Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ladybug had known from day one that Chat Noir was an omega. Tikki had explained how the balance between their miraculous’s was best achieved with an alpha/omega pair. Yin and yang. Creation and destruction. Blessings and curses. (not that Chat would ever use his curse power on anyone, he was far too kind for that)

But what was a surprise was when Chat Noir chose to openly be an omega to the public. He easily could have hidden it. Their suits blocked any and all scents and the glamour was powerful enough to hide any telling details. There would have been a lot of advantages had Chat pretended to be an alpha like her. People would respect him more and take him more seriously. He would be seen as her partner and not her sidekick. They wouldn’t have to fight off egotistical alphas who wanted a piece of the leather clad hero.

And all of that was piecemeal in comparison to the headache that was the Mother’s of Proper Omega’s Society. They were furious with Chat Noir. Calling him a bad example, a slut, a failure of an omega, constantly trying to accuse him of all sorts of nasty things. Chat Noir being a hero was antithetical to everything they believed in. Hawkmoth utilized them as akumas a lot.

But openly being an omega also gave Chat Noir a lot of advantages too. It allowed him to comfort and soothe victims in a way that only an omega could really get away with. He could enter omega only areas and heat houses without complaint. He didn’t have to hide his vocalizations that otherwise would have given him away. But most important of all…

“I want to be an example of everything that omega’s are capable of if people only give us a chance.” he told her. “I have a very old fashioned family. I’m one of those omega’s who got pulled out of school once I presented and will be under house arrest until I marry. I want to give hope and validation to everyone like me.”

How could she possibly refuse him that.

Needless to say, Chat Noir was massively popular among the omega population. They looked at him with a naked adoration that put Ladybugs' own fans to shame. They didn’t just love him. They worshiped him.

And even though she didn’t return his romantic feelings, she wanted him to know that she cared for him as well.

They had just had a particularly bad akuma on an early November day. It had been someone from the Mother’s Society again and she had said some especially cutting remarks to her partner. Now Chat knew not to take the things that akuma’s said seriously and he would normally just continue to be his happy chipper self, but this nasty woman had said those things as a civilian. After she had been deakumatized.

And Chat Noir was not acting happy and chipper at all.

Ladybug found him hiding in a corner of the Eiffel Tower, all curled up in a sad little ball. “I thought I might find you here.” she said softly as she sat next to him. “One day they might start calling this place The Great Cat Tree.”

Chat huffed a short laugh that was followed by a sniff. “We would need to cover it with carpet or something. Iron doesn’t sob doesn’t make sniff a very good sob scratching post.” He tried to force a laugh that only turned into tears. Ladybug pulled him into a hug as he cried. He whined and crooned and Ladybug let herself growl and chuff in return. They stayed like that for a while as they both shivered in the cold.

Wait a sec.

Chat was shivering from the cold. What kind of alpha was she if she let an omega under her care get cold like this? Gently she pushed her partner away and reached into her yo-yo. She pulled out what was supposed to be his Christmas present (she was the kind of person to have presents ready early). She could always make a second present. He needed this now.

“Here you go Kitty.” she said as she handed him the gift.

Chat took it reverently. The festive wrapping made it clear that this wasn’t a courting gift, but she could already tell that he was going to treasure it as if it was. He carefully peeled off the paper and looked inside. Right there on top was the blue hat she had knitted with the matching scarf.

“Put it on,” she exclaimed, suddenly excited. “I want to see how well it fits.”

Chat eagerly picked up the hat and pulled it over his head. The slits for his ears were perfectly placed, popping through the weave along with a few strands of his golden hair. It meant that he somehow managed to keep his shaggy windswept look even with a hat on. When he picked up the scarf he noticed that there was something underneath it. He leaned in for a closer look and busted up laughing. He set the scarf in his lap so he could lift up the hoodie and look at it in all its glory.

IF LOST PLEASE RETURN TO LADYBUG,

“Hahaha sniff this is amazing. It looks handmade.” He looked to her with shining eyes. “Did you embroider this yourself?”

Ladybug blushed a bit. “Yeah. I actually focus better when I’m doing something with my hands so my teachers let me do it in class.” She reached back into her yo-yo, just because she knew he would laugh again at what she was about to show him. “I have a matching one. See?”

