Who Needs You?

Episode 03

Glaciator: C'est Parfait

"LOOK OUT!"

A little girl stands frozen in shock right in the middle of a crosswalk, her eyes kept glued on the bus speeding right towards her. Ladybug launches her yoyo onto a nearby pole, swinging in to save the toddler; a mere three seconds too late, and it would've turned into a complete disaster.

Ladybug sets the little girl down, whose parents come running to her, crying and thanking the Parisian hero nonstop. With a nod, Ladybug swings off to chase the speeding bus. When she finally manages to eye the bus, she nearly loses her grip on her yoyo when Chat Noir flips off a roof and lands perfectly on top of the bus. Her face lights up upon seeing him, and she performs an impressive flip of her own, landing right next to him.

"Good morning, My Lady," Chat Noir smirks, making a saluting notion with his finger.

With a roll of her eyes, Ladybug lowers her head to take a peek into the bus, seeing a bunch of people holding onto each other for dear life, and a distraught bus driver furiously stomping on the brakes, exclaiming, "The brakes are busted!"

"I have a plan," Ladybug says upon turning to her rival. "I know we're not partners, but your cooperation is needed."

"As long as it stops people from getting hurt," Chat Noir says.

After a quick explanation of her plan, Chat Noir gives Ladybug his staff and watches as she jumps off the front of the bus. She lies flat on the ground, letting it pass right above her. She tightens her yoyo around a metal bar under the bus, and she quickly ties the other end of her yoyo around Chat Noir's staff. When the bus passes her, she throws the staff in the air, allowing Chat Noir to catch it and throw it between two poles. The staff suddenly extends itself, its ends going far past the poles, and both heroes nervously wait for the bus to slow down with the help of the staff holding it back.

Ladybug and Chat Noir sigh in relief to see the bus halt to a stop before it can hit a couple and their child crossing the street. The two heroes retrieve their weapons and walk over to the front of the bus to help people get off. After a few words exchanged, high-fives and fist bumps, Ladybug approaches her rival warily.

"Good plan," Chat Noir compliments.

"Thanks," Ladybug says. "I was actually afraid you'd refuse to team up."

"When it comes to things like this—no tally marks or no time to lose—I make an exception," Chat Noir smirks. "What's Paris' famous superhero duo without the rivalry in-between?"

"Right," Ladybug laughs. She then awkwardly looks down, shifting from one foot to the other, and Chat Noir looks down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You okay?" he asks, making Ladybug look up at him with a squeak.

"Y-yes, I'm fine! I just, um," she begins clumsily. "I was just thinking… would you join me for dinner tonight?"

Chat Noir blinks. He remains silent as he lets her continue.

"A-as rivals! Friends!" Ladybug quickly adds. She looks down, nervously twiddling her fingers. "We've been saving Paris for quite some time now… I was just thinking we, you know… Take some time to sit back and relax and… learn a thing or two about each other…"

She looks up to find Chat Noir looking at her with surprised eyes.

He blinks.

And then, he smirks.

"Sounds an awful lot like a date," he says. Ladybug's whole face turns bright red.

"It's not!" she exclaims, biting the inside of her cheek because she so wanted it to be.

"Well, as thoughtful as that sounds, I actually already have plans tonight with some friends," Chat Noir says. "We've been planning it for a while, it'd be mean of me to bail."

"O-oh, well, if your plans end early, or if it gets cancelled, would you join me?" Ladybug asks. "I'll be on one of the roofs right in-between the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower."

"We'll see," Chat Noir says.

With a nod, Ladybug turns around to swing off. She looks behind her shoulder once more, and says, "I'll be waiting."

Chat Noir watches her swing off in the distance, a small smile tugging at his lips.


Chat Noir jumps into his room through the open window and transforms back into Adrien, holding out a slice of Camembert cheese before his kwami can complain. Plagg swipes the piece of cheese and gulps it down in 0.2 seconds, making his holder groan in disgust.

"I can't believe you actually like that kind of stuff," Adrien says, retrieving his cellphone to check his text messages. Most of them were from Nino confirming the time and place to meet up, to which Adrien happily replies with Thanks, I'll be there!

"Well, you're going to be eating much better food than me tonight when you meet up with Ladybug, so just let me have this!" Plagg says, sitting on top of Adrien's head.

"I'm not going," Adrien says.

