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His thoughts always drifted to something else whenever he tried to sleep, to the image of a certain someone's face.
Lee's toothy smile would appear in his mind in moments of quiet, and so would his excited voice, always calling for him and wanting his attention– long ago, Neji was bothered by all of that, though he got used to it after they had both become alphas; of course Lee wanted his attention. They were rivals, and they challenged each other to different things, mostly playing around or even sparring during training.
Tenten thought they were dumb although she was also an alpha, so she never joined– it just meant the boys tended to spend more time with each other, and Neji didn't mind it anymore.
He didn’t mind Lee's insistence to get his attention, always saying his name with an excited smile whenever something interesting happened, or when he adapted to heavier weights on his legs. Even with no particular reason, his rival would call him as a warning before hugging him, and the brunet simply let him do so.
His chest felt warm whenever Lee did something nice to him, no matter how small. Perhaps it was due to not receiving much affection in the past, his soul craved more, in a way. That's why he had felt eager to share a bed with the other alpha during one of their missions with the rest of the team, who went to different rooms in the inn they stayed in, saying their goodbyes for the night.
“Neji,” his rival called again, in a whisper, with an expression that told Neji they were going to do some kind of challenge instead of going to sleep. “Do you want to–”
“Tomorrow, Lee. It's late,” Neji replied, and his companion did a little pout while crossing his arms against his chest, looking away.
“We are still tied, Neji! Forty to forty! We need to solve this, we will not have time tomorrow…”
That was true, though the brunet could feel his eyes closing on their own. He just denied with his head and got ready to sleep, and Lee didn't insist– he knew better than to go on when Neji put on his night clothes, after all. That was an easy way to anger him.
Instead, Lee imitated him and got comfortable, laying on his side of the mattress without taking too much space from the other boy– he was taller than Neji and knew it well, hence his care on not accidentally pushing him off the bed.
The brunet couldn’t help it but smile at that, laying down on his own side of the mattress, closing his eyes at last. Ready to fall asleep.
Though Lee gave in first, already snoring by the time the Hyuga had closed his eyes. He was the one who made more physical effort out of Team Gai, and that was probably why that had happened. Neji wasn't prepared for what his rival did afterwards– he turned around in his sleep and ended up hugging him, humming contently as the brunet didn't try to go away from his reach.
In the past, he would’ve just pushed the other boy away, not minding if he fell to the ground or not. Why would he have cared?
But now, having Lee so close to his body made Neji feel almost… shy.
Though there was no reason for that– they were both alphas, rivals, and that's how it'd remain for the rest of their days. Snuggling with a teammate meant nothing apart from platonic camaraderie, and the taijutsu master had embraced him in the middle of his sleep. Snoring through his thoughts, holding him close to his body in an instinctual way of keeping him safe.
His cheeks were warming up with every passing second, and he didn't know what to do. Neji didn't want to break free of his friend's hold, and… his heart urged him to hug him back, though his arms were too shy. His lips trembled at the mere thought of hugging him back.
He could hear Lee's heartbeat on his ear– slow and steady, relaxed and in a deep slumber. It wasn't any kind of prank but rather, his loving nature appeared in his sleep. Neji would've never imagined how nervous another alpha could make him feel with matters unrelated to battles, and now… his face was probably as red as a tomato just because of his friend.
The brunet closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore his instincts, though it was complicated; Lee was strong, and his smell flooded his nostrils– against his own expectations, he actually enjoyed another alpha's scent. It would be normal if he was an omega, yet… Neji felt shyness in his rival's arms.
At last, he gave in, carefully returning the hug without saying anything at all. Getting comfortable in the warm embrace, his body relaxing without him even expecting it.
Lee smelled like a lotus flower, and the brunet enjoyed it more than he should. His Clan would never approve of his preferences, although Neji believed it was just his need to be held more than anything else. He felt exhausted all of a sudden, and his friend’s heartbeat was soothing…
“You have changed a lot, Neji,” Lee commented, voice deep due to his tiredness. The brunet opened his eyes at the sound, cheeks warming up even more than before by having been found out. “It is nice to see!”
Neji looked away with a huff, refusing to let his friend have a look at his reddish cheeks. Though, the other alpha soon fell asleep once again, holding him closer just before snores replaced his words.