HAS ANYONE SEEN MY CAT?

Chat’s laughter was loud and genuine. Gone was the sad hurt omega from before and the alpha inside her preened.

They both wore their hoodies over their suits for the rest of the winter.

Chapter Text

Here’s the thing about old mansions and omega rooms.

In ye olden days there would have been a dozen or more people living in an estate at once. Some of those people would be the main family members, some would be visiting family, live in clergy and doctors, tutors, esteemed guests, questionable guests, governesses and nannies (who were almost always omegas). With so many people in one household there were bound to be multiple omegas. So it only made sense that your omega room would be large and spacious enough to accommodate having several at once. Often with the largest circular nesting bed possible to fit all those omegas, who so loved to nest together with their own kind when their heats synced up.

Having such a large omega room made sense in that day and age. Having such a large omega room in modern times, when there was often only one omega in the home, didn’t make any sense at all.

Modern aristocrats solved this in one of two ways. The first was a take on an older tradition of when there weren’t enough omegas in a mansion, they would offer to take in omegas from poorer families. Almost like having a pet omega. Today this meant that omegas from rich families with large omega rooms often had sleepovers with their omega friends during their heats. Most families agreed to this for the same reasons they did in the past: the increased security of a mansion would protect their precious children during their heats better than their own homes could.

The second way to address the problem was to simply do some renovations or to move the omega room somewhere else. Renovations usually meant cutting the room in half so there were two rooms. The outer room might be turned into a parlour, or a library, or a gaming room, while the inner room would be the new omega room. It would be smaller, cozier, but often just as luxurious as before.

Gabriel Agreste did neither of those things.

The day he presented Adrien had been moved from his perfectly functional and normal sized bedroom to the massive omega room the house had. The Agreste mansion wasn’t even old enough that it should have a leftover massive omega room. Gabriel was just the epitome of gaudy new money and built it that way.

“My old room is just fine,” Adrien slurred through his presentation heat. Which was awful by the way. “It’s still got bullet proof windows and my own bathroom and my favorite hoodie…” Adrien trailed off like he wanted to mention more but couldn’t. It was really hard to think when his instincts were screaming at him to go back to his bed. His real bed.

“Nonsense. You are an Agreste. And you will have a room befitting of an Agreste.”

And that was what led to today. To a miserable Adrien all alone in a massive room during his heat.

It was somehow both really drafty and way too warm. Adrien would have preferred a slightly chill room with a collection of hoodies but he didn’t have any control over the thermostat. The bed was too large. The raised edges of the bed were too far apart for a lone omega to make a comfortable nest. Rather than feeling safe and secure he felt naked and exposed. He tried to fix it by making a new nest edge by stuffing the bed with things like his old fencing bag and the couch cushions but he could still roll over twice without touching the edges of his nest. The scent was all wrong too. He didn’t have anything with his parent’s scent to soothe his instinct and the precious hoodie Ladybug had made him had lost her scent long ago.

He might as well be packless for how little scents there were in his nest.

He felt packless sometimes. He had turned on the tv to try and entertain himself but it was too far away to be of any use. He didn’t have any new books either since he needed permission and an escort to go to the library and his father hadn’t allowed that in months. So not only was he hot, in pain, and miserable, but he was also bored to tears.

When the akuma alert went off he almost wept in relief.

“You sure you’re up for this kitten?” Plagg looked and sounded bored and unconcerned but Adrien knew he cared.

Adrien was pulling on some shoes. “I’m more than ready to get out of this house. Plagg! Claws Out!”

Much to Chat Noir’s disappointment, the magical suit did absolutely nothing to make his heat feel better. He was still uncomfortably hot. He still wanted to crawl into a nest. And he still wanted Ladybug in ways that made him blush. The only upside of his super suit was that it completely blocked the scent of his heat. Hawkmoth knowing he was in heat was the last thing he needed.

Chat Noir made it to the scene first. Today's akuma looked like a cross between Bo Jack Horseman and a lawyer. Don’t ask him how he knew. There was just something about a three piece pinstripe suit that screamed lawyer to him. Not wanting to jump into the fray just yet, he stalked the akuma from the rooftops, watching and waiting.