"What?!" Plagg says, flying off of the top of his holder's head to be at eye-level. "But she said that she'll be waiting for you!"

"I know, but I already promised my friends I'd go," Adrien says. "I even told her."

"You haven't even asked your dad yet!" Plagg says. And then, it hits him. "Oh, I see… it's because Marinette's going to be there."

Adrien pauses. "…Let's go eat dinner," he says.

Plagg stifles his laughter as he dives into his holder's pocket. Adrien makes his way down the stairs and into the dining room to find his dinner already prepared and no one else in sight. He sadly makes his way over to his seat and eats his dinner all by himself. After sneaking a few slices of cheese in his pocket for his kwami, Nathalie walks into the room.

"Your father will be eating in his office tonight, Adrien," she informs.

"I figured he would," Adrien sighs. "Did he at least answer to my request about going to get ice cream with my friends?"

"I'm sorry, Adrien. Your father wants you to stay home for today," Nathalie says. "He wants you to practice your piano."

"Fine," Adrien says as he walks up the stairs.

Adrien shuts the door behind him and walks over to his computer. He opens up his Internet browser and quickly types down a video-streaming website. He goes through his playlist of piano pieces and picks one to play out loud at full volume, making it sound like he's practicing the piano while he sneaks out of the house.

"I'm always amazed by how you can get away with these types of things," Plagg says, gulping down another slice of Camembert.

"My father said no to Adrien, but not to Chat Noir," Adrien smirks. "PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!"


"Adrien, you made it!"

Nino, Alya, Ivan, and Mylene all run up to the blond to give him a proper greeting. The setting sun's rays suddenly hit Adrien's face, making him instinctively place a hand over his eyes to block out the light. This makes him realize that it's sunset, and just the thought of sharing ice cream with Marinette under the pink-yellow-orange sky sounds too good to be true.

Wait.

Adrien quickly scans his group of friends once more.

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asks.

Nino looks over at his friends with a frown, who only make the same facial expression in return. They all know about Adrien's (very obvious) crush on Marinette, and they already know how his reaction is going to be once they answer his question.

"Don't get upset, okay?" Nino begins, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Marinette texted Alya at the last minute to tell her she can't make it."

"Can't make it?" Adrien repeats in disappointment.

"She said that it's something really important," Alya adds.

"I understand," Adrien answers quietly as his shoulders droop. He sighs, "So… do you know where Andre is today?"

"The fun thing about Andre and his ice cream cart is that you never know where he's going to be," Nino says, taking out his phone to reveal Andre social media page. "You have to follow his clues to find out where he's going to set up."

"The first time Mylene and I wanted to eat Andre's ice cream, it took us three hours to find his cart," Ivan says, turning to Mylene. "Do you remember?"

Mylene giggles in response, nodding her head.

"Hey, look!" Nino says, holding up his phone to show his friends. "Someone posted a picture of him! He's on his way to the Pont des Arts!"

"Let's hurry!" Ivan exclaims, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and rushing off. Alya follows after them, leaving Nino and Adrien behind.

"Come on, dude," Nino says, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know how you're feeling, but don't let this get you down. There will be other opportunities."

"You're right," Adrien says with a sad smile.

"Let's go!" Nino exclaims as he runs off, and Adrien follows shortly after.

The five friends eventually make it to the Pont des Arts, and they all gasp excitedly to find the jolly man scooping up some ice cream for the lovely couple waiting by his cart.

"My name is Andre, Andre Glace! The sweetheart matchmaker," the man sings. "With one scoop or two, I'll find up for you with magical ice cream flavors!"

After gently placing three scoops of ice cream onto a chocolate-vanilla swirl cone, Andre turns around to give it to the waiting couple.

"Pistachio, vanilla, and strawberry for the lovebirds from Italy," Andre grins.

"Thank you, Andre," the couple says in unison, their Italian accent shining through.

"You're welcome, my friends! Enjoy Andre's ice cream, and may your love never end!" the ice cream man exclaims as he throws his hands in the air.

"Hi, Andre," Mylene says as she approaches him while holding Ivan's hand.

"Striking young Ivan and dear sweet Mylene! If you aren't still the cutest lovebirds I've seen!" Andre says, turning around to get straight to work. Once done, he turns around to present the ice cream cone he prepared specially for them. "Chocolate, praline, and white nougat for you! A special concoction to keep your love true!"

