Chapter Text
Marinette was an omega.
This was a fact that was known through not only her class, but most of the college. Even though pretty much everyone knew this, however, there were many that found it hard to believe. Especially when she was constantly getting into heated squabbles with one of the most volatile alphas at the school, one Mademoiselle Chloe Bourgeois.
The snarl that rang from the blonde’s lips had many of her classmates edging back as she squared her shoulders and sized up the dark haired girl in pigtails across the hallway from her. Posturing was acceptable among peers as long as it didn’t come to blows, and while squabbles between the two girls wasn’t an uncommon sight, the ferocity burning behind both sets of blue eyes had the handful of other alphas present on their toes to step in as protection. The problem was, they weren’t exactly sure who they were going to need to protect. Instinct said Dupain-Cheng, but observation said Bourgeois as Marinette mimicked the defiant pose, teeth bared and sneering.
Alya stood off to the side, a beta, she was only slightly hesitant to try and step in between the two girls after the argument had devolved from harsh words and catty remarks to menacing stares and a challenging growl from her best friend. A part of her wanted to raise her camera, capture the challenge for posterity and to probably show off alpha Chloe getting her ass kicked by her omega bestie, a social bruise that would definitely not be healing quickly.
The sheer fact that Marinette showed no signs of backing down had Chloe wound up into a seething rage, fists clenching at her sides and one meaningful step forward breaching the mutual ring of distance that had been keeping their personal bubbles of space separate. If either of them took a swing now, it would connect. It was as much an intimidation tactic as it was a dare. Break the rules. Make contact. Get yourself in trouble first. With so many witnesses, no amount of friendship would keep all the mouths shut on the matter. Painted lips quirked up in glee, backing the other girl into a figurative corner with only two apparent courses of action.
A third was apparent to Marinette, though, again meeting action for action and stepping forward herself, a deep, guttural growl echoing in the small space between the two girls and the scent of pheromones swirling in the small hallway stirring up an anxious buzz among the crowd.
Footsteps could be heard racing away in different directions, probably a few concerned students seeing adult interference before the stalemate finally escalated into an actual fist fight. The observing alphas, and a few larger bodied betas, of the crowd had made their way towards the center of the ring, all on high alert. There wasn’t anything to do yet, but they were ready.
More footsteps, coming closer this time, could be heard by the girls and the moment to act or not was upon them.
Chloe steps forward again with her whole weight, arms still at her sides but shoving her chest against Marinette and the other girl stumbles a step backwards and her fists raise with the intensity of her snarl in an attempt to keep her balance. Her heel ground into the floor behind her, pushing back with all the added strength being a superhero had built up in her civilian form.
Only to be ripped back a moment later by a hand just as strong, easily separating the two warring forces like the halves of an oreo soaked in milk.
Double sets of blue eyes burned into the new figure to join the fray, hackles now raised in a three way battle for dominance. The fire raging in Marinette’s eyes stuttered to a smoulder as the taller blonde shoved himself between the two girls to face off with Chloe in her stead. The ring of spectators fell into an invisible hush as Adrien assumed the role of a barrier, shoulders set and feet wide, his lips pressed into a tight challenging line as green eyes bore down into the wide blue of Chloe’s.
The sound of her own heartbeat began to pound in her own ears as what just happened began to catch up. The adrenaline rush of facing off against an alpha had been more than enough to set her blood on fire already, but for another to actually come to her aid, and Adrien no less, it wasn’t hard to feel her heart skip a beat at the rate it was going. It felt like the whole world had just ground to a half around her.
She felt more than heard the low growl resonate in his chest as he had pressed in between the two girls. It was deep. Far lower than anything she could have produced, and she saw the instant the noise had registered with Chloe as well.
Adrien didn’t growl.
He rarely acted on any of the typical cues most alphas would respond to, carefully groomed for years for obedience and restraint by his father, and while it was expected he would present as an alpha though lineage, as far as the world on the other side of the camera lense was concerned, he would have to appear as a beta. Quite simply because it would help sell to a larger audience. And he was typically very good at keeping things under control. A perfect gentleman, through and through.
When the shorter blonde takes a step back, Marinette knew he’d won, and so did he, huffing out another soft warning growl as he turned on his heels, dragging the omega along with him. It was easy to see that Chloe was just as surprised as she was at this new side to Adrien. It made her shiver. Or maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through her system.
The crowd parted easily and he tugged her through the hall, not quite at a run, but not stopping until they had made it well away from the crowd and to an empty classroom.
His hand trembles on her arm as he shoved the door open, pulling her inside with him before whirling to make sure it’s securely shut behind them again. There’s a small shake to his shoulders as he gripped the handle of the door, white knuckled as he stood with his back to her. She watched him carefully, still on high alert as he took one deep breath after another.
It’s not hard to picture him with teeth bared and hackles raised anymore. Not with the bit of a stepping stone she’d just bore witness to. It’s not hard to picture him as the alpha he is. It’s a new side to Adrien.
She stood a little straighter when he finally turned to her, lifting her chin defiantly even though his grip on the door handle had barely loosened and his body was still set far too rigid. Everything about his posture still read
fight
. And now all of his attention was directed at her. The hard set of his jaw, the tight pull of his lips, and the way the green of his eyes screamed ice and fire all at the same time.
And his scent.
Well away from the cloud of chemicals her spat with Chloe had kicked up, the air of the room was very quickly yielding to a smell that was almost entirely Adrien. Adrien and herself. As wonderful as it would have been nearly any other moment, she was still on guard.