The light tap tap of feet behind him told him that Ladybug had just landed on the roof. “What’ve we got today?” she asked casually as she settled down to peek over the ledge next to him. As she crouched down in the narrow space, her shoulder and upper arm pressed into his, and her knee brushed his thigh. It was perfectly innocent, but he felt as if he had been lit aflame. And to his utter horror, he keened like an omega seeking a mate.

In a flash Ladybug leapt away from him. He keened again at the loss of contact. He clapped a hand over his mouth to try and muffle the sound.

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug asked in a whisper, sounding nervous. “Are you in heat?”

“I can handle it,” he replied. Avoiding a direct answer.

“Minou, you should be in a nest.” she insisted. She was reaching out like she wanted to comfort him but knew she shouldn’t touch him.

He held up his hand and started counting off his fingers. “One, I hate my nest at home. I’d rather be here to be honest. Two, HawkDaddy absolutely can’t know I’m in heat. Three, he might figure out my heat cycle and that would be worse. And four, there’s no way I’m letting you fight without backup.”

He could see Ladybug warring with herself. Between her duties as a hero and her duties as an Alpha. Between being responsible for the city and being responsible for him. She looked like she was going to cry as she came to a decision. “Alright, “ she choked out. “Alright. But as soon as we’re done, recharge and meet me on this roof. Deal?”

Chat smiled ruefully. “Deal.” He held out his hand for a handshake and was mildly surprised when she pulled him to his feet. She held his hand gently, as hugging him right now without being his mate would be wildly inappropriate.

She looked him straight in the eye. “If at any point it becomes too much, just let me know and we’ll figure something out.”

“I don’t think it will,” he reassured her. “Like I said, I’d rather be here with you than back home.”

For some reason, that made her cry more.

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To say that that battle was hell would be an understatement

After Chat recharged and met up with Ladybug, she told him to follow her somewhere. She led him across the rooftops to a small balcony. The tiny narrow kind that are barely wide enough to stand on that a lot of Paris seems to have. She opened the unlocked balcony door and beckoned him inside.

Chat looked around the small apartment with unfettered glee. “Is this your apartment?!” he asked, shrieking like a fangirl.

Ladybug made a so so gesture. “Yes and no. No, I don’t live here. Yes, I kinda own this apartment. I thought it might be good for us to have a base of operations, so I’ve been negotiating with the mayor till he gave me the funds to get this place. I just closed on it and was going to tell you about it on our next patrol.”

His unfettered glee somehow increased. “OMG we have a secret base?!”

Ladybug giggled at his excitement. “Come on, I want to show you something.” She led him down a short hallway that led to the bedrooms and she opened a door. Inside was a plain circular omega bed covered in shopping bags. “This room is for you Minou.”

Adrien had never been so excited to make a nest before. This fluffy blanket that smelled vaguely like a bakery? That was going here. And this croissant pillow that smelled ever so slightly of Ladybug’s civilian scent? That was going over here. For the first time in as long as he could remember, there were actual scents in his nest. Faint scents to be sure, but scents all the same.

For the first time since he started having heats, he had a real nest.

Chapter Text

Chat Noir had many admirers. The omegas of the city adored him. The betas like him well enough. But the Alphas… well. It was often hard to tell the difference between how much they admired him and how much they desired him.

The first time an Alpha asked for her permission to court Chat Noir she honestly thought it was a joke. How would a civilian even court a superhero with a secret identity? Where would they meet? Who would be the escort? Where was Chat expected to put courting gifts? (this was before they got their base apartment) She was ashamed to say that she had laughed in the poor alphas face before she figured out that they were serious. That was really the first time that she had realized that she hadn’t just gained a partner when she became a superhero, she had gained an omega. Except for a very few liberals, any alpha who wanted to court Chat Noir would have to come through her first.

This was somehow much more daunting than protecting all of Paris.

Ladybug quickly learned that there was a whole range of alpha’s who asked for Chat Noir’s hand.