After graciously accepting the treat, Ivan and Mylene walk away to make room for the next couple, Nino and Alya.

"Ah, these two I've never seen. This your first time here with me?" Andre asks.

"It sure is," Alya replies with a laugh as Andre turns around once again to work his magic.

"For you two—coconut, banana, and a touch of passion fruit!" he says, handing them their ice cream. Nino and Alya gasp in awe at the pretty tower of ice cream.

Adrien watches his friends get served the "magical ice cream" as he sits on a nearby bench frowning. He leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and his palms on his cheeks, trying so hard to ignore the sadness he feels in his chest.

"Hey, kid. You think the guy has any Camembert-flavored ice cream?" Plagg asks, poking his head out of Adrien's inner breast pocket.

"Not a chance, Plagg," Adrien sighs.

"Why don't you just go get one?" Plagg asks. "It's not exactly fun seeing you so down in the dumps."

"What's the point? Marinette isn't coming," Adrien frowns.

"He might not be here, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying some good ice cream and a fun hangout with your friends. And you could give me a taste of it, too!"

"And what about you?"

Plagg immediately dives into his holder's pocket, and Adrien looks up to see that the owner of the voice is no one than Andre Glace himself.

"M-me?" Adrien stutters.

"The handsome boy who sighs. I have a flavor just for you, it's sure to make you smile!" Andre exclaims. "What's your name?"

"Adrien," he replies as Andre gestures him over to his ice cream stand.

"Pink lemonade for what she wears, blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice cream like her sky-blue eyes," Andre says, presenting an ice cream cone that makes Adrien gasp. It matches Marinette exactly, and it makes it hard for Adrien to hide the blush on his cheeks. "Eat this and your love will materialize!"

"H-huh?" Adrien says, snapping out of his thoughts. He then panics, "I, uh, think you're mistaken. I-I'm not in love with anyone."

"Why, of course you are," Andre says with grin. "When there's love burning in one's heart, Andre knows it from the start. Enjoy your ice cream, Adrien. I know she'll be here."

Adrien looks down at his ice cream, smiling sadly. With a sigh, he holds the ice cream out to Andre.

"Thank you, but you've got it all wrong," Adrien says. "I really don't have someone I—"

A teen suddenly rushes past Adrien, accidentally shoving him and making him drop his ice cream. He looks down at the mess, watching it melt into the ground while Andre gasps in horror.

"Andre's ice-cream has always melted hearts, but the magic will only work if you eat it! I'll make you another one," he says, quickly turning around to make Adrien's ice cream.

"Thank you, but it isn't necessary," Adrien frowns.

"Yes, it is," Andre insists, picturing all the lovely couples he's served at his very stand. "My ice cream has brought everyone together. Every famous loving couple in Paris! Edith and Marcel, Jeanne and Serge, Olive and Tom! Your loved one is out there somewhere! All you need is to believe in the magic of Andre's ice cream!"

"You're very kind, Andre, but I don't have a loved one," Adrien says. "I do believe your ice cream is magical, but… I just don't think it would work for me."

Adrien turns to his friends and says, "I have to go. My father wants me home before dark. See you guys tomorrow at school."

He sighs, walking off in the direction of home, and his friends look at each other sadly. Not only do they know how disappointed Adrien feels since Marinette couldn't make it, but they also know that he feels upset knowing how Marinette doesn't seem to return his affections. To her, he's nothing but her rival. Those thoughts, along with Andre's insistence, must've made him feel much worse.

"We're sorry, Andre," Alya apologizes. "He's usually so cheerful. You just caught him on a bad day."

After her apology, the group decides to head in the direction of their respective homes, leaving behind a heartbroken ice cream clerk.


"Geez, kid. I wasn't expecting you to be such a downer."

Adrien plops onto his bed and buries his face in his pillow. Plagg sits next to his head, munching on a slice of delicious Camembert cheese.

"I'm really the worst," Adrien mumbles into his pillow. "I over-reacted and ruined the day for my friends. All because I wanted to share some ice cream with Marinette."

"Yeah, you really did mess up back there."

"Thanks, Plagg."

Tap, tap.

Plagg immediately flies into his holder's pocket to hide. Adrien looks in the direction the tapping came from, surprised to find Ladybug hanging upside-down on the other side of his window. He approaches her slowly, and he opens his window to hear what she has to say.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asks.

