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Where’s my pride, pride?
Guess I’ll leave it behind
‘Cause you’re wearing nothing but your perfume
It’s one hell of a view
You made me an offer I can’t refuse
I got it bad for you
Contrary to popular belief, Uzumaki Naruto is neither a beta nor an alpha, though he was quite content to let others draw whatever conclusions they see fit. There was a benefit to wearing scent blockers and regulating his heats with suppressants: a certain anonymity that granted him the ability to camouflage in a way that allowed him to fly under a lot of radars. It wasn’t even that Naruto was ashamed of his secondary gender. In fact, he was quite secure in his identity as a man (who also happened to be an omega).
He still intended to become a hokage one day (’ttebayo!), omega or not. He’d never let something as trivial as his anatomy and secondary gender dictate what he could and couldn’t do.
Still, at the end of the day, his reasons for masking his scent and reducing his heats into a twice a year thing were far more simple.
The life of a shinobi was a notoriously dangerous path—one that was filled with the constant promise of peril and the threat of death at every turn.
Naruto knew himself to be more than capable enough to walk that dangerous path—dance on it even—but it was also far more practical to accept the fact that at times his secondary gender would pose risk to his own safety, which in turn would make him a liability to his team, his mission, and his village if he were to ever find himself compromised.
From unscheduled heats, to rogues with less than noble intentions, and other unaccounted for variables, it was more practical to hide it all until it became as easy as breathing.
Nevermind that omegas still faced prejudice despite societal growth and the abandonment of archaic beliefs. Old families with old traditions, and deep roots often had a reputation for allowing old traditions and beliefs to survive. So it went without saying: it was safer to mask.
Not that Naruto felt himself to be particularly desirable to others—he could be loud and abrasive instead of small and demure. Most alphas wanted subservience, and while Naruto was loyal at his core, complete obedience was a concept he struggled to grapple with.
So, being mated was something Naruto decided was not in the card for him—which suited Naruto just fine!—he was content with where he was. He has a team that he’s finally getting along with, and a smattering of good friends: like Shikamaru and Kiba, and most importantly he has purpose as a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Besides, it wasn’t like he was completely denying his omega instincts what they demanded.
Surprisingly enough, his lesser known friendship with one spunky Yamanaka Ino was a bond he treasured above all others. Granted it had been a friendship that had been born from happenstance, and shortly after Ino and Sakura’s friendship wilted and their newly blossomed (and rather stupid, if you asked Naruto) rivalry for Sasuke’s attention ruined any chances of the two girls helping one another through their heats.
Ino had presented abruptly one spring morning in class, and thought she could make her way home before her presentation heat rolled in. Only, she fell a short few blocks before the first cramp walloped her, and sent her doubling over with a distressed whine.
The scent and sounds of a distressed omega were designed to draw alphas to them, purely for reproductive purposes according to all the books Naruto has read; however, the signs of an omega in distress could also draw other omegas to them—particularly when said omega in distress was unmated. All the books said that there was nothing more soothing to an omega than their pack—or in the case of a vulnerable omega: another omega who would undoubtedly provide them with both comfort and protection.
Naruto, who had presented quite early, had come across the panicked girl, and solemnly offered her one of the spare scent blocking patches he carried with him, before he offered to escort her home. Ino had protested, at first drawing her own conclusions about Naruto and his presentation before realization dawned upon her. She was smart like that, and Naruto nodded his quiet assent.
“I didn’t know,” Ino had said, her small hand in his for her comfort. Her voice had dripped with what Naruto could only describe as wonder and guilt, though he didn’t dare to speculate what was going through her head.
“I don’t really advertise it,” Naruto said quietly as they walked down the dirt path towards the Yamanaka residence. “But I get it.“
—being young, alone, and scared as your body suddenly went through significant changes—
“—so you don’t gotta be scared, ’ttebayo.”
With Ino’s guidance, Naruto delivered her safely home, and when he turned to leave, having left the newly presented omega in her mother’s care—Ino stopped him.
“Can you…— will you stay?” she asked.
Naruto did stay, that is, for her presentation heat and every heat that followed—and in turn Ino saw him through every one of his own heats until both omegas inevitably synced up their cycles.
Nest building became a responsibility shared by both, as did squirreling away things that both of them liked to eat and drink before they spent their days cuddled up; alternating between sleeping and talking about everything and nothing at the same time.
Things changed of course when they both graduated to genin, and his first heat without Ino had been admittedly difficult. Ino, who had never spent any of her heats alone before, revealed to him that she had been downright miserable for her first heat without him.
