Chapter Text
Lee would never say outright that he hated being an omega. It gave him another hurdle to jump over, sure. But that just made it one more thing he had to prove he could be great in spite of. At the end of the day, he was still himself, even as an omega who cannot use ninjutsu.
What he didn't like, however, was his instincts. They weren't always this bad. Him occasionally scenting his friends and nesting were perfectly fine. The issue came when he and Neji started properly courting. …At least, Lee was fairly certain that was what they were doing, even if neither boy had said it outright.
Now he found that his instincts would bubble up to the surface far more often, urging him to cling to Neji like a second skin, to bury himself in the other man's scent and never let go. In all honesty, it was tempting, to give in and let himself give in to his every omegan urge.
But he couldn't do that. No matter how much his mind would race whenever Neji would bring him treats and gently rub his wrist to the scent gland on his neck, very intimately scenting him, Lee had to stay strong. Even with Neji offering him a massage, or helping him stretch after a workout, or treating him to lunch whenever he had a free day, Lee fought the deep-set urge to give in and melt into every touch.He was no pathetic omega who needed to be taken care of, he was stronger than that!
That was how Lee had ended up doubling his dosage of scent suppressants, shrugging as he downed an extra pill that morning. As much as he secretly enjoyed it, going around smelling like he was already claimed by an alpha always got him funny looks, and he didn't need to give anyone else a reason to look down on him.
He hummed to himself as he applied his scent patch, taking extra effort to cover his smell. His scent had never bothered him either, sweet and fragrant, but he knew better than to walk around with it uncovered. As Lee went through his daily routine he came to a solid conclusion in his mind.
If Neji's courting was the thing making his instincts act up, he just wouldn't let Neji court him any longer. It made perfect sense, his inner omega would have a chance to calm down, and all these urges would go away.
That day, Lee put his little plan into action, squirming away when Neji tried to scent him on his neck, instead tapping their wrists together. It was much less intimate than the other method of scenting, more friendly than anything, and Lee smiled to himself when he didn't go weak in the knees from Neji's scent mixing with his own. Tenten raised a brow at him, but he just shrugged, not wanting to explain his plan unless it worked.
The three of them ran through their drills as usual, Neji staring him down with those piercing eyes and making Lee shiver. The omega just tried not to stare back at his friend, worried that something in him would snap and he would end up pouncing on Neji right here in front of Tenten- something definitely unbecoming of a young shinobi, omega or not.
Lee's plan seemed to be working, and he made it through training and their team lunch afterwards without incident. Sure, Lee had had to come up with an excuse to deny the small present Neji had attempted to give him, and he did feel a bit bad seeing his dear friend pouting at that, but he was doing what had to be done.
He grinned at his own brilliance as he walked back to his apartment, an odd twinge in his stomach suddenly hitting him. He started walking a little faster, cheeks heating up as he suddenly started sweating.
It couldn't be..? No, his heat hasn't happened that long ago, so there was no reason he'd be having symptoms of it. He tried to convince himself of this as he got to his apartment, instinctively rushing to his nest and burying his face into one of the blankets he'd had Neji scent for him in the past, the scent of his alpha calming his racing pulse.
After a moment, he rolled over, spreading himself out like a starfish as his chest heaved. Lee could feel his hair sticking to his forehead with how hot he was, the burning in his stomach only getting hotter. It felt torturous, and it didn't help that his mind was wailing for Neji to be here, that his comforting hands and scent and giving would fix him.
Lee shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts from thinking about Neji, but it was so difficult. His mind felt cloudy, and the last thing he thought of sanely was of Neji's arms wrapping around him, of drowning in that bitter scent. Then his mind went blank, and he wasn't sure what was happening at all.
–
Lee awoke to the bright lights and sickly clean scent of a hospital, seeing Tenten at his bedside. His dark eyes blearily opened, and he shivered as he realized there was an IV in his arm.
“Ah, Tenten? What happened? Why am I..?”
He mumbled, throat feeling oddly dry. The girl sighed, a slight smile curling her lips seeing Lee was awake. “Well, when you didn't show up to training this morning, me and Neji went to check on you. Thankfully I still know where you keep your spare key, or we wouldn't have been able to get in at all!”
She paused, adjusting herself as she continued, shaking her head at Lee. “The whole place stunk of heat, and Neji had to wait outside while I went in to get you. I found you curled up in your nest and whining and babbling, and I had to carry you here.”
Lee blinked, cheeks flushing. “But I could not have been in heat! It is not possible, there should be at least two weeks until-” Tenten cut him off, clicking her tongue.
“The nurse said it was a ‘faux heat’? Said they can be triggered by a lot of things, but it's your body's way of trying to get a mate when it feels like it needs it now.. Or something.”
She glanced aside, her calming scent keeping Lee's heart from racing like he was sure it would be otherwise. He did blush brighter though, looking away, not meeting Tenten's eyes. “Oh.”
His voice was soft and shaky as he replied, clearly embarrassed to have done something that landed him in the hospital. “Thank you for taking me here, Tenten. You truly are the best friend I could ask for!” He managed, trying for his usual optimism.
By the time Lee was let out of the hospital he felt embarrassed and exhausted, not to mention having dull aches from the faux heat. His head ached from the earful both the nurse and Tenten had given him over taking multiple suppressants. And worst of all, his natural sweet scent was covered by the medical grade scent patch, leaving him feeling more sick than he already did.
Getting to his apartment didn't help, and he groaned realizing he would have to wash all the sheets and blankets, since his nest smelled like his own arousal. Lee flopped himself onto the couch, hugging a pillow for comfort. He nuzzled into it, trying to soothe himself.
And dammit, his mind couldn't help but drift back to Neji and that pout he had given Lee when his courting gift had been refused. Maybe he had been too harsh on his instincts. His inner omega didn't mean harm after all, just wanting to be held and cherished and loved by his alpha…
Lee sighed, rolling himself over to stare up at the ceiling. He clutched the pillow, inhaling from it deeply as he felt a whine building in his throat. Suddenly, he found all he could think about was Neji, Neji, and more Neji. His mind raced, thinking about every little thing about the other man. It made him feel insane, for his instincts to be this obsessed, but the feeling wouldn't go away.
Courting was simple, or at least as it was explained to him. An alpha starts the process by giving the omega gifts, personalized and special, as many as needed. Once the omega accepts enough of them, the alpha begins scent marking the omega until there's basically a claim already set in place, though less permanent than a bite. In return, the omega doesn't take the affections of another alpha, letting just the one courting have their attention. Once the omega gets used to being claimed, the two will become proper mates, sharing a bite and scenting each other fully.
Lee paused in his thoughts, cheeks heating up. Is that what was happening? His body had grown used to being claimed, and wanted to consummate their bond? A shiver ran through him, a warm one that suddenly made this all feel good, feel right and natural. His alpha wanted him, and he wanted him back. All that was really left was to seal the deal.
His fists clenched and unclenched in the pillow as he thought about it, cheeks warm. Maybe tomorrow he would find Neji, and apologize for scaring him and Tenten, then explain himself..? Him not wanting to be a traditional omega wasn't new news to his teammates in the slightest, so he was sure Neji would understand that. Then he'd apologize for rejecting his gift, and then they would get to the fun part.
Lee nearly kicked his feet as he thought about it, feeling like a little kid with a crush. The thought of Neji having him, the pair being one properly… It made Lee feel so warm and fuzzy he didn't even remember he was on the couch, dozing off with a dopey smile on his face.
'Tomorrow...' The voice in his mind repeated, drifting into dreams of him and Neji being mates, fully and properly.