Basically, if the season 2 episode 'Glaciator' took a more Marichat turn. With a few other tweaks (proper explanation in ending note)

Marichat May 2024

Day #24: Ice Cream

On the bridge by the Port des Arts, Andre Glacier, the sweetheart matchmaker, was still on his knees, crying over the ice cream the sad bluenette girl had dropped.

"How could I have failed," the ice cream maker wept. "That poor girl. She has love in her heart but it is so uncertain." All he wanted to do was help her find her love, but his ice cream wasn't powerful enough.

In that moment, a dark butterfly flew down to him and fazed into his scooper.

"Glaciator," a sinister voice spoke in his face. "I am Hawkmoth. You think your ice cream isn't powerful enough to help that girl find her love, but I can give you the power to help her even more. All I ask in return are Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculouses," the super villain said, showing his new pawn images of the magical jewels.

"For love, no price is too great," Andre said, allowing the dark miasma to envelop him and transform him into a giant snow man made of ice cream.

~*MDC+CN*~

Apparently, Marinette had more in common with Chat Noir than she had first thought. She had been upset by Adrien not showing up to meet them at Andre's cart for ice cream. Not that it was a date but she was still excited about potentially getting to share a cone with him.

And by going out anyway, she didn't transform to go meet up with Chat Noir and he was apparently really excited for her to show up.

She felt even worse about herself. She hurt Andre's feelings by insisting his ice cream couldn't find her love and she had also hurt her partner by standing him up.

Still, letting the boy in the black super suit know that she was also gloomy from longing for the one she loved, he saw an opportunity to cheer her up.

She let him scoop her up into his arm, closed her eyes upon his instruction, and he jumped away from her balcony.

When they landed, he put her down but told her to keep her eyes shut a little longer. She waited, until finally, he said she could open them.

They were on another rooftop. Judging by the view of Notre Dame, they weren't that far from her home. The roof was set up with roses, pillows for comfort, candles and mini lanterns for gentle lighting. Marinette smiled so big. It was so beautiful.

But when she turned and saw Chat slumped on one of the railings, leaning on his elbows, she frowned.

"I'm so sorry," she said. He did all this for her.

"Why? It's not your fault," he replied.

"No. Yeah. I mean…what I mean is," she stuttered. It technically was her fault but he couldn't know that. "I'm very sorry for you. 'Cause you prepared all this and then she didn't show." She really felt bad for hurting his feelings like that. He truly loved her, did all this for her, and she didn't even give him a chance to show her.

"She told me she might not make it but I had my fingers crossed. I really wanted her to come," Chat sulked before turning back to her. He noticed Marinette admiring the roses below the candles on the railings with a sweet smile. Which made him smile. "But you're here now. And it brought a smile to your face at least, so it wasn't a total loss," he said, walking back over to her.

Chat removed one of the roses from the railing and put it behind her ear.

Marinette hummed. "I do feel a bit better."

"And seeing that smile has made me feel better," he added. Chat gestured to the middle of the roof where he had laid out some pillows, then the two sat down, side by side, looking out at Notre Dame. Chat looked back at her curiously for a minute. She was upset from not getting to see her love too. So who was she in love with? And why wouldn't they accept her love with open arms? "So, I was down because Ladybug stood me up, you know that. But what about you? Who'd be stupid enough to break your heart?"

"He's not stupid!" Marinette said, a bit ticked off. But she quickly calmed down and continued. "And he didn't break my heart. I'm the one who can't tell him how I really feel and…" she paused. Why was she opening up to Chat like this? Then again, she didn't plan on giving his name. So where was the harm in telling him a few details? He wouldn't know who she's talking about. "lately, I've been feeling like it'll never work out between us. Because I can barely see him and when we are together, I can barely talk to him," she said sadly, facing forward, clutching one of the pillows to her chest.

"Why can't you talk to him?" he asked curiously.

"I guess…I'm afraid he'll reject me. I mean, we're friends but if I tell him I'm in love with him, he'll not only not say it back but then we couldn't be friends anyone."

