The duo had just finished their patrol across Paris. It was the dead of winter and their fingers were going numb. Ladybug was swinging to go back to her respective home, when she saw the bank collapse under Chat's staff and he went splashing into the frigid Seine.

"CHAT!" she exclaimed. Ladybug rushed down to the bank of the river and could see him floating down it, barely bobbing above the surface. He was trying to swim to the shore, but the current was carrying him too quickly. Ladybug wrangled him with her yo-yo and pulled him to shore. Once he got there, gasping for air, she noticed his lips were blue and he was shivering through his suit. "Oh, God. Hold on, Chat."

She knew it was bold and brash, but she cradled him to her and took him home with her. She slid him in through the hatch and followed after. She didn't want to wake her parents, but she was willing to take the reprimand to save his life. Ladybug had never told her Chat Noir how much she did love him, even if it wasn't in a romantic sort of way. They'd grown close over the past few years and she didn't want to see him leave this world so soon.

Chat was completely oblivous to anything, including where she'd taken him. He was just trying to maintain consciousness. His heart had slowed and his limbs were numb.

"Chat," she whispered, looking at him intently, "We have to get your suit off and bring your body temp up."

He was shivering and his teeth were chattering so bad he couldn't answer her. He just nodded and tried to fumble with his suit.

"Drop the mask," she said. "Please!" she begged, "Please, for me..."

"I l-l-l-love y-y-y-you," he chattered. "M-m-m-m-mar-r-ry m-m-me, m-my l-l-lady."

"Chat," Marinette sighed, "I have to detransform, too. Skin to skin is most effective."

"Please?" The need was bleeding through his voice, "If I live..."

That scared her. The 'If.' "Okay," she nodded, "Okay."

"You c-c-can b-b-back ou-out l-la-later i-if you d-d-do-don't l-like me. I j-j-j-just w-w-wanted a ch-chance to a-ask s-s-s-someone."

"Come on, Chat. Stop talking." Please, for the love of god, I have to focus and I don't want to cry.

"P-p-plagg, cl-claws in."

"Tikki, spots off."

It was dark so they couldn't really get a good look at each other anyway. Marinette quickly shucked her dry clothes, helped him out of his wet ones, and crawled back in under the covers. Chat felt her body slither up against his and it was like a fire burning everywhere she touched. Marinette flinched with how cold his skin was pressed to hers. She pulled the comforter up around them with one hand and held him close with the other.

"Frr-frree-zing," he chattered.

Marinette nuzzled her face to his neck, "Please be okay."

"I'll try..." he mumbled. She took note that his stuttering had stopped.

She had tried to stay awake, but once his body temperature had returned almost to normal the relief brought sleep. The ordeal had exhauted them both. They wore matching, relaxed expressions.

"Chat?" she whispered in the middle of the night.

He stirred awake, "Hmm?"

"I'm only eighteen."

"Me, too," he nodded against her hair. There was a silence before Adrien whispered, "Do you want to back out already?"

"What?"

"Of my proposal."

Marinette thought for a minute, "Were you serious?"

"Yes." Serious as can be.

"No, then." If she was honest, too. Adrien was never going to come around and she could always give Chat a chance. He was a sure thing and his love for her was genuine. Might as well date. Like he said, she could back out later. She'd just had to convince him to fight for his life. If she was the only reason keeping him around then she'd be willing to be that for him.

He trilled excitedly into her hair while squeezing her close to him, "I love you." He'd made the most adorable sound she'd ever heard and she smiled.

"You don't know who I am as a civilian."

"And I don't care. I love you."

Marinette blushed and buried her head to his chest, "I love you, too." And that was the truth.

The next morning they were still snuggled up, legs intertwined, in each other's arms. Marinette was snuggled up to him when he woke up first. Adrien peeked down to gaze upon his lady's face. His heart was in his throat when he saw it was Marinette. How could he not have seen it? He really thought Ladybug was some random girl that he wouldn't know from Eve. He let out a heavy sigh of bliss and held her tighter to him. He was thrilled she was Mari.