And he had gotten in her way.
That was her fight.
That was her problem.
He stepped towards her and she stared up at him. The height difference wasn’t much. He had slowly been gaining inches on her, though. Where her growing had almost stopped, he was still skyrocketing upwards. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was at least a head taller than her by the end of the school year. Probably more by the time the graduated. But he still wasn’t that much bigger than her.
And she was a hero. If he wanted to challenge her too, she could take him on. Adrien or not, she was still itching for a fight. If Hawkmoth wanted to try anything right now, boy would he be in for it.
He stopped just in front of her, well within her personal bubble but not touching her. A dual mental cry of joy and sorrow at that fact tugged the edges of her lips into a frown as she met his gaze steadily.
“
Why
do you keep
antagonizing
her?” He wasn’t glaring, per say, but she couldn’t remember any other time he looked more like his father. It was a disapproving look. Accusing. He thought this was
her
fault? That he
needed
to step in?
Her frown deepened into an outright scowl and she shoved him back a step, hands connecting with his chest by her fingers alone. “ She goes after me !” She growled in his face, ignorant to the mortification that would hit her later at the action. He was solid. Far more solid than she had ever actually thought. Far more solid than most of the people she knew, even. The idea that he had to actively work out in order to have that kind of strength and balance idly drifted in the far back of her mind, but the fact that, yes, he might actually measure up to her own strength only pissed her off in that moment.
He stared. Openly stared at her. The edges of his lips twitched, the deep instinct to meet her challenge warring just under the surface. Marinette knew she was messing with fire today. Not even hot coal, just straight up flames, and she was tinder. If he wasn’t going to make a move, though, she certainly would.
"Why do you even care if I challenged Chloe, anyway?” She inched forward, already far closer to him than she could ever manage on a regular day without falling all over herself. “I thought Chloe was like, your friend,” Another inch closer, watching as the muscles of his jaw clenched for a moment, his agitation only egging her on. “Or pack or whatever you two are."
She smirks at the ensuing growl, his lips pulling back tight, the very edges parting but he still refused to bare his teeth. She felt like he was on a roll. Pushing enough buttons to rile Chloe first, and now getting under even Adrien’s skin? Sure, she would probably regret ruffling his feathers later, and no amount of praying and crying to Alya about it would undo her actions, but if she was ever going to have her three kids and a hamster with this boy, then he would need to learn how to deal with her. That thought did manage a shiver out of her as she stared up at him.
Apparently that was enough to set him into motion, as an instant later he closed the gap between them, circling his arms around her and pulling her tight to his chest. She yelps in surprise and the next moment she’s surrounded by Adrien. Her face is pressed against his neck and shoulder and the only thing that registers in her mind is the scent of spices and hard maple, of night time and old books, and the slightest hint of camembert that always seemed to linger around him most.
The attempt to take a step back and put some distance between them again was met with another soft growl. She braced her hands against his waist and froze. He’d turned his head. His nose was pressed just behind her ear and she felt the air rush past her own skin as he sucked in a deep breath making her shiver.
Her hands tightened on his belt and he brushed his cheek against hers roughly when she didn’t actually shove him away. His head butt against her gently from the side once and he was off, nuzzling against the scent gland on her neck and leaning forward to press his own over hers and down across her shoulder, heedless of the short keening squeaks that fell from her lips. Marinette’s face flushed with realization as one of his hands worked it’s way up against the back of his neck, and he pulled away for just a moment to switch to the other side, brow still furrowed and expression still serious but much softer than it had been a moment ago.
It tickled in an odd way, the angles of his nose and jaw pressing against all the sensitive spots along her neck, making her squirm as he marked her.
As he marked her.
Yet another soft rumble ground past his lips as he buried his face into the dip of her neck, clutching her close to him. “She’s not my pack...” His voice was husky. Gravely even. Not the light delicate tones he usually spoke with, and that struck a chord with her. Though she’d never heard that kind of sound from Adrien, she knew it. She just couldn’t quite place where.
But it made her shiver, and her fingers curled tighter against his belt, even as the tightness in her shoulders began to fade under his hold.
“... O-oh.” He was still clinging to her, his chest heaving slowly against hers, as she took note that she wasn’t the only one trembling slightly. It wasn’t every day you saw Adrien Agreste lose his cool. It wasn’t every day Marinette Dupain-Cheng directly challenged Chloe Bourgeois in the crowded hallway of school. And it certainly wasn’t every day that the former ended up absolutely covered in the scent of her crush. It was definitely a big day for all of them.
“I-I’m not… I’m not gonna s-say thank you.” She looked away slightly, but did nothing to lean away from the all too intense embrace. “I had everything u-under control.” She could tell herself she was still being stubborn, but the shaky chuckle beside her made it clear that the sentiment didn’t quite reach her words. After a quick, tight hug, Adrien finally stepped back, hair tousled a bit from the almost frantic actions a moment ago and a lopsided, if somewhat sheepish grin on his face.
Seriously, how was he able to go from growling grumbling alpha to such an adorable puppy face in the span of a few heartbeats?
“I know, Marinette.” He set a hand on her shoulder, the other carefully combing his hair back into place, though the action almost seemed less
right
to her after the fact. “You’re pretty amazing.”
Her blush came back full force, and the earlier wind of war was knocked completely out of her sails. “I, n-no, amazing are you, I mean,
you
are. A-amazing. You’re amazing.” Her shoulders hunched as her ability to speak around him crumbled with her falling adrenaline rush.
Oh boy.