Of course, things had gotten easier with time as they adjusted to their new routines, but whenever their free time and heats did alight, the two found themselves gathered within one nest (Ino’s bed, more often than not).
“Ugh, I could really go for a cold ramen salad,” Ino lamented from where she lay sprawled on her back. Their shared heat had just come to an easy and familiar conclusion, and for the first time in days both could think clearly. Well, Naruto, who was still muzzy with sleep, would need a little bit longer, but at least he felt more aware of himself and his surroundings.
They had of course prepared their usual favorites for their shared heat ahead of time, but today Ino seemingly wanted none of it. Instead, a cold bottle of lemon-black tea and a bowl of hiyashi chuka would do, she claimed with absolution. However, neither were ready (or decent) to make a public appearance, and both of her parents were out of the house.
“Wait, hold on—“ Ino said as she suddenly rolled out of her bed with more energy than Naruto could even begin to muster, “I have an idea.” Generally when Ino wanted something, she would get it—a fact that Naruto was quite familiar with.
“You want a green tea?”
He grunted his assent, and rolled to claim as much space on the freed up bed for himself. Through his post-heat haze, he could hear the door open and close, and he could hear her fading footsteps thud, thud, thud down the hall and then eventually disappear down the stairs.
With Ino’s mandatory heat coming up, the kunoichi was placed on medical leave until she was ready to return to active duty. It was nothing new to Shikamaru at this point; and with a teammate down, the rest of Team 10 were excused from missions; which of course suited Shikamaru just fine. While training continued as usual for Shikamaru and Chōji, the former was happy to have the additional down time.
Until the phone rang and his mother answered, of course.
Whatever tranquility Shikamaru had been feeling quickly sank as a terrible and troubling feeling settled in his stomach like a rock. Ino’s heat should be coming to an end, and his day had been relatively peaceful with minimal nagging from his mother, which meant…
“Shikamaru!”
… it was time for the other sandal to drop.
He groaned, but made no effort to move away from the shogi board. Like a summons, his lack of proper acknowledgement drew his mother into the adjoining room from the kitchen, hands her hips and a stern expression on her pale face at this same old song and dance.
“Ino called,” she started, confirming his worst fears. Slowly he rolled to his feet, knowing that this was a battle he would not win no matter what approach he took. Troublesome women, he thought to himself. This wasn’t the first time Ino had called the Nara residence for post-heat cravings, and until she was mated, Shikamaru was certain it wouldn’t be the last time either.
“Yeah, yeah,” he groaned, “what does she want?”
His mother said something about two orders of cold noodles and some beverages, and Shikamaru began to gather his things with all the conviction of a man with a death sentence who was forced to do the responsible thing and get his affairs in order. While he had presented as an alpha, he considered Ino as pack in the most platonic of ways, and instead of the strong personality of an alpha, his mellow tendencies were the least offensive thing to a post-heat Ino; something she took advantage of as often as she could as he was the ideal person to intrude on her post-heat space. Was this what it was like to pick up supplies for an omega sibling?
If it was, Shikamaru did not envy Kiba.
“Did you hear me, Shikamaru?” his mother’s voice cut through his internal groaning as she followed him to the front door.
“Yeah, two orders of cold ramen salad, a cold green tea, and a cold lemon-black tea,” he parroted back dispassionately as he slipped on his sandals. His mother clicked her tongue.
“You’d think I just asked you to gnaw off your own foot,” his mother huffed, scolding more than angry, “I hope you’ll be more motivated to provide for your own future omega than this.”
With a long suffering sigh, Shikamaru pocketed the spare Yamanaka residence keys and stepped out onto the street.
It seemed that Ino had the sense to call ahead for the order, which meant that Shikamaru only had to pay for the order before he was back to reluctantly navigating the village. Why Ino had ordered so much food, the Nara teen couldn’t even guess—though who was he to question the wants and needs of an omega? A memory of his mother complaining over pillow textures pre-heat came rushing to the forefront of his mind, and Shikamaru remembered the way his father had torn the village shops apart just to please her. A cold shudder skittered down his spine at what his own future would potentially look like.
All of his alpha relatives who were cursed with the dreaded Nara Clan Fixation were so obsessed with their omega mates that they’d do just about anything to keep them happy in heat—his own alpha father included. To Shikamaru it all sounded far too troublesome.
