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"SHIT- CHAT? YOU OKAY?" She yells as she swings her yo-yo again, trying to wrap her yo-yo around the enemie's handle. She can't look behind her; because taking eyes off the villain at such a close range would get her obliterated.
He had gotten hit at full-force by her large shield. She didn't see how far he went, or if he landed on his feet, but she saw him get thrown up and back.
"I'm good!" He responds after a few seconds, and she can hear his baton hitting the ground again. In seconds he is down and next to her with his baton being twirled around and into a battle stance.
She notices the way that his stance is off. He does this stance a often, one foot in front of the other with his center of gravity low and his hands around his staff. Right now, he's too hunched over on himself.
She winces in sympathy at the thought of him getting a direct hit to the stomach, but she continues her assault against The Separator. Ladybug is certain that the akuma is in her shield, which is made out of a filled out divorce form.
She had actually been at the cafe where the lady was akumatized. She had been on a date with Adrien when a screaming match broke out at the table next to them. From what she (and everyone else there) overheard, it was an alpha lady being served with papers for being emotionally neglected to her wife.
In her attempt to look like she wasn't being nosy, she had missed the evilized butterfly coming towards them. Thankfully Adrien decided that them each of sheltering in their respective bathrooms was the best course of action. Her in the one made for alphas and male betas, and him in the one for omegas and female betas.
Chat Noir and Ladybug are on opposite sides of the villain now. She is boxed it, switching between which miraculous holder she's attacking. She had finally managed to get her yo-yo wrapped around the handle of her shield, giving her partner the perfect chance.
"Cataclysm!," He says with a smug grin. Ladybug keeps The Separator trapped where she is as he ducks between her oversized legs and goes for the kill-shot at her akumatized item. Thankfully, the item had melded with her hand during the transformation process.
He gets his hand nearly to the shield in a crouching position, before suddenly letting out a shout and doubling over when his knee hits his chest.
His entire body had tensed, and he hit the ground instantly. Falling forward, head on his hand. The cataclysm ended up hitting a rock on the ground instead of the intended item.
She has to use her weapon's grip on the sheild to flip the villain. That gets her away from Cat Noir, but she has to sacrifice her hook on the weapon.
"Are you hurt?" Ladybug yells out, but she can't continue to face him. She stands between him and the akumatized alpha, swinging her yo-yo to act as a shielding force.
"No!" She can hear him let out a small grunt while standing up , then his boots shifting into a stance. He sucks in a deep breath before reassuring her, "I'm feline purrrrrfectly fine! A little stomach ache never hurt anybody!"
"Your stomach? Where did you get hit?" She says as she once again goes for the kill shot. It's difficult considering she is having to dodge the paper sword being swung at her. Sadly, this akuma gave the lady both an offense and a defense.
"M'lady, I'm fine! Honest. It wasn't from the throw." He responds quickly. Before she can say anything else, he is already in front of her to and trying to deal some hits to the opposition. Sadly he can't get his stick under the small gap in her helmet.
"You showed up SICK? Kitty, are you kidding me! Why are you he-" She is interrupted by having to dodge another swing. In order to avoid it, she does a backflip and kicks off of the blade to propel her back and up.
"I'm not sick! Well... I think I'm not? I don't know if this would exactly qualify." He explains, still face to face with their evilized foe. After a few seconds, he does trip up. It was a stupid mistake, just him missing an attack. He gets hit with the sword again, and goes flying back. Thankfully his lady catches him, setting him upright as their villain catches his bearings.
"Go home!" The miraculous guardian yells while setting him upright, "I can just call for backup. You shouldn't be here right now!" She steps in front of him again, gently pushing him back enough to establish some sort of dominance. If her scent could be smelt through the magical suits, anyone would be able to tell how distressed and protective it is right now.
"M'lady-" He desperately tries to reason.
"Go home!" She shouts again, and it sounds more definite and aggressive now. The foe is throwing herself at the hero again to continue their duel. It's an even one on one match right now. She knows that she can hold her own, or run, until another hero can arrive.
"I think we need me to break that shield!" He yells, but his voice sounds far away behind her. It brings her some relief that he's actually backing away from the fight.
"What..." She asks, giving him pause. It takes her a second to realize what he's talking about. Some akuma items can be broken easily, but the paper had been turned into a shield; and she doubts it will be easy to break without a cataclysm. "Fine! Go wait on a building... and get me Vespira and Miss Hound!"