"Hey, Adrien," Ladybug says with a sad smile.

"What are you doing here?" Adrien asks, welcoming her inside.

"It's been a bad day," Ladybug sighs. "I didn't feel like being alone tonight. Mind if I hang around here for a while?"

"Was that a pun? You're starting to sound a lot like Chat Noir," Adrien laughs. He stops laughing, however, when Ladybug looks away and frowns.

She stays silent for a moment before continuing in a whisper, "He never showed up."

"What?" Adrien asks.

"I… invited Chat Noir to this thing I had planned for the two of us," Ladybug says bashfully. "But he never showed up."

"Wait… for real?" Adrien whispers to himself. The guilt washes over him instantly—he didn't think she was actually serious when she asked him out earlier that day.

Now, he just feels like one big jerk.

But if Chat Noir couldn't make it, he'd made sure that Adrien could.

"What was this special surprise?" Adrien asks, making Ladybug shrug.

"It doesn't matter so much anymore," Ladybug says.

"Don't say that," Adrien says. "If you took the time to plan and prepare for it, then of course it does."

"I guess so," Ladybug says with a small smile. "It's still a bit sad, though."

"It happens to all of us," Adrien says quietly with a frown of his own.

"Bad day for you, too?" Ladybug asks, and Adrien nods slowly.

"She never showed up either," he replies.

At this, Ladybug almost loses her grip on her yoyo; she wasn't expecting Adrien to have someone he likes. He never really showed interest in anyone.

With a little smile on her face, Ladybug extends her hand to him.

"Looks like we both need a bit of cheering up," she smiles. "Come with me."

He slowly holds his hand out to her, which Ladybug quickly grabs, and before he knows, they're both hurled into the night sky. Adrien holds onto her tightly, watching as they swing from one building to another, before landing on the roof of one of hundreds of townhouses around the city.

Adrien immediately notices the picnic blanket laid out, and the basket sitting on top of it that's most likely filled with food. He walks over to it, gasping to see a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower on one side, the Notre-Dame Cathedral on the other, and the lit-up streets of Paris down below. It certainly doesn't beat the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, but it's beautiful, nonetheless.

"Is this…?" Adrien begins, watching as Ladybug walks over to the blanket to sit on. She folds her legs to her chest, hugging them as she looks out into the city. Adrien takes a seat next to her not too long after.

"Yup," is all Ladybug says.

"I'm sorry…" Adrien says quietly.

"It's not your fault. He told me he might not be able to make it, but I had my fingers crossed," she says. "It's my fault for assuming he would."

"I mean, I'm sorry you went through the trouble of preparing all this, and he didn't show up. It's such a waste."

Ladybug looks over at him, and smiles. "It's not a waste if I'm here with you instead. I mean, I hope you don't think it's weird, since we've only worked together once or twice."

"No, it's not weird at all," Adrien says. "And I'm with Ladybug—how cool is that?"

Ladybug laughs, shifting her position into a more comfortable one. She brings the basket closer, opening it up to reveal an abundance of desserts inside. Adrien's mouth waters at the sight.

"I also made these for him, but I'll share them with you instead," she says.

Ladybug proceeds to take the desserts out of the basket to place in-between them. She takes out a box of assorted macarons, butter croissants, chocolate eclairs, and two slices of flaky mille-feuille cake.

"I hope you like them, I made them myself," Ladybug says, making Adrien pause at that last part.

"You… made them?" Adrien asks, feeling even guiltier.

"That's right, so don't be too amazed if it's extra tasty," she laughs, popping a green macaron in her mouth.

Adrien goes for a chocolate eclair, sighing in delight at how decadent it tastes. He quickly devours it and goes for a butter croissant this time to balance out the sweetness of the eclair, exclaiming about how good that one is as well. Ladybug watches him eat her desserts, eyes sparkling happily at his excitement and compliments. Getting compliments from him as Marinette is rare, so to see his positive feedback towards her baking makes her so happy.

"What do you think?" Ladybug asks shyly. "About the desserts?"

"They're amazing," Adrien says, popping a peach pink macaron into his mouth. "And the peach-colored macarons are passion fruit, right?"

"It is!" she exclaims. "Not everyone gets it right on the first try, how'd you know?"

"Passion fruit's my favorite," he grins. "But your baking really is amazing. Thanks for sharing it with me, Ladybug."