Marinette opened her eyes and was met with two green orbs gazing lovingly at her; intense, yet gentle. Everything was blurry in the early morning so she rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Chat?"

"Adrien."

Marinette froze, "What about Adrien?" She peeked out from under one of her fists and saw it was Adrien staring back at her. "Adrien?" Her heart began to beat a mile a minute and hard as a stampede.

"My lady," he smiled at her.

She gulped, "He's...you're...uh..."

"Cat got your tongue?" he smirked at her.

"Oh, lord." She pulled the blanket up around her self-consciously and stared at him, "Chat?"

"Ladybug," he nodded. She just stared, unable to speak. "You don't have to cover up on my account. I rather liked the snuggles." He held his arm out to welcome her back into his arms; he didn't even care he was lying there completely naked.

He didn't have to tell her twice. She smiled shyly and snuggled back into the warmth of his embrace. Their skin broke out into excited goosebumps.

He whispered, "I'm so happy you're you."

Marinette squeaked. "Me, too. You, I mean."

"We'll have to work on that," he chuckled, "Can't have my wife taking half an hour to express a simple thought."

"Oh, my GOD!" she just remembered their engagment. "You and I are engaged? You and I are engaged!" She peeked up at Adrien looking at her. She swallowed. He was still there. She hadn't just imagined him.

He chuckled at her, "Yes. Looks like ring shopping is in our future, hey love bug? Maribug? What about Mari-lady? My Lady was too close to malady for comfort. Or should I just start calling you the future Mrs. Agreste?"

Marinette buried her face in his chest, "I can't believe this is happening. Alya is going to kill me." Then she looked up at him, her shock completely gone and replaced with fear, "Last night was awful." She punched him in the shoulder softly, "It scared the hell out of me!"

He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, "I know. Me, too. That's why I asked you to marry me. I wasn't sure I'd ever have the opportunity to propose again. There was no other girl I'd rather marry than you."

"You didn't know it was me."

He sighed, "No, I didn't. I knew you were Ladybug and that was good enough for me. I knew the girl underneath had to be just as spectacular and I was right. I couldn't be happier than with you, Marinette."

She blushed and looked up at him, "Really?"

He kissed her on the tip of her nose, "Really, really. Honestly."

"I've had the BIGGEST crush on you," she admitted.

Adrien beamed, "I swear, you're the cutest person on the planet."

Marinette wiggled once to snuggle closer and realized JUST how much skin contact they had. "Adrien?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you completely naked?"

He laughed through his nose, "Aren't you?"

"Not completely."

He lifted the covers and looked down at them, noticing he was, indeed, naked, "Affirmative."

She bit her lip, but didn't look down between them. Adrien kept the blanket lifted enough to appreciate her state of undress. Her matching underwear and bra set, in a cerulean blue, was perfectly fitting to her skin tone. "Beautiful."

Marinette wiggled as she snuggled up against him. Adrien hissed and he inhaled as her thighs gently rubbed up against him. Marinette got the desired reaction. His gasp made her giggle.

He reached down and tickled her sides, "Whew, no fair."

"I couldn't resist," she wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, the things you do to me," he sighed.

Marinette closed her eyes and grimaced, "I'd never have dreamed of doing that to you if you weren't Chat." If she was being honest...and she was.

"Oh?"

"All that flirting. It is SO fair. In fact, we're still not even."

She wiggled again with extra attention. Her movement was reciprocated with the throb of his growing love for her between his legs. He involuntarily jerked into her hip as he groaned, "God. Don't...unless you plan to finish what you start."

Marinette looked up at him seductively, "Oh? What are you going to do to me, Master Agreste?"

At that, Adrien growled, and flipped over onto his back pulling Marinette on top of him. He let himself slip gently between her legs and pressed his tip against her underwear. It was her turn to gasp, "Does that answer your question?"

Marinette grinned and rubbed along the length of him. He hissed as he bucked up under her. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I'm not afraid of you. Afterall, don't we have an engagement to celebrate?"

He gulped, "Well, that escalated quickly."