"Yea ma'am..." he replies submissively, backing away even further. She sees him vault up to a roof near where the fight is taking place on the street. He leans against an AC unit and pulls his knees up to his chest, then opens up his baton. She can see him scroll through the options of who to call. She trusts him call the heroes she asked for.
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The girls had made quick work of the villain, thankfully. Ladybug had managed to wrap their opponent in her yo-yo, letting Vespira freeze her. Miss Hound actually hadn't done much but be a distraction, which the guardian felt bad about. She had maybe over corrected for her lack of partner.
They had noticed Noir sitting on the roof, but hadn't required any explanation beyond, 'Medical'
Cat had come down once the villain was contained, and the other two hero's had seen the way that he was favoring his left side. Ladybug had no explanation for the side issue, but his legs seemed unaffected. His stomach ache might be worse on one side, she thought.
Either way, they finished the job with a cataclysm and a Miraculous Ladybug. Now, the group of 4 is in an empty alleyway they had ended up in after handing the akuma's victim to a paramedic.
"Well, this has been fun, but gotta bounce!" The omega says with a fake looking smile. The cat holder tries to vault away, but his lady uses her yo-yo to grab him by the arm before he can. Usually the string would be wrapped around his waist, but she's trying to be mindful of his stomach.
"Nope," She says to his confused look, "You're not leaving yet." Miss Hound and Vespira give their guardian an equally confused look, but all that gets them is waved off. They give each other a shrug, and then leave for the streets of Paris.
"Bug-a-boo, I'm fine, really." Chat Noir replies without his usual fanfare. She takes a second to look at him again. The blond hero has his body weight on his staff, trying his very best not to look like he's leaning naturally and not in pain.
"No, you're not. Either tell me what's wrong now or I'll keep you here until you do." Marinette knows that she's being a bit unreasonable, but she's been feeling protective all week. She usually tries not to get overly protective of her fighting partner just because he's an omega, but it's harder than usual.
Her boyfriend had been in preheat for a few days, after all. It's not bad enough that he needs to stay home, considering how young they are, but he's still not at 100%.
For the last few days, Marinette has handled a majority of social interactions for him at school. He's gotten clingy too, always trying to snuggle or fish for attention.
It takes a second for Chat to concede, but eventually his baton is reverted back into its smaller size. He leans his shoulder up against one of the alleyways walls and lets himself curl up on the ground. Legs together, one side leaning on the building.
"I wasn't lying," he murmurs just loud enough to hear, "I'm fine, didn't actually get hit bad." It takes conscious effort not to play with his black cat ring. Ever since getting the twin rings, he's developed a habit of fidgeting with them. His suit doesn't have them to play with, and it really is a shame.
"You're doubled over in pain." The woman standing over him replies. Her arms are crossed over her chest in mild irritation, and she's trying her very best not to fuss. She and Adrien have had more than a few talks about how anxious and overbearing she can get. She would never want to do that to her fighting partner.
"It's normal! Uh... it's the natural kind of pain." He admits with shame. His hand comes around to cradle his stomach protectively. She sees the way that he digs two of his fingers into his aching side to try and work out some tension.
"'Natural kind of pain'? What sort of pain is natural?" Her voice is suspicious. She doesn't think he has any sort of chronic pain; and even that wouldn't be natural.
"Don't w-worry about it, M'lady. Just let me leave. I'll be feline-fine in no time." Cat Noir stutters for a second and winces, letting his hands go still around his midsection. The massaging must have hit an extra sore spot.
Ladybug's hand comes to rest over her string belt, right on top of the compact. "Not until you tell me what's wrong! If you're sick then I need to take you off the Maraculors rotation until-"
"I'm not sick!" Chat Noir shouts desperately. "Are you even listening to me?"
Ladybug continues to open up her magical communication app. When she gets to the rotation, she scrolls to his and starts to edit. There's an option to remove him from the list that can be called upon, and it'll last until she decides to add him back. Her hand hovers over the button. "Either tell me what the issue is, or I'm benching you for a week!"
Chat weakly throws his arms up in surrender, then looks to the side in embarrassment. "FINE! Fine... It's cramps, okay? Omega stuff. I'll be fine by tomorrow." He puts his clawed hands on his lap, looking off to the side at the admission.
Ladybug, hand still over the button, feels a wave of guilt pass over her. Pushing her partner to admit that must have been humiliating for him, at the very least. He's still refusing to tear his eyes away from the concrete. The yo-yo snaps shut as she puts it back on her belt.