"No problem, Adrien," Ladybug says, looking down with a smile on her face.

Even though the top and bottom macaron shells aren't nearly as identical as they should be, even though a few of her croissants are clumsily rolled, even though some eclairs have a bit too much filling, and even though her mille-feuilles aren't as visually stunning, Adrien liked them nonetheless, and it's enough to cheer her up.

Once they were done eating, Adrien thanks Ladybug for the food as she puts whatever trash they left back inside her basket.

"Thank you, too," Ladybug says.

"For what?" Adrien asks in confusion.

"For cheering me up," she grins. "You ate my food and complimented it. It made me feel a lot less gloomy."

Adrien smiles at her, but his face immediately turns into one of alert as he shouts, "Look out!"

He pushes her back as he himself falls backwards, and a large scoop of what looks like ice cream splatters all over the chimney next to them. Ladybug quickly rushes over to Adrien and grabs hold of his hand, swinging onto a much higher townhouse's roof. They look over the edge to see an enormous snowman made of ice cream making its way around the city.

"Adrien, sad and bitter, I said my ice cream would make everything better," he sings. "Instead, you said my magic's not real, so now I'll show you how you made me feel!"

The akumatized villain begins shooting scoops of ice cream in different directions, making civilians down below scream in horror as they run off.

"Who's that?" Ladybug asks.

"It has to be Andre the ice cream maker," Adrien says as he watches the giant ice cream monster stomp around the city.

"The Sweetheart Ice Cream guy?" Ladybug asks.

"It's a long story," Adrien says.

When the coast is clear, Ladybug grabs hold of Adrien and takes him back to his room. At this point, Glaciator shoots his ice cream into the sky, making it rain different flavors of ice cream. It doesn't sound so bad in retrospect, they both think, but to be hit on the head by a falling ball of strawberry ice cream doesn't sound so pleasant either.

"Stay hidden, Chat Noir and I will take care of Glaciator," she says.

Adrien nods. "I will," he says. "And thanks again for the desserts."

She flashes him one last pearly-white grin before swinging off in the direction of the akumatized villain.

"Oh, you must've felt bad when you saw that picnic she set up for Chat Noir," Plagg says, flying out of Adrien's pocket.

"Okay, I admit I did, but I made up for it as Adrien, didn't I?" Adrien scowls.

"Sure, but at the end of the day, it was all for a certain someone who stood her up," the kwami says.

"Just transform me so I don't have to hear this from you anymore."


Ladybug gasps when she finds frozen civilians all over the streets of Paris. Their facial expressions and actions all illustrate their fear before being hit by the Glaciator's ice cream beam—some have their arms in front of them, some were mid-run; Ladybug feels saddened that she couldn't help them in time.

Ladybug jumps on top of a car, her yoyo in her right hand.

"Hey, Glaciator!" she screams, catching the villain's attention. "Looking for me?"

"You! Where have you hidden Adrien?" Glaciator screams, firing ice cream at her. Ladybug dodges the attack by jumping onto a roof, but her face drops as soon as she sees Glaciator kick a police car in her direction. Ladybug tries to get away, but unfortunately finds herself flying while resting on top of the car. She eventually falls off when the vehicle flips over in the air, and she clumsily tries to get her yoyo to latch onto someplace nearby. Before she can throw her weapon, however, a pair of arms scoop her up bridal-style, and it's only when they reach the ground does she realize that Chat Noir was the one to save her.

"Bad guys leave you cold, My Lady?" Chat Noir asks, setting her down. Ladybug doesn't answer, and simply frowns at him before looking away. "Uh, are you okay? Any reason why you're giving me the cold shoulder?"

Ladybug groans. "Another pun? Now's not the time," she says hastily. Chat Noir frowns guiltily, noting that it's definitely because he stood her up.

"I've never tasted superhero flavor before. I can't wait to serve myself a double scoop!" Glaciator exclaims, shooting his ice cream in every direction, freezing people in the process. Ladybug and Chat Noir manage to successfully deflect the attacks with either a twirl of the yoyo or a spin of the staff before hiding in an alley.

"The ice cream seems to fire out of his hand," Chat Noir notes. "Before he was akumatized, he'd serve ice cream with… ugh, what's the word—"

"An ice cream scooper," Ladybug says coldly. Chat Noir flinches at the unfamiliarity of her tone. "That must be where the akuma is hiding."

