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As Adrien rose into consciousness one Winter morning next to his new wife, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.
He swallowed saliva, feeling simultaneously hot and flushed while suffering chills. The blankets pinned his aching arms and legs to the bed, and because he was sweating he wanted to throw them off, but didn’t dare stir so as not to awake Sleeping Beauty.
He turned his face to Marinette, taking in her features that were so beautiful in repose. She looked at peace for the first time since Gabriel Agreste had been revealed by Ladybug to be Hawkmoth.
He still didn't know who his partner was, but she'd encouraged him to marry the best girl ever. A girl whom Adrien watched sleep with a heart full of love. Despite being sick and possibly having a fever, Adrien wanted to wrap himself up in this moment and live there forever.
Adrien abruptly realized he had to pee. I should brush my teeth, too, he thought, licking his dry lips. He definitely had morning breath. Marinette wouldn’t want to kiss him like that. Careful not to wake Marinette, he slipped out of bed, placing one foot on the floor and then the other after sliding out of the blankets.
Content that she was still asleep, Adrien started crossing to the bathroom to take care of business….
And was promptly arrested by the sight outside his bedroom window.
The world was blanketed in white. Untouched snow spread had covered Paris, dampening the sounds of the city and turning the polluted streets into a winter wonderland.
Paris rarely saw snow more than a dusting. The snow in his apartment’s yard was waist-high. Adrien trembled with excitement, jumping in place. He’d never played in snow before, having never been allowed to while growing up under Gabriel Agreste’s thumb.
Yes! Adrien thought, pumping his fist despite feeling sweat trickle down his flushed cheeks. We can have a snowball fight! I’ve always wanted one of those!
Marinette turned over in the bed with a little groan. Adrien bit his lip and glanced at her. Adrien instantly knew that Marinette would disapprove of him playing while being sick.
I’m not that sick, Adrien thought, puffing his chest out.
Plagg chose that moment to float out of wherever he’d bedded down for the night. He yawned hugely, his sharp teeth glittering, and waved at Adrien.
“Plagg,” Adrien whispered, feeling another chill spill down his spine. “She’s almost awake! Be careful, you can’t let her see you.”
“Won’t you just reveal yourself already?” Plagg said, making no effort to whisper. “You’ve been married for six months.”
Adrien wiped his forehead and drew a shaky breath. “I could never do that to Ladybug. You know that.”
Plagg heaved a sigh. “Whatever.” Then he fixed Adrien with a skeptical look. “Are you sick? You look terrible.”
Adrien beamed. “There’s snow, Plagg. Real snow!”
Plagg’s next words were dry as dust. “You’re going to go play in it, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t whine at me when you collapse.”
Adrien huffed, folding his weak arms. “I won’t collapse.”
“Go brush your teeth, Adrien.” Plagg frowned at his chosen. “You smell like a week-old camembert, and while I find that pleasant, your little wifey-poo won’t.”
“Plagg--”
“Go, Adrien.” Plagg pointed to the bathroom. “She’s about to wake up.”
Adrien jumped and skedaddled to the bathroom. He took care of business, taking special care with his teeth even though he wouldn’t want to make Marinette sick by kissing her.
She padded into the bathroom in her pajamas and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, speaking into his back. “Morning, Greeneyes.”
“Morning, love.” Adrien turned in her hold and wrapped an arm around her. A forehead kiss won’t hurt, will it? He brushed his lips against her skin, and she smiled up at him. Adrien’s heart skipped a beat. “Have you seen the snow?”
Marinette straightened up. “Snow? Real snow?”
“Yeah!” Adrien said, breaking into a grin. “Here, let’s get dressed and then we’ll go play in it!”
His wife giggled up at him, and Adrien’s heart started pounding again. She’s incredible.
“I love you,” he said abruptly, and she laughed again.
“Love you, too.”
***
Snowball fights were the best.
But also cold.
Freezing cold.
Adrien was pleased to be out in the cold, though, as he was still stupidly hot and feverish. After he’d made Marinette pancakes for breakfast, they’d bundled up and went out into the snow to play.
First, they’d made a snowman. Then, Marinette had shown him how to make snow angels--which spilled snow down his back and made him shout.
Then she’d explained how to make the perfect snowball: cup his hands around the snow and increase the pressure until the ball was perfectly packed.
Marinette pelted him before he was ready, leaving a white splotch on his chest. Adrien laughed and hurled his half-formed snowballs at her, scooping up the snow as fast as he could and tossing them nilly-willy in her direction.
His fingers tingled and his arms burned by the time he’d hit her, but Marinette was wiley and able to dodge practically everything. Adrien was not so lucky; her aim was better than his, and being sick and weak slowed down his reaction time so he couldn’t dodge as much.