Chat nodded in understanding. "That does sound pretty scary." Her reasons and fears were sound but at the same time, he was a firm believer in that important things like love should never be kept bottled up. "But you know, I openly flirt with Ladybug but I doubt she really knows that I'm truly in love with her." She always assumed that he was just fooling around and didn't actually mean any of the sweet things he said to her. But he did. "I was actually planning on telling her tonight but she didn't show up." He wanted it to be crystal clear to her, no matter how she responded. Chat sighed. "It's hard to stay in love with someone who doesn't love you back," he lamented.

He still loved his lady. Or at least, he wanted to still love her. But it was getting harder and harder to stay hopeful with all the rejection in his pursuit of her.

"Tell me about it," Marinette agreed. She wasn't even openly pursuing Adrien but her fears of destroying her fantasy of a romance with him were too great to try to make it a reality.

Another minute of silence later and Chat had another question.

"Hey, what did you mean by 'you barely see him'? This boy you're in love with?" he asked. Did they go to different schools? Because he was sure she didn't have feelings for anyone at their school.

"Well, I don't get to see him much outside of school." Okay, so they did go to the same school. Maybe a different class then. He was sure it wasn't anyone in their class. "Mostly because of his dad."

That bit piqued his interest even further. "His dad?" he asked curiously, turning to stare at the side of her face.

"Yeah. He's really strict and overprotective so he doesn't let him go out and see his friends much," Marinette continued. Chat's eyes widened. This boy's dad sounded a lot like his own. But that couldn't be. She couldn't talking about…could she? "Like tonight. He was supposed to meet up with me and a few of your other friends so we could all get ice cream from Andre but he didn't show because his dad wouldn't let him go." It could be. There was no denying it. She was talking about him; Adrien. She was sad because he didn't show up to get ice cream with her and their friends. Marinette smiled ruefully. "But even if he did, what was I expecting to happen? He and I would approach Andre together, he'd serve us both a cone with flavors of our love that we'd share and we'd suddenly become a couple?" she laughed but there was no humor. "Ridiculous!" she said, tossing the pillow away in a huff.

Marinette drew her bent legs up to her chest and hugged her knees before burying her face in them with a miserable grunt.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir started at her in shock.

She was in love with him? Adrien Agreste. But by the sound of her tone, that was starting to be less true. And it was all his fault.

He was upset for Ladybug standing him up, yet he knew there was a strong possibility she would. But he made his romantic set up and waited for her anyway. True, Adrien hadn't been allowed to go get ice cream with his friends but he could have detransformed when he was out and gone to Andre's cart anyway.

Then he could have at least spared Marinette the same pain as him. He would have loved to get ice cream with her.

Wait, ice cream with her as in—

Before he could finish that thought, he saw a giant stubby hand, made of ice cream coming straight at them.

"Marinette, watch out!" Chat yelled, quickly grabbing Marinette and leaping away before the appendage could reach them.

Chat landed on another rooftop.

"Marinette, me dear! You're looking so sad and surly. But Glaciator will make it all better, don't you worry!" the frozen giant called out.

"Andre?" Marinette thought aloud.

"The sweethearts ice cream guy?" Chat asked.

"I'm Glaciator! The matchmaker! The ice cream akuma!" Glaciator sang, walking closer to them, every step a booming thud.

As the giant continued to look for them, Chat jumped down to street level. He wanted to bring Marinette home, it was literally right across the park from them. But Glaciator was walking by that building. Plus, it would be the first place the villain would look for her.

Chat ran over to a bunch of bushes and set Marinette down.

"Stay here. I'll take care of-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a humungous ice cream foot stomped on the ground behind him. Chat turned, he and Marinette looked up at him in horror.

"Marinette! There you are!" Glaciator said with glee. "Don't be afraid, as promised, I will find your love."

The ice cream behemoth reached down to grab the girl but Chat drew his staff and batted it away.

"Keep your sticky studs off of her!" he yelled, taking a fighting stance in front of her.