"Chat Noir! Ladybug! Come out!" Glaciator yells, causing the heroes to turn to their attention to him once again. "It's time I turn you into popsicles once and for all!"

"No!" Chat Noir says, barely above a whisper, when she spots a couple sneak out of their hiding spot to try to make an escape.

Glaciator takes a glance at the couple, holding his arms out and ready to shoot, but turns away, letting them make a run for it.

"Did you see that?" Chat Noir asks. "It's leaving the couples alone."

"Is it?" Ladybug says.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Chat Noir says. "But if we pretend to be a couple, maybe it won't attack us."

"So, you want to work together?" Ladybug asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Just for a split second, and then, we'll go on fighting for our tally mark as usual," Chat Noir says. "What do you say?"

"I say I'd rather try to defeat this akuma on my own," Ladybug says, and while her tone should be filled with anger, it was delivered softly, making Chat Noir feel much worse.

But what's even worse is the fact that Ladybug refused to partner up. She's always been the one to make the offer, always asking even when she knew she'd get no for an answer. And now that the tables have turned, Chat Noir realizes that he doesn't like it, at all.

As much as he hates to admit it… he prefers the "normal" Ladybug.

Ladybug jumps off the roof and hits Glaciator with her yoyo, slicing it in half. She gasps when it sticks itself back together, and her eyes widen when Glaciator sends a flurry of attacks in her direction. Chat Noir swoops in to save her once again, vaulting them onto a nearby roof and hiding them behind a large chimney.

"Are you… mad at me because I didn't show up?" Chat Noir asks, making Ladybug frown. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were actually serious about waiting for me."

"Forget it. I was the one who assumed you'd come," Ladybug sighs. "I asked to be stood up. But now's not the time to talk about that—let's go with your plan and defeat him once and for all."

"I know you're here!" Glaciator says in a sing-song voice.

Chat Noir picks Ladybug up bridal-style and jumps off the roof, landing a few meters away from the akumatized villain. Glaciator lifts up his arms, ready to fire at them, when Chat Noir puts Ladybug down and pulls her close. Ladybug lets out a squeak, feeling her ears burn. She nearly trips when Chat Noir starts walking towards Glaciator.

It lifts its arms higher, threatening to fire at them again, but when Ladybug goes on her tippy-toes to give Chat Noir a kiss on the kiss, it lowers its arms.

"Hey, that was not part of the plan," Chat Noir says while trying so hard to keep the fake smile on his face.

"Don't act like I haven't kissed you on the cheek before," Ladybug retorts with a fake smile of her own.

"I can't hit them," Glaciator says, most likely talking to Hawkmoth. "They look so… in love!"

"Yeah, right!" Chat Noir screams, and the two rivals go straight into action.

Chat Noir extends his staff in an attempt to stab Glaciator, surprised to find that it hit something inside. "I've hit something," Chat Noir says. "Wait… Andre didn't turn into a monster, he's inside controlling the monster!"

Upon hearing that they figured it out, Glaciator hauls his upper body towards the sky, making Chat Noir get launched into the air. Ladybug reacts by slicing its feet with her yoyo string, making Glaciator topple over. Chat Noir makes his staff revert to its original size before landing right next to his rival.

"How can we get Andre out without hurting him?" Ladybug asks as they watch Glaciator stick its legs back to its body.

Chat Noir looks around, his face surprised to see how close they are to Pont des Arts. He makes up a quick plan in his head before waving his hands around and yelling, "Hey! You want our Miraculous, don't you? Come and get it!"

He starts running in the direction of the bridge, making Ladybug follow after him. She looks back to see Glaciator getting back up on its feet and walking in their direction.

"Where are you headed?" Ladybug asks upon catching up to Chat Noir.

"Pont des Arts!" he says. "It's the only way to get him to stop gluing himself back together!"

Chat Noir and Ladybug stop running and turn around once the villain finally catches up to them. It stops right in the middle of the bridge, ready to attack both heroes, who are standing on safe land.

"Hand over your Miraculous, unless you want to be frozen for eternity!" Glaciator threatens.

"I hope you know how to swim!" Chat Noir says, throwing a hand up in the air. "CATACLYSM!"

