez, a two-time motorcycle world champion. What made him uncomfortable was seeing someone new, someone foreign, with no idea what route he was going to take. He could be someone neutral, like most riders, or he could be a promising young rider trying to earn his place by following the old bitter Italian's rhetoric. Alex didn't trust him at the moment; anyone can say good things about someone, especially if their brother is going to be your future teammate. He'd learned the hard way that actions definitely matter more than words. Although words can hurt more...

He and Marc had been a unit. And now, someone else was entering that space. Alex had become protective, not out of jealousy, but out of scars.

During the joint presentation of all the teams in Thailand, under the brutal Buriram sun, riders and mechanics gathered to pose for the cameras. Alex already knew Marc would be there, but he didn't expect them to be able to talk before dinner. They both had commitments with their teams and bike presentations. But Marc walked with Pecco into the lobby, where Alex and Fermín were waiting to go out for the bike presentation, and went straight to them. When Marc approached, he greeted Fermín and shook his hand like an old friend, and Alex could see the young man's surprise.

"You two make quite a couple this year!" Marc said, smiling at the two of them. "If you don't eat each other up, you're going to be dangerous"

Fermín laughed, relieved that at least one of the brothers didn't seem to hate his existence.

"Relax, he hasn't bitten me yet" Fermín tried to joke, looking at Alex.

Alex gave a faint smile.

"I don't usually bite during the preseason" he replied, still in a dry tone, but with a glimmer of humor.

Marc laughed as if nothing had happened, although he looked at his brother, surprised by his hostility. Meanwhile, Fermín followed Marc's laughter, a little uncomfortable.

"Are you two getting along now, or should I worry?" Marc joked.

Alex gave a faint smile again.

"I haven't done anything wrong to him yet" he replied, in that tone of his that always left you wondering whether he was serious or joking.

Fermín laughed a little nervously.

"He's behaving himself for now. But I think he's keeping an eye on me"

Marc narrowed his eyes theatrically.

"Alex is very protective of his own"

Alex turned his face toward him, half-smiling.

"Rather selective. Not everyone makes the cut"

Marc laughed.

During a pause, between the end of the group photo on stage and before dinner, Marc approached him alone.

"Do you like him?" Alex asked directly.

Marc shrugged.

"He reminds me of you when you started, but less scared"

Alex pursed his lips.

"I just want to know if he's serious. If he's one of those people, whose here for the sport or the show"

Marc looked at him with more tenderness than judgment.

"He has a heart, Alex. And so do you. You don't need a shield all the time"

Alex lowered his gaze. His thoughts were taking him far away: to the hospitals, to the sleepless nights for Marc, to the tense press conferences where he was the one putting on the face.

"I don't want anyone to catch us off guard"

Marc nodded gently.

"I know"

That night, at dinner, Alex sat next to Fermín. They didn't talk much, but it was the first time they shared something more than awkward silences.

"You know" Alex said between bites. "Deep down, I like you. I'm just slow to show it"

Fermín smiled sincerely.

"It's okay. Slow corners have their charm, too"

Alex laughed, for the first time since the start of preseason. Because, in the end, he also understood that protecting his brother didn't mean shutting him out. Sometimes, it meant knowing when to give them a chance. There'd be time to crush them where it counted: on the track.

After the presentation, Fermín began to feel more comfortable with Alex, and he definitely thought the same was true of the older man. This led him to situations where he began to better understand the brothers' dynamic, both on and off camera.

After the first race, where Pecco Bagniania declared that Marc had played with them in a tone where one didn't know if what he had said was a joke or not.

Whether he was serious or not, Fermín could see Alex finding a target in real time. And over the next races, Fermín witnessed Alex crush Pecco in qualifying and races without hesitation. Just when the Italian thought he might be catching his teammate, there was Alex.

Of course, Fermín knew Alex was definitely fighting for his own championship, but there was something in his look and his smile when he actually realized Pecco was right behind him.

One Saturday night, Fermín was returning to the garage because he'd forgotten some information he needed to review for the race when he overheard Alex and Marc talking in the older brother’s garage.

"You're definitely having too much fun" Marc's voice crackled with a barely contained smile.

"He was the one who talked about games first. I'm just doing my part" Alex's voice clearly showed pride.

"Now come the upgrades" Marc warned.

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of them, but also of the narrative that if he needs the upgrades to beat me..."

A heavy sigh was heard. Fermín still hadn't entered the door to his part of the garage for fear of making a noise and alerting them that he was there. He wanted to hear more.

"The narrative is a double-edged sword"

"I know. But you can blatantly control the narrative for me, and I can't leave clues here and there? Anyway, it's not like I'm doing this arbitrarily and I'm also fighting for my championship, to beat you"

"You wish" Marc replied, completely diverting his focus.

Fermín recalled how a few races earlier, Marc and Alex had collided slightly on the first lap, with Marc's rear wings coming off the track. And yet, Marc's post-race statements were all about blaming himself; there was even footage of him clearing the air with Alex before their interview. "It was my fault, okay?" The media called him a protective brother, and they weren't wrong. But even with all Marc's nerve blaming himself, people had listened. That was the narrative: they had clashed because of Marc. No one came up with any other version. Fermín also thought it was partly because it was always easier to blame Marc; thinking about it made his chest ache with helplessness.

"Marc" Alex's tone didn't give much away, but maybe he was doing something with his face that made Marc give up.

"Sooner or later, the narrative will come back to haunt you. I'm used to it, but I won't let it happen to you" he declared.

"You can't always protect me, and if this comes back to haunt me, well, that's it, I'll have to ask for it"

"No"

"Marc..."

"I said no. Do you think I don't know that they're harder on you because you're my brother?"

"If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have kept racing" Alex responded defensively.

"I'm not saying you can't handle it"

"So?"

"It's just that you don't have to. That's what your older brother is for. Don't think I haven't noticed how you always act when someone comes near"

"I don't do anything!"

"Oh no? You put on such a murderous face that people forget that I'm the one who should be scary, not you"

"Ha, you wouldn't scare a fly"

There was a sound of movement, like a piece of cloth hitting something.

"You missed" Alex mocked.

"That's it, make fun of your poor brother's bad-arm shot" Marc lamented.

"Nothing about being poor, you earn more than me, you idiot"

There was a thud, like someone kicking a chair, and Marc laughed.

"But really, focus on yourself. You don't have to protect me"

"I'm focused on my championship, but if it turns out someone is here at the wrong time and place..."

"Alex"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say"

It seemed the conversation had come to an end. Fermín looked at his phone and realized how late it was; he had to get those details no matter what. He went into his part of the garage, trying to be as quiet as possible, but the Márquez brothers must have heard him anyway because they peeked out.

"Fermín? What are you doing here?" Alex asked, coming in followed by his brother.

"I forgot some notes for tomorrow, what about you?" He tried his best to hide the fact that he hadn't been listening for the last 10 minutes.

"Nothing, we were just chatting like two old wives, but we should also go now. You should rest if you want to catch up with me" Marc mocked.

"Yeah, let's go, in case the old man falls asleep, it's way past his bedtime" Alex mocked him back as the three of them left the garage and closed it.

"I'll tell you who's old tomorrow"

The three of them walked toward the trailers, with Fermín standing a little behind them, watching them joke around. What he'd learned tonight was that the world thought Marc was the threat just because he was more visible, but he definitely wouldn't wish it on anyone to get on Alex's bad side. Alex is that silent threat you don't realize is there until you're stranded on the side of a road the highway after being hit by him.