A glowing butterfly mask appeared over Glaciator's face. "It's Chat Noir!" Hawkmoth said to him. "Take his miraculous, now!" he said, then the mask disappeared.

"Chat Noir!" Glaciator cried out, ready to engage in battle. But his chocolate chip eyes glanced from him to the girl behind him. "…and Marinette," he uttered, softer and a bit surprised. She looked scared, and she was clutching onto the feline hero's arm. And then he noticed the rose in her hair. Then he looked back at Chat Noir, taking thorough note of his features. "Peach like his lips," he said, staring at his lips. Then at his eyes. "Mint like his eyes." Suddenly, his chocolate chip frown turned upward into a smile. "My ice cream did work! Your love has materialized!" he cried happily.

Chat dropped his stance in confusion.

"Um…what's he talking about?" Chat asked, glancing back at Marinette.

The bluenette was in shock as she looked up and Glaciator, along with Chat, as the ice cream man explain.

"The ice cream I served her earlier. She did not eat it but you match it to a tee! I did not fail. He is your love, Marinette. By my ice cream, it was meant to be!" he shouted to the heavens, throwing his arms up. "Knowing this now, it makes my heart soar!" When he lowered them, the glowing mask reappeared on his face. "Hawkmoth, I don't need these powers anymore."

And with that, the dark miasma enveloped him once again and started to shrink him down.

His desire for Marinette to find her love that matched his ice cream was fulfilled. He didn't need Hawkmoth at all.

When he was human-sized again, the miasma vanished, revealing Andre Glacier, back to his old self. A black butterfly flew out of the scooper in his hand, then quickly turned white on its own.

Chat put his baton behind his back before he and Marinette ran over to him.

"Are you alright, Andre?" Marinette asked him.

Andre looked up at both their concerned faces and smiled. "Just fine, thank you," he replied. Then he stood up straight, remembering he'd left his cart unattended back on the bridge. "Oh! I must return to my cart!" he exclaimed.

"I could give you a lift," Chat generously offered.

But Andre raised a hand, stopping him in his traces. "Absolutely not. I will not pull you away from your lady," he said, gesturing to Marinette beside him. Andre placed one hand on both of their shoulders. "Feel free to stop by my cart, you two. I'll be proud to serve you," he said to them both, excited.

Marinette blushed. "Okay…maybe," she uttered, glancing off to the side. She couldn't look at either of them at the moment.

After giving a hardy laugh, Andre turned and started walking away, back to his cart, while singing his signature song.

When the two youths were left alone in the park, Chat glanced at Marinette. Her head was tilted down, looking at the ground with big, terrified eyes. Her face was flushed so red, it looked like she was having a heat stroke, and her hands were in tight fists and folded up clasping her chest.

Chat was concerned about how she was taking what just happened. He was certainly having trouble processing it all as well. "So…" he spoke up. But Marinette quickly snapped her head up.

"I'm going home! Good night!" she quickly hollered to him before speed walking awkwardly in the direction of her family's bakery.

As he watched her walk away, Chat stayed put and thought.

Was the ice cream supposed to represent him as Adrien, or as Chat Noir?

Honestly, he thought. He hoped it was the former.

She wasn't so sure about her feelings for Adrien anymore. But maybe Chat Noir could sweep her off her feet, more than just literally in the near future.

Chat grinned to himself as he extended his staff and launched himself into the sky, heading for home.

Maybe next time he shows up on her balcony to whisk her away for another romantic surprise, it'll be to Andre's cart for some of his magical ice cream that they could share.

I changed up Glaciator's motive because I didn't wanted Ladybug to have to make an appearance at all. I wanted him to see Marinette with Chat Noir and reject the akuma on his own. And if he rejected it on his own, Ladybug didn't have to purify it. And without her there to use her lucky charm, I couldn't have Glaciator turning the non-lovebird people into ice cream because then she would have been needed to use her miraculous cure.

No people to un-turn into ice cream + no major damage to undo + no akuma to purify = No Ladybug. This is Marichat after all.

Last chapter will be posted on the 29th. Then it's onto Ladrien June!

See u then =^.^=