Chat Noir touches the bridge, causing it to crumble and making Glaciator fall into the Seine. Chat Noir and Ladybug watch as the Glaciator's ice cream parts separate from each other and float away. Andre slowly starts making his appearance from one of the blocks of ice cream, and Ladybug reacts by wrapping her yoyo around him and pulling him towards them. Chat Noir snatches the ice cream scooper out of his hands and smashing it against the ground.

A black butterfly flutters out of the akumatized item, and Chat Noir catches it with the glowing green orb at the end of his staff. He purifies it, letting it fly free into the night sky before restoring everything to its former glory with a "MIRACULOUS CHAT!"

When the black and violet cloud enveloping Andre disappears, Chat Noir and Ladybug rush over to his side to help him up.

"Are you all right, Andre?" Chat Noir asks.

The ice cream man takes a good look at both of them, grinning widely as he pulls them both in for a hug. "How enchanting!" he exclaims. "I've been saved by such a lovely, heroic couple!"

"Woah, we are not a couple!" Chat Noir exclaims. "You think I'd really fall for—"

Upon seeing the sad look on Ladybug's face, Chat Noir stops himself from saying anything else. After a quick exchange, Andre waves goodbye to them as he makes his way home.

There's an awfully awkward silence between the two rivals once Andre's out of sight. Chat Noir makes a side-glance at Ladybug, noting that the frown on her face never left.

"Are you, uh… still upset?" Chat Noir asks.

"I'll be fine," Ladybug says with a sad smile.

"Look, Ladybug… I'm really sorry," Chat Noir apologizes. "I didn't realize you were serious."

"Like I said, it's my fault for assuming you'd come. I'm sorry for acting like this," Ladybug says. "Still, it's a bit disappointing."

"I'll make it up to you," Chat Noir offers.

"No need. But thanks anyway," Ladybug says. Chat Noir's ring makes a beep, signaling the near end of his transformation. "Looks like it's time for you to go."

"I guess so," Chat Noir says after glancing at his ring. "I'll see you for patrol tomorrow night?"

Ladybug nods. "See you then," she says. "Good night, Chat."

Chat Noir watches Ladybug swing off into the night, the feeling of guilt still ever-present in his chest.


Adrien approaches Andre's ice cream cart the following day, which is now parked on the bridge at Canal Saint-Martin. It took him about an hour to find it, since Andre's clues were a bit tricky that day, but Adrien's face lit up as soon as he did manage to locate the kind man.

"Hello, Andre," Adrien greets.

"Adrien, you're back!" Andre exclaims. "Can I offer you some ice cream? To eat this time."

"Of course," Adrien says with a wide smile. "How else will I experience your ice cream's magic?"

"Pink lemonade for what she wears, blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice cream like her sky-blue eyes," Andre says, remaking the order he made for him the first time. "Eat this—"

"And my love will materialize?" Adrien asks with a laugh, accepting the ice cream offered to him. After eating a spoonful of ice cream, he exclaims, "It's delicious!"

"Is it?"

Adrien freezes halfway through taking another spoonful of his ice cream. He turns his head at the familiar voice to find Marinette walking towards them. He quickly composes himself, and Andre laughs into his palm upon noticing Adrien's behavior. His ice cream surely hasn't failed him yet.

"Marinette?" Adrien says.

"Eat this and your love will materialize," Andre whispers with a wink. He then turns to Marinette with a kind smile, exclaiming, "Another customer! Welcome; would you like some of Andre's Sweetheart Ice Cream?"

"My friends told me it was magical," Marinette says. "I'd like one, please."

While Andre scoops out her ice cream, Marinette turns to Adrien. "I see you had the same idea as me today," she says, pointing at his ice cream. "What flavors?"

"Pink lemonade, blackberry, and blueberry," Adrien says, and he so desperately hopes she doesn't notice how she matches the ice cream exactly.

"Oh, that sounds like a nice combination," Marinette says. "I can't wait for mine!"

"Peach pink like his lips, and mint green like his eyes," Andre says somewhat sadly as he looks over at Adrien. "Eat this, and your love for him, he will recognize."

"H-him?" Marinette asks as a blush appears on her cheeks.

"Andre knows what's in your heart," he nods, handing her the frozen treat. "My ice cream is never wrong!"

"U-uh," Marinette looks over at Adrien awkwardly before re-verting her attention to her frozen treat. She takes a bite, exclaiming, "It is delicious!"