Alpha type number 1: The super brash, super confident. The stereotypical alpha personality that all the omega reddit boards warned against. These alphas were so confident in their own eligibility that they didn’t know what to do with themselves when she turned them down. They typically turned angry and started throwing slurs when they realized they had been rejected and it was fairly common for them to be akumatized.

Number two: The rich elitist. These were the alphas who typically followed the old fashioned tradition of buying her a “mellowing gift” alongside a courting gift for Chat. This old fashioned tradition also declared that she got to keep these gifts even if she denied their proposal. Ladybug still wasn’t sure what to do with the car.

Three: the daredevils. They asked on a dare. Enough said.

Four: Whatever Theo Barduoe was.

Marinette sipped her tea on her balcony as she was talking to Tikki. “I feel so bad for Theo. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him formally meet Chat.”

“He is the first alpha that you’ve accepted,” Tikki said. “Him presenting the statue as a courting gift was a bold move.”

“And he was so sincere too,” Marinette groaned as she set down her tea. “You didn’t see how nervous he was when he asked me. Kept on rambling about Chat being more than a sidekick and why he made the statue the way he did. He’s the first alpha to talk about Chat like he’s more than a prize.”

“Do you still think you did the right thing? Formally introducing him to Chat?”

She put her head in her hand. “I don’t know. I feel so bad that Chat rejected him.”

Just then an alarm went off on her phone. She tapped to pull up the Miraculous Instant News Feed. “This just in,” came the tinny reporter's voice, “Ladybug has been seen stealing the Mona Lisa. Is this part of one of Ladybugs' complicated plans? Or is this the start of her life of crime? Reporter Nadja Chamack is on scene with officer Rodger. Nadja?”

Marinette watched enough of the interview to know that Rodger was being bull headed as usual. It didn’t give her any more important knowledge. “This is the work of an akuma. How can anyone believe I would steal the Mona Lisa for no reason. Tikki Spots On.”

Ladybug hadn’t been on the rooftops for very long when she got a call from her partner. “Ladybug!,” the sheer enthusiasm he greeted her with never failed to make her smile. “Was that you stealing the Mona Lisa or is it an akuma? And if it was you, what do you need me to do?”

“Of course it wasn’t me.” she said immediately. “And what do you mean ‘what do you need me to do?’ Were you just going to let me lead you down a life of crime?”

“I would follow you anywhere My Lady.” Chat said sincerely. Ladybug had to fight a blush. Good Kwamii he was the perfect omega. He was going to make a lucky alpha very happy one day. Which was exactly the reason she was so picky about who would get to court him. He was too pure.

“M’lady?” Chat sounded hesitant. “I think this akuma is my fault. If I hadn’t rejected Theo…”

“Stop right there,” she interrupted. “You are never obligated to accept an alpha just because they give you a nice courting gift. They should know perfectly well that they run the risk of being rejected. You. Owe. Them. Nothing.”

He huffed a short laugh. “Yeah, I know. It’s hard to remember sometimes though.” She could hear guilt lacing through his voice. Her poor kitty.

“I’m almost at CopyBug’s art studio. Meet me there?”

She could almost hear the mock salut he must be giving her. “Will do Ladybug.”

----------------

Ladybug couldn’t believe she was this stupid. Of course it was a trap. She should have expected it to be a trap. Now she was trapped in handcuffs while she watched CopyBug painfully try to flirt with Chat Noir.

Chat Noir of course knew that she would never act like that and quickly handed the akuma his own ass. “Nice try,” he said, “ but Ladybug has never once led me on like that.”

And Ladybug was so grateful that he could easily tell them apart that only later did the wording occur to her as strange.

Chapter Text

Have you ever had two separate friend groups that never interacted with each other until one day they did? Like say you have your church pack and then maybe you have your DND pack. Both packs are great, it’s just that they have no reason to get together. They have nothing in common other than you. Until one day your mother throws you a giant surprise birthday party and invites everyone on your friends list. Suddenly your two separate worlds have crashed together and you have the delicate job of making sure everyone gets along.

That’s kinda how Ladybug felt right now.

See, before Rena Rouge, there was a clear distinction between her civilian best friend and her heroic best friend. Both of them existed in separate worlds. Alya was the person she talked to about school, homework, and omegas to: Chat Noir was the one who got her talking about Master Fu, dealing with the mayor, and the stress of hero work. She loved them both, but neither of them knew about each other.