"You still get cramps while transformed?" The guardian's voice is so genuine and shocked that it gives her partner pause. He squints up at his lady, gently leaning away from the wall so that they can face each other with their bodies. "I thought that the miraculous made you immune!"
"Why would you think that?" There's a small laugh in the back of his voice that makes both of them relax.
"I... don't know?! You've never complained about them before!" She tries to think back to the year and 3 months that they have spent together. He's complained about headaches once or twice, but she's never heard him mention stomach cramps.
He didn't bring up most omega things, actually. All of Paris immediately clocked her as an alpha a few weeks into the whole crime-fighting thing, but Chat Noir was a mystery for a lot longer. Their suits prevented any of their scent from getting out to the world, so all anyone could go off of was voice and behavior.
Chat Noir isn't exactly a very submissive omega. He's kind and caring, sure, but there isn't a gentle or submissive bone in his body. Everyone thought he was a beta until he admitted, on live TV, that he was an omega. The news went crazy about it for two months.
When he decides to stop gawking at her ignorance he replies, "What was I supposed to say! 'Hey bug-a-boo, can we take a break for a second so I can take some Advil? Get a heating pad? Maybe some hot choclate'?!" When he started mocking her idea, he put on a stereotypical submissive voice. It was really familiar, in that way that all soft omegas are.
"Well I would RATHER you tell me than fight through pain!" She yells; maybe a bit too loudly. Two nosy middle schoolers peek their heads into the alleyway, but they run out away when she shoos them aggressively. Her voice goes so soft afterword so only her partner can hear. "Are they preheat or menstrual cramps?"
"None of your business!" The black cat sounds offended at the question. She flinches at how shamed and angry he sounded. "Why would I tell you that!"
"So I know how long to give you off, dumbass." Ladybug replies. Her words are harsh on paper, but they lacked any bite. She's too concerned to actually insult him, especially since the same things that give omegas cramps usually makes them extra emotional.
"I don't need time off, I'll be fine once I get some pain meds." He argues flatly before adjusting his sitting position. Now, his legs are stretched out in front of him to help loosen up his torso before he needs to stand.
"...You sure?" The bug questions for the last time.
"I'm sure." The black cat finishes dryly. With a final huff, he grabs his staff that was left abandoned at his side. He grips it like one would a knife, as that's how he usually holds it. One of his thumbs comes to play with the edge of the baton to self-soothe.
"You're SURE?" She inquires.
"I'm fucking paw-sitive, M'lady. Please let me leave." His voice is beginning to get snappish, and it's clear that he's one more awkward question from running out of the alley.
"...Fine. But you're going home." She replies in a serious tone. It's even surprising to her how easily she's slipping into an alpha-dominant headspace. Either it's Adrien's lingering hormones in her brain, or being the pack leader of everyone with a miraculous is getting to her.
"I was actually in the middle of something before we got an ultrakuma, y'know." It takes a second, but he stands up with the help of the wall. She gives him one of the most critical side eyes ever, and he gives into her worries. "I won't be alone, don't worry."
She sighs in frustration and runs a hand down her face. As much as she wants to be nosy, it's like she has any say about anyone's civilian life. "You'll be fine?"
"I'll be fine." As the conversation comes to a close, he propels himself upwards onto the building. She lets out a small sympathetic sound at the way it takes him a moment to find his balance after landing. It's clear that he needs to push past the aches.
"Wait, Noir?" She yells up at him before he can run off. He takes a second, but then spins around and looks down suspiciously. There's a clear and building frustration behind his eyes the longer she keeps him.
"You know you can always ask for a break, right? We have a team now, you don't need to fight if you're in pain. We can manage without you for a day or two." It comes out quickly in an attempt to rush his departure, but it's sincere. The pair has real backup now, something that they even utilized today! As the entire group grows up and begins to experience heats, ruts, jobs, strict schedules, it's going to be nice to have a system.
"...Thanks, Ladybug." He replies after a second. Then before she can blink, he's already disappearing into the beginning of the sunset.
Left all alone, the lady sighs and leans against the wall of the ally. Maybe, she should send out some sort of announcement to the Maraculors about staying home during cycles.
She is also pretty sure that Chat wasn't in preheat during the battle. While scents can't confirm anything he wasn't acting submissive like a normal omega on their cycle would.
Ladybug also isn't exactly sure what his age is (She controlled everyone else's age BUT his and Argos's) there's a decent chance that he's a year younger. Even at the start of last year, the very beginning of their partnership, he was pretty clueless on a lot of things socially. He might not even be at heating age yet.