Arriving at the Yamanaka residence, Shikamaru quietly let himself in and left his shoes at the entrance. Somewhere upstairs he could hear the shower running, and some part of him gave thanks to a higher being. Past experiences dictated that Ino liked to eat in bed after her heats, so Shikamaru would leave the food in her room and then head back home. With his plan made, the Nara ascended the stairs and followed the familiar path to Ino’s room.
Except, when he opened the door to enter, he had been expecting Ino’s syrupy lemon and lilacs scent. Just the syrupy lemon and lilacs scent.
The scent of co-mingled candied oranges and sweet cream had been so unexpected that Shikamaru would have staggered back if his self-control had been any weaker than it was. Saliva pooled in his mouth in a way it has never done before, and his lungs felt alarmingly empty as he sucked in the cloyingly sweet scent of sticky oranges. The alpha normally didn't even care for candied oranges, yet here he was, salivating like Kiba’s ninken right before the bastard stole the prime cut right off Chōji’s plate that one time.
Something—or rather someone—shifted on the bed, and a familiar shock of bright hair drew Shikamaru’s attention. Holy shit?
“Eh, Shika?”
It felt like the floor fell from under his feet.
“Na—Naruto?” his shock was audible—and probably visible—at finding Naruto of all people in Ino’s bed. Now, Shikamaru was the last person to ever criticize someone for their choice in heat partners (purely because it simply wasn't any of his business)—but knowing Ino and knowing Naruto—he seemed like an unusual choice for an alpha. Nevermind that they were all fairly young—was this even allowed?
Something clicked then, as Shikamaru’s mind raced a mile a minute, and his breath hitched—
Oh.
So that’s how it was.
“You’re an omega?” he asked, a little breathless and a whole lot stunned as he took in Naruto’s post-heat bed head and half-lidded sleepy expression. There was a softness to him that he had never seen before, and a sweetness to his scent that Shikamaru would have never anticipated in a million years.
It wasn’t a secret that Naruto wore scent blockers and a more neutral scent over them—most shinobi did—but Naruto’s overall demeanor was so unlike the traditional omega that he—
—it’s my fault for assuming, Shikamaru thought suddenly. Most of his omega relatives that married into the family, his mother included, didn’t display the usual docile omega traits either.
“Uh, yeah,” Naruto’s answer drew his attention back to him. “Ino and I’ve been spending our heats together since the academy days.” He seemed more coherent now, and had at some point sat up. His eyes were more open now: blue and beautiful.
“Less since we became genin.”
“Oh—why… haven’t you ever said anything before?”
Naruto shrugged. “I presented really early, and at first it was like a safety thing, but I’ve been masking for a really long time so I guess it's just habit at this point?”
It’s the all too casual way that Naruto says it that has something in the alpha absolutely rankled. Safety? Shikamaru’s own family was well aware about how he felt about the village’s treatment of Naruto; so for an entire village to make an omega child feel unsafe enough that he felt the need to hide his designation—
A soft keening broke through the sudden wash of alpha anger—an omega responding to an upset alpha—and the Nara heir rumbled softly in turn (a dialogue, he vaguely realized). His dark gaze snapped to Naruto, and there’s a sudden and desperate need to soothe and ease away the panicked and confused expression on the omega’s—Naruto’s—face before his scent has the chance to sour with distress.
“Sorry,” Shikamaru coughed around the unexpected sound bubbling up his throat. His ears burned hot with embarrassment at his lack of restraint, “I’m not upset with you, Naruto. Just—angry—that people made you feel that way.”
He shook his head to dispel the awkwardness that threatened to take root.
“Anyways, here’s your order,” he said quickly (not Ino’s—but yours) as he stepped further into the room to deposit the grocery bag onto Ino’s desk rather than handing it to Naruto directly. The alpha was suddenly all too aware of the way Naruto’s cloying sweet scent made his head spin with want, and he immediately retreated towards the door as he felt a creeping heat crawl up the back of his neck. Why was he feeling so short of breath all of a sudden? His hand felt blindly around for the door handle—or the door frame—or anything really to steady himself with.
“Call if you need anything,” he said (—why?—), and before he could hear Naruto’s answer, Shikamaru stepped outside and drew the door shut with too much force. With an all too stiff frame, the alpha fled back down the way he’d come, and spilled out onto the street with a desperate need for air.
Remembering to lock the door behind him, Shikamaru missed the keyhole thrice before he was free to race his thoughts all the way home.
… okay so, maybe he was finally on the same page as to why his father and other alpha relatives always went the extra (troublesome) mile for their omegas, because Shikamaru was pretty sure he’d do just about anything to drown himself in the smell of candied oranges and sweet cream.