The brunet quickly followed, exhausted from their daily activity and also relaxed thanks to the warm hold. He could've sworn that his nostrils detected the very specific kind of alpha scent used to relax omegas, but his mind felt too light to try to make any kind of sense– it shouldn't work on him, anyways. There was no way in the world that would help him…
~
A dreamless night went by, yet Neji felt renewed as he slowly regained consciousness, feeling himself smiling while waking up. There wasn't a single worry in his heart, content with a nice smell that invaded his nostrils in a good way.
And god, there was a firm hand caressing his hair so gently that he felt like not waking up at all, if only to cherish that sensation for a bit longer. Though, there were things to do, and Neji ended up opening his eyes against his will– only to find himself with his face laying on someone's neck, which did nothing but startle him.
He recognized the smell quickly, which belonged to his best friend; Lee smiled at him, and the brunet looked away.
Still not letting go, though.
“I– I'm sorry,” he muttered, not daring to look at the other boy, who just hummed in response at first.
Neji didn't move at all as his body tensed up on its own, waiting for… something. Any kind of response, probably annoyance due to having overstepped his friend’s boundaries.
Instead, Lee just rested his head against the brunet’s, going back to playing with his hair as if nothing had happened. Not minding their closeness, or that they had pretty much snuggled together all night long.
“It is okay, Neji. I do not mind– did I wake you up? I did not mean to, you looked so relaxed!” he asked instead in a soft whisper, that made the Hyuga finally look back at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion in his lavender gaze. “I tried to not move much, I am sorry for startling you…”
“But I– Lee, my face was on your neck. You’re not my partner for me to do that, that’s just… inappropriate. And you’re not an omega, so–”
Neji didn’t go on, noticing that a funny expression had appeared on the other alpha’s face. He frowned without really understanding what was going on, yet his eyelids felt heavy once again as Lee carefully untangled his hair.
And the lotus aroma was more prevalent as the taijutsu master’s cheek became flushed, as he didn’t really think about hiding his embarrassment from his rival.
“... I thought we were dating already,” he admitted, making a little pout as he spoke.
It was Neji’s turn to blush, hiding his face on the crook of Lee’s neck to avoid being seen, although his scent would tell on him nonetheless. He heard his rival’s laughter and felt his chest rising alongside it.
How was that possible? They were both alphas, and that was a quite extreme misunderstanding for people of the same secondary gender. It was impossible for that to happen, even if they were interested in each other… Neji couldn’t say anything due to the shock of the moment, only able to hold onto his friend, who didn’t complain or try to push him away at all.
His own heartbeat deafened him, getting faster and faster with every passing second in which neither of them spoke. His lips were trembling.
And then, Lee broke the silence in a whisper, only for him to hear.
“Perhaps that was not the case, I… It is alright. Please, forget what I said,” was all he said, letting go of him in silence and closing his eyes, perhaps in an attempt to avoid looking at the brunet directly. “I should have asked you.”
Words refused to come out of his mouth, stuck in his throat without letting him do anything about it. Neji didn't know what to do, staying still and making an attempt to use his own pheromones to soothe his friend– although, he didn’t think it'd work as they were both alphas.
They had the same secondary gender. There was no way it could work out… yet, seeing Lee with such a heartbroken expression sent a ping of pain to his soul, pain he didn't understand.
His instincts were stronger, and Neji couldn't help it but feel a need to cheer him up in some way, holding him once again without saying much until he was comfortable enough to speak.
“We're both alphas, Lee. I don't know if it can work out,” the brunet explained, stirring up in order to look his companion in the eye. “But still, your scent… it relaxes me. Even if you're not an omega.”
Lee's gaze softened, and he looked away, fidgeting with Neji's hair as he picked his words. And the Hyuga never once rushed him, giving him all the time needed.
“You smell nice, too. And… I do like you, but it is alright if you do not feel the same. Or is it because of your Clan?”
No response. Neji looked away in silence, refusing to answer as his rival remained deep in thought.
There wasn't much else to do or say– his Clan was traditional, extremely so, and Neji was still trying to unlearn what they had ingrained into his brain from a young age. Including what his heart could do.
“It is still early. Gai will not be waking Tenten up for at least some minutes more– we can stay like this, if you would like?” Lee mumbled after a while, his gaze softening as Neji shyly leaned back towards him, resting his head on his chest without saying anything at all.
There was no need for words. Lee kept caressing his hair so gently that a content hum escaped from his lips, and if he had felt his rival getting closer to kiss his forehead, Neji didn't make any kind of comment about that.