Before Andre can say anything more, the line of people slowly forming near his cart catches his eye. "Andre has many more lovely couples to serve today," Andre sings. "Thank you for coming, best be on your way!"

Adrien and Marinette thank him for the ice cream, and they walk off together while eating their special ice cream.

"You… weren't there yesterday," Adrien begins. "We were all waiting for you."

"Something came up," Marinette answers quickly. "If I had known how it'd end, I would've just postponed it. But luckily, someone else joined me, and it was all worthwhile."

Adrien raises an eyebrow at her vague answer, but quickly shrugs it off. "We'll plan another ice cream day soon," he says. "And this time, you'd better be there."

"We'll see," Marinette says.

Adrien freezes at her words for a split second. They were the exact same words he used with Ladybug when she asked him to join her for dinner. The uncertainty must've torn her apart.

He sighs.

He'd better make up for it, whether she wants him to or not.


Chat Noir makes out Ladybug's dark silhouette from where he stands. He clutches the little basket in his arms a little tighter before jumping off the roof he's standing on to land on the roof a few stories lower. He runs across it, pole-vaulting himself up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug sits, curled up into a ball while overlooking the city.

"You're late," Ladybug says softly.

"Only because I was busy making this," Chat Noir says, taking his seat next to her and placing the basket between them.

Ladybug averts her attention to the basket, gasping when she finds Chat Noir taking out two croque-monsieurs, two deformed muffins, and two juice boxes. He hands one of each to Ladybug, who slowly accepts them with wide eyes.

"You don't need to eat them if you don't want to," Chat Noir says, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. "The croque-monsieurs turned out okay, but the muffin's probably dry. It was my first time cooking anything."

Ladybug looks up at him, not saying a word.

Chat Noir pauses. "O-oh, did you want to sit on that roof you mentioned?" he asks. "I'm sorry, I—"

"No," Ladybug interrupts with a smile. "I'm fine right here."

Ladybug unwraps the croque-monsieur and takes a huge bite out of it, making a satisfied sound as how delicious it is. Chat Noir looks away in embarrassment, this being the first time anyone's ever tried his cooking.

"Did you use Camembert for the croque-monsieur?" Ladybug asks, halfway done.

"My kwami suggested it… so…" Chat Noir says, trailing off. He takes the last bite out of his sandwich and picks up his muffin. He inspects it a little before taking a bite, and he was right—it's dry. He takes a few sips from his juice box afterwards, eyeing the untouched muffin next to his rival.

"Uh, on second thought," Chat Noir says nervously, reaching for Ladybug's muffin. Ladybug is quick to notice this and swipes her muffin before he can get to it.

"Don't take my muffin," Ladybug pouts. She bites off a piece for herself and Chat Noir cringes. "It's good."

"You don't have to lie," Chat Noir scoffs.

"No, I really like it," Ladybug says, taking another bite. "Thank you."

"I just thought… you probably waited a long time just for me not to show up," he says. "It was the least I could do."

"Who knew you weren't such a huge jerk deep down?" she teases.

"Just shut up and eat your muffin," Chat Noir huffs, making Ladybug laugh.

She takes another bite of her muffin, chewing with a smile on her face, and Chat Noir can't help but smile, too.

end card


A/N: PLEASE READ!

Since there seems to be some confusion, I just want to clarify that I will be writing the official production order of Miraculous Ladybug Season 2. If you've read Who Needs Love?, this fanfic picks up after Chapter 28, meaning there has not been a reveal. Here is the order of the chapters I will be writing:

Santa Claws
The Collector
Prime Queen
Glaciator
Despair Bear
Troublemaker
Gigantitan
Riposte
Befana
Frightningale
Gorizilla
Robostus
Sapotis
Dark Owl
Syren
Zombizou
Captain Hardrock
Frozer
Style Queen
Queen Wasp
Reverser
Anansi
Malediktator
Sandboy
Catalyst (Heroes' Day Part I)
Mayura (Heroes' Day Part II)

Now that that's cleared up, I hope you all noticed the little changes in character! Adrien, who is in love with Marinette, is now developing a soft spot for Ladybug. And Marinette, who is in love with Chat Noir, is now developing a soft spot for Adrien. They just can't seem to fall for the right person at the right time! What more once Luka and Kagami get added into the mix? :)

Thank you for reading!

And stay safe!

Akuma Capture:
Ladybug: 1
Chat Noir: 3

Next Episode: Despair Bear