Until now.

“My Lady?” Chat managed to look both shy and excited, a feat Ladybug didn’t know was possible. “Is this going to be a new thing? Having other part time heroes?”

“Maybe. Akumas are getting more and more difficult as Hawkmoth gets more practice. I don’t think this is going to be a one time thing. But I’ll have to ask Master Fu to know for sure.” Technically Chat wasn’t supposed to know about Master Fu, but Marinette considered his attitudes towards omegas to be positively archaic, and so she ignored that particular order.

For a moment Chat’s excitement spilled over. “So like a superhero pack?”

Ladybug hesitated. Being a pack alpha couldn’t be that different from being Chat Noir’s alpha could it? “Yeah, a superhero pack. The Miracupack.”

Chat shifted on his feet, looking nervous. “I’ve never been part of a pack that wasn’t my family. I’m super excited but…”

“But you're nervous too.” she finished. “Don’t worry. You’re kind, empathetic, and even funny sometimes.”

“You think I’m funny?!”

She gave him a look. “My point is, anyone would be lucky to have you in their pack. You’ll do fine.”

The introduction to Carapace, who was also a beta, also went well. Chat was ecstatic to have another guy to talk to. Anytime Carapace and Rena were both on the team they spent some time after the battle getting icecream and talking about music, video games, and shooting the breeze. (how Alya managed to get pictures and videos of these outings was a mystery to Marinette) Despite Chat Noirs fears, they blended together seamlessly into a pack as time went on.

But then she introduced Ryoku and Viperion, who were an alpha and omega respectively

Ryoku was the second alpha that she formally introduced to Chat. Although this time she was introducing her as a pack member, and not as a potential suitor. Even though they had technically already met on the battlefield, decorum demanded that a formal introduction be made. So she invited everyone on a secluded rooftop.

“Chat Noir, I would like to formally introduce Ryoku, the dragon miraculous holder, and newest member of our pack.”

“It is an honor to meet you.” Ryoku said in a bow that was doubtlessly the perfect deepness for meeting a pack omega.

And Chat blushed. Huh. Maybe she was introducing her as a potential suitor afterall. (And for some reason that made her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t reason why)

Viperion was a different story. As the head omega of their little pack, Chat had the power to reject any other omegas from joining. There was a tiny part of her that was worried that her kitties insecurities would get to him and he would want to remain the only omega. Some omegas did that. But the much larger part of her knew how lonely and desperate for friends Chat Noir was in his civilian life.

“Welcome to the miracupack!” Chat said excitedly. “We don’t hang out very often, and we don’t know eachothers real names, but we’re still a pack. And I’m going to make extra sure that anytime we do get together that you’re invited too.”

If Ladybug didn’t know as much about Chat Noir’s father as she did, that wouldn’t have hurt as much. She knew that his father rejected most invites for his son. To the point that Chat had no friend pack at all. She also knew that his father was cold and distant to the point that Chat’s scent was damn near packless as a civilian. What failure of an alpha didn’t scent their omega now and again? As Ladybug watched Chat befriend Viperion with every drop of enthusiasm that he had (which was a lot) she vowed to do better than Chat’s father.

She would be the pack alpha he deserved.

First she made some adjustments to the apartment that they had as their base. She got some new furniture for the living room, an abundance of board games, more blankets for the omega room, and she stocked the kitchen with snacks and all the kwamiis favorite foods.

Master Fu was against the idea at first. Scratch that, he was totally against the idea. It would take weeks or maybe even months to wear him down. Ladybug decided that she wasn’t that patient. So when the opportunity came to “accidentally” reveal Rena Rouge and Carapace to eachother she didn’t fight it too hard. Of course they were at a higher risk now so it only made sense to invite them to their base. Oh well Master Fu, I’m just rolling with the punches.

Ryoku and Viperion were both easier and harder to bring in to pack activities. Easier because Chat already knew both of their identities. Harder because Kagami’s and Luka’s parents kept better track of them. Luka because he was an unmated omega; Kagami because her mother was just overbearing. She still managed to get them to join a few game nights.