It was only when she did a back handspring away from him that he stopped flinging snowballs at her. “Whoa,” he said, panting. “That’s super cool. I didn’t know you could do parkour.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Adrien,” she said, her eyes dancing and her breath condensing into the air into a white puff. Then she tilted her head and approached, furrowing her brow. “Are you okay? You seem… slower than normal.”
He flashed her a thumbs up, feeling his breath constrict in his chest. “Purrfectly fine!”
Marinette paled. “Purrfectly?”
Oh, crap, Adrien thought, also feeling the color drain from his face. He hadn’t made a screw up like that in a while, and he’d vowed he wouldn’t pun at Marinette just in case he gave away his identity.
He had to do damage control. He swayed on his feet, lightheaded. His vision blackened at the edges. "Yeah, you know, like… like…”
The last thing he heard as he collapsed was her horrified scream.
***
“Adrien?” Marinette was saying as he dragged himself back to the waking world. His head was resting on something soft, and he felt once again pinned down by blankets.
We're… inside? Adrien thought, his mind feeling like viscous tar. Everything was sticky and uncomfortable. He peeled his eyes open to see Marinette seated beside their bed. How did she drag me inside?
Marinette applied a cool, wet washcloth to his head, and Adrien whimpered. "You're safe, love," she said, smoothing the rag over his forehead and down his cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me you had a fever?"
"I… wanted to play," Adrien said, glancing at the window, which showed the huge, white flakes of falling snow.
Marinette sighed, and Adrien dragged his gaze back to her. She'd pressed three fingers against the bridge of her nose, and Adrien knew he'd disappointed her. His heart twisted in his chest.
"I get it," Marinette said, lowering her hand and bathing his face again. "That snow must have been a great temptation. But I do wish you would have told me."
Adrien offered her a crooked smile. "You would have said no."
Marinette laughed as clear as crystal. "I would have said no."
Adrien unstuck his hand from under the blanket and took hers. "Marinette. Thank you for helping me inside. How did you do that, by the way? I weigh more than you."
Marinette flushed, making Adrien feel hot. "Oh, uh… Ladybug helped me."
Adrien blinked. "Ladybug helped you?"
Marinette looked away. "Yep."
She was nibbling her lip, the tell that let him know she wasn't being entirely truthful with him. Why would she lie about that?
"What was Ladybug doing in our neighborhood?"
"Uhh, she was dropping by to say hi," Marinette said, biting down hard on her lip. Adrien reached up and ran his thumb across it to free her pink flesh from the grip of her teeth.
"Really?" Adrien said, cocking his head at her. He shivered with a chill. "Does she often do that?"
Marinette turned her bluebell gaze to him. "Ladybug is closer to me than you know.”
Adrien’s thoughts were sluggish and sticky in his head, but he recognized by the seriousness in her tone and her determined gaze that the detail he was missing was something important, something crucial.
He’d never seen Ladybug say hi to Marinette. If they were really as close as Marinette said they were, he would have seen Ladybug and her together, right?
In fact, Adrien hadn’t seen much of Ladybug since Hawkmoth’s defeat. He’d invited her to the wedding, but she’d declined, saying that she didn’t know who he was and seeing Chat marry another girl would be painful.
That was the first indication to him that Ladybug loved Chat. But by then, it had been too late: Adrien had moved on from Ladybug and was engaged to Marinette.
Ladybug loved Chat. Marinette loved Adrien.
And he’d never seen them in the same place at the same time.
Once the lightbulb in his brain lit up, thoughts started falling into place. Ladybug and Marinette have the same build. They both wore their hair in pigtails and both started wearing it down at the same time. They both have the same eyes.
Adrien reached a trembling hand up to cup her cheek. As he stared at her, the quantum masking fell away, revealing the whole person behind both identities.
“Ladybug?” Adrien whispered, and she smiled.
“It’s me,” she whispered back and leaned forward to capture his lips in hers.
“No, don’t,” Adrien said against her mouth. “I’ll get you sick!”
She laughed. “Superheroes don’t get sick.”
Adrien grinned, raising a brow. Sweat beaded on his temples and rolled down his cheeks. “Actually, I know for a fact they do.”
“And how would you know that?”
“Because I happen to be a superhero,” Adrien said, threading his fingers through her hair.
Before she could react, Plagg zipped out of his hiding place and roared, “Oh, finally! I was wondering when you’d get your act together!”
“P-Plagg?” Marinette said, her gaze blown wide. She whipped her head to Adrien. “Kitty?”
“It’s me,” Adrien said, his cheeks beginning to hurt from smiling so much.
Marinette placed a hand on his chest, her lips slightly parted. “Are you sure I can’t kiss you?”
Adrien laughed.