Maybe it's just one of the boy's first periods, or something. It's not like this is any of her business. The only omegas body she needs to worry about is-
"Shit!" She shouts, "My boyfriend!"
In a second, she is but a blur as she zips out to go find her date.
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Adrien was right where Marinette had left him, thankfully.
Paris had learned pretty fast to return to normal after an akuma attack. If everyone took the day off after, nothing would ever get done in this city.
Adrien is at their table and sipping his still-chilled apple cidar. On his plate, his half eaten pumpkin muffin is still there and waiting for him. Marinette's own iced passion fruit tea and white chocolate cookie are also untouched and intact.
The omega lights up when he sees his love, waving her over enthusiastically. His shoulders relax from the tension they had held. She runs up to him, still breathing heavy from how fast she ran down the block to get here.
"Adrien! Oh my goodness I am so sorry I noticed someone stuck on the street and I made a run for it to help them and we were hiding in their car but the villain came back so we drove away-" She blurts out quickly at once. Her breathing is still incredibly heavy as she leans against the counter. Hopefully that excuse will work, like all the others.
A warm, gentle hand gets pressed to her shoulder from below. She looks down to see her boyfriend with a concerned smile on his face. He pulls her in by their contact point, and then presses a small peck to her forehead.
Marinette takes a moment to inhale deeply. The scents of the people around them and the cafe are all mixed together, but his will always stand out to her. He smells like peaches and homemade whipped cream. On a normal day it's soothing, but heat had thickened it to a divine aroma.
"It's okay," he replies soothingly. His pre-heat voice sounds like a warm spoonful of honey on a sore through. "I'm not mad... the person you were with wasn't a weirdo, right?"
"No! Of course not. It was... a really nice grandma! She was trying to get to safety and the villain was coming our way before Ladybug swooped in to save us!" Her voice comes out hastily and panicked, like it always does when she lies to Adrien. It should probably be concerning how little her boyfriend picks up it, but it's too convenient to question.
"Well, I'm glad that you helped someone out Marinette... You're way braver than I am." The former model says sincerely. He gently tugs his lover down to her seat, then presses her tea to her palm.
"I'm sure you would have helped if you had seen it," Marinette supplies with absolute conviction. Her boyfriend may be a more traditionally soft omega, but he's too kind and brave of a person to be a bystander.
She outstretched a free hand, trying to establish some physical contact again. Her boyfriend had been craving it for the last few days, and she is more than willing to give.
However, she finds that his free hand is around his stomach, on his lap. It wouldn't be unusual on its own, but he looks like he's in some sort of pain.
"Are you okay?" She questions hesitantly. He complained about cramps to her a few days ago, but he seemed fine so far on their date.
"Huh?" He says automatically. He instantly looks himself up and down, checking for any injuries or blood. Thankfully, he finds nothing. Then, he seems to realize what his lover was talking about, "Oh I'm fine. Just... preheat stuff."
"Do you need anything?" Marinette asks automatically while reaching for her boyfriend's bag. She knows that he has a small pocket in his bag filled with heat and menstrual supplies, 'just in case.'
"No, I'm fine. I just took two Advil, they just need to kick in." Adrien replies while gently taking his bag out of her hands. Just for show, he pulls out the pill bottle and gives it a rattle. It's almost empty, having been used for the last few months. He slides the container back into its pocket and sets his bag down at his feet.
"Does it hurt too bad?" She inquires cautiously, then presses her own hand onto the arm he was using to drink. Her touch is warm and firm, but not tight.
"Maybe a little, but we're sitting down anyway." The Agreste replies nonchalantly. She pretends not to notice the slight flush in his cheeks sparked by being fussed over."They'll kick in soon."
"Do you need anything?" Marinette asks around the straw in her mouth. His soft scent is coming off of him in waves, making her unconsciously lean forward to try and savor it. She's happy that they're going to her place after, because that means she gets to have this all over her room.
"Uh... No. I'm fine Marinette, I have my stuff. You're doing enough for me, really. I know I've been so needy these past few days..." His voice is soft when he talks. The hand on his stomach tightens in guilt, and maybe in submission. His already flushed cheeks seem to deepen another shade.
"Adrien, that's normal." She assures, "I want to be here for you, I'm your girlfriend!"
"You sure..?" The omega asks hesitantly. It makes her heart soften when she realizes how guilty he is. She hates his father, really does.
"I'm sure, Adrien. I love you." Marinette tells him with absolute certainty.
"Love you too, Marinette." Adrien says with a lovesick, happy smile. "Thank you."