Now Ladybug had known on some level how badly Chat Noir needed a friend pack. She was doing all this for him after all. But watching him absolutely blossom like some kind of sunflower, becoming even more outgoing and friendly, the sheer happiness he exuded. She realized that she had underestimated just how cold and lonely his home life was.

And if Marinette started campaigning against omegas being pulled out of school when they present, no one needed to know why.

Chapter Text

Shortly after Ladybug became guardian, Ryoku had approached her with a request that was both expected and yet a total surprise.

“Pack Alpha Ladybug, I would like your permission to begin courting Chat Noir.” She held out an ornate box that Ladybug recognized as a mellowing gift. She opened it to find an expensive looking paintbrush. Ladybug had mentioned maybe once that she wished she could learn Chinese calligraphy. It was a very personal and well thought out gift so she was rather touched. No doubt her opening courting gift for Chat Noir would be just as thoughtful.

And yet…

And yet her first gut instinct was to say no, which surprised her.

Ryoku was honestly perfect for Chat Noir. She respected him as a hero, deferred to him as Ladybugs second-in-command, she was polite and kind to him, and she even smiled at his jokes. Them both being heroes got rid of many of the barriers that courting presented and gave them something in common. Kagami herself was a handsome alpha, which Chat Noir knew all too well. She also came from a good family. Something that would be important for Chat’s father if they ever decided to court outside the masks.

Ryoku was exactly the kind of alpha Chat Noir deserved. So why did she want to say no?

She quickly decided that she was being overprotective. “You have my permission, Ryoku.” she said with a short bow. Since Ryoku was already part of the pack she didn’t have to do another formal introduction, but she did have to be there for the first courting gift.

Which was a sword.

Ryoku’s first courting gift was a custom made black and green fencing saber. Chat Noir began to cry. Everyone around him began to panic before he rushed to reassure them.

“It’s just that it’s such a nice gift,” he sobbed around a smile. “I think I mentioned only once that I had always wanted to learn fencing.” But Chat’s father had said no, she remembered, that it wasn’t a suitable hobby for an omega. Chat went on, “And this is so much, I don’t know, meaningful than jewelry or scented blankets.”

Ladybug felt herself pout. She had given lots of blankets and pillows to Chat for his nest, and she made sure to scent them regularly. She stopped herself. Those nesting supplies were given as a pack alpha, not as a suitor. She had no reason to feel snubbed.

And yet….

And yet Ladybug felt something churning in her gut. Something ugly. Was she…? Was she jealous?

She couldn’t be jealous of Ryoku, she decided, because she had never thought of Chat Noir in that way before. That was a ridiculous line of thinking. Don’t misunderstand, she loved Chat Noir, just not like that. She should be happy for him to have the attention of such an upstanding alpha. If Ladybug was jealous of anything, it was of the relationship itself. Being in a relationship sounded nice.

So she began courting Luka.

Courting Luka as Marinette was tricky. It blurred the lines between her hero persona and her civilian self in ways she didn’t anticipate. Marinette didn’t know that Viperion joined Chat Noir for his heats, even though their cycles didn’t line up. Ladybug didn’t know that Luka preferred polyester fabrics over organic fabrics for his nest. Things like that.

In the meantime, Ryoku and Chat started attending a fencing club together. They went in costume and always with one of the other pack members as an escort, as was appropriate. The city went wild when they realized what was going on. Suddenly it became very popular for alphas to take their omegas to sports and other athletic activities. Almost overnight, it became fashionable for omegas to be seen with toned muscles beneath their blouses. (the Mother’s Society had a conniption fit over this and no less than five akumas.)

Marinette even took advantage of the new trend and took Luka ice skating. Signing them both up for classes so they could learn to do tricks. Of course someone from Luka’s pack had to be an escort, so Juleka and Rose joined them and it turned into something of a double date, but they didn’t mind. Such was the society they lived in.

Having escorts came in handy whenever she had to vanish to become Ladybug, because it meant she wouldn’t leave Luka alone somewhere. And she had to leave him a lot. Always coming up with some lame lie about where she was going. She didn’t even blame Luka when he broke up with her.

After the breakup, something happened that Marinette hadn’t expected. That ugly jealous feeling that clawed at her chest came back. It roiled in her stomach like an angry snake. Thrashing at every provocation. Everytime she saw Chat Noir and Ryoku holding hands, every time she was their escort to the fencing academy or on one of their dates, every time she saw him smiling at her it rose up within her like an ugly beast. Pure, unfiltered, raw jealousy.

There was no denying it anymore. Ladybug had at some point, somehow, fallen in love with her beloved partner. A partner who was courting someone else.

She had thought that acknowledging this would make the ugly jealousy go away, but if anything it only got worse. Now it was joined with pitiful longing and heartache. Melancholy feelings that followed her outside of battle in her daily life. They slowly ate away at her heart the longer Chat and Ryoku courted. It was agony.

Viperion was the only one to notice her predicament, and he tried to comfort her the best he knew how. But the irony of the situation made his platitudes fall a little flat.

Then something wonderful happened. Chat and Ryoku broke up. They had discovered that their personalities didn’t really romantically match, and that they were better off as friends. Ladybug tried her absolute hardest to not act too happy about this.

She decided to wait an entire month before she approached Chat Noir with a handmade Ladybug doll.

“Chat Noir, would you give me the honor of courting me?”

Chapter Text

Heat houses have existed for a long time. But they haven’t always been useful.

For centuries they existed as an anti prostitution tool. If all the omegas were off the streets during their heats, then prostitution would go down. A slightly more realistic view would be get the omegas off the street for their heats and rapes would go down. So heat houses were built by the catholic church. And the heat houses maintained by the church weren’t half bad all things considered. You got a safe bed and a meal. But then during the revolution, there was a division between church and state, and the government took over management of many of those heat houses. Unfortunately, many of those early heat houses turned into brothels. The only plus side was that they also offered abortions.

It took another 70 odd years for the country to get its shit together and to make state run heat houses to be a thing to be proud of. And it took another 60 years after that to make it illegal for an alpha to enter the back rooms of a heat house. (Many omegas considered this law to be the beginnings of the omega rights movement) Today in modern times, heat houses often doubled as battered omega and children centers, provided birth control education and options to the poor, and some had self-defense classes. Modern heat houses were a symbol of human compassion.

They were sanctuaries.

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About eight months after Ladybug began courting Chat Noir, she got a call on her compact, she quickly transformed and answered.

“This is Ladybug, is there an akuma?”

A beta sounding voice answered. “Ladybug, my name is Yvette. I work at the Final Sanctuary Heat House. We have Chat Noir here and…” she trailed off.

Now Ladybug could think of lots of reasons for Chat to be at a heat house, so she wasn’t too worried at first. “What happened?”

“He, well,” Yvette said nervously. “He’s un-transformed in the back rooms and,”

“He’s what!?” she exclaimed in shock.

“Ladybug,” Yvette said gently. “He’s been drugged with an artificial heat. He’s pretty out of it. The little black fairy was the one to give me your number and he’s very protective of your omega. Won’t let anyone close enough to see his face.”

“Oh thank kwamii,” Ladybug sighed in relief. “Plagg will take care of him till I get there. I’m bringing camembert.”

Yvette laughed despite the severity of the situation. “Yes, he was asking for that, but we didn’t have any.”

“Thank you so much for taking him in. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

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Adrien woke up groggily surrounded by familiar scents. He could smell Ladybug, bread, and Luka. it smelled like home. He blearily opened his eyes to see his omega room in Ladybugs base apartment. Despite already being in bed, he collapsed in relief. He was safe.

“Chat?” came Luka’s voice. He rolled over to see the former part time hero in the omega nest with him. “You awake?”

“Yeah,” he replied with a scratchy voice. “Yeah I’m awake.”

Luka smiled softly. ‘Good, I’m getting Ladybug.” Adrien worried for a bit that Luka was going to leave the nest, but instead he pulled out his phone and called someone. They could hear ringing on the other side of the apartment. Ladybug didn’t even bother to answer and instead came running.

“Chaton?” she said a quiet voice. “You’re up.” She sniffed the air before coming into the room and kneeling by the edge of the bed and grasped him by the hand. “What happened?”

Adrien looked down from her eyes and only now noticed that he wasn’t transformed. He vaguely remembered that. “My father… he… I’ve been arranged a marriage with an alpha.”

Ladybug took a deep breath before saying, “Minoue, please please please tell me your father didn’t drug you with an artificial heat for your first meeting with them.”

Adrien didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Plagg had undoubtedly already told her the same thing.

Ladybug cursed. “Because that’s very very illegal. It hasn’t been legal since the omega right movement decades ago. Where on earth did he even get those kinds of drugs?”

He swallowed. “My father… he doesn’t really…”

Ladybug interrupted him. “It doesn’t matter. The law is the law. He’s going to prison for this.”

“No he’s not,” Adrien whispered. “He has too much money and influence. He’ll get out of it.”

Ladybug began pacing the room, muttering under her breath. While she paced Luka leaned over to the mini fridge and got some orange juice and snacks that he pushed into Adrien’s hands. He ate with gusto, not having realized how hungry he was.

Finally Ladybug stopped, having come to a decision. “Take a shower Kitty. We’re going to the courthouse as civilians. I have a plan.”

Adrien head snapped around so fast that his neck popped. “You mean? I can still be Chat Noir after this? And, and you’re revealing yourself to me?”

She got a soft look on her face. She walked to him and gently took his face in her hands before leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. “Kitty, Adrien, there is not a force in the world powerful enough to take you away from me. Not the Monks of the Order, not Monarch, and certainly not your father. Go shower the nasty fake heat off. I’m getting custody of you one way or another, even if that means making you my mate.”

Adrien felt like he was going to faint again. Because he was pretty sure Ladybug just proposed to him.

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Eli Bianchi had a secret. He was Ladybug’s personal lawyer. She had approached him early in her career as a hero for help in all things legal. He had helped advise her when alphas had started courting her omega partner. He had helped her get her apartment. He kept her and her partner's last will and testament on file. He had the power to discover her identity at any time, but he didn’t. He wouldn’t lose the trust of his most valuable client like that.

So imagine his surprise when Ladybug called him on his personal line to tell him that she was coming over with Chat Noir in their civilian identities to discuss a personal matter. Gave her full legal name and everything. Instantly Eli knew that this was serious, and informed his secretary to immediately let the pair in.

He had expected a lot of things. Maybe Ladybug was a businesswoman, or a civil worker, something that matched her forward attitude. Chat Noir would likely have toned muscle underneath his blouse, which was popular now because of him. What he had not expected was for both of them to still be in lycee.

“Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice Eli, I really appreciate it.” Ladybug said as she sat down. She then went on to explain the situation. It was pretty grim. Both of them were right; Gabriel should go to jail for this, but he likely wouldn’t and would most likely retain custody of Adrien if they didn’t do something drastic. (it told him a lot about Gabriel. It was a common myth that the super wealthy still presented their omegas to suitors while in heat, but it had fallen out of fashion years ago. And even then they had never done it without the omegas knowledge or consent.)

Eli reached for his phone. “I’m going to call the judge who knows I’m your lawyer and explain the situation to him. But I will warn you right now. The most likely scenario is for the two of you to become mated. It’s the only thing I can think of to guarantee you to get custody.” He definitely didn’t miss the elated expression Adrien had at those words.

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Tom and Sabine weren’t stupid. Maybe a little naive for grown adults, maybe a little too trusting in the goodness of people, but they weren’t stupid. When news broke out that Ladybug and Chat Noir were to be mated the city went wild. They sold out of cakes three days in a row as people celebrated.

But what a coincidence that at the same time that their alpha daughter admitted that she had secretly mated with an omega that she shouldn’t have had access to at all, much less have been able to secretly court for eight months. It was also convenient that she had a lawyer on retainer working pro bono to handle the situation when M. Agreste tried to sue them. It was more than a little suspicious that the judge sided 100% with a teenager.

They were fairly sure they knew what was going on, but they decided to keep silent about it. Besides, they now had a lovely son-in-law. Who were they to argue with that? They could just imagine the beautiful grandbabies they would have when their dangerous jobs were over.

But in the meantime they were going to make lots of cat jokes till the kids gave in.