#frozer

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            Alix grumbled as she put on a pair of ice skates. She glanced around at her classmates and plus some doing the same. They all excitedly chatted while she fumed. Chloe chatted with everyone before she sat down beside Alix.

            “You ready for this?”

            “Can I say no and still leave?” Alix asked.

            “Oh, come on. You can’t leave now. You already told Adrien you’d do this.”

            Alix mumbled and crossed her arms. She sank back in her seat as she regretted agreeing to this charade. Chloe rolled her eyes and saw to everyone else while Adrien sat beside her.

            “Hey, thank you again, for coming along. I know it’s not exactly your cup of tea, but I appreciate it still,” Adrien said.

            “Said after you begged me to come along despite my clear disdain for the very idea of all this.”

            “Oh, come on! It’s a little fun, right? Besides, Chloe’s in charge of this. Everything should be fine.

            “If she’s in charge, then she has the power to exclude Kagami, Lila, and Marinette.”

            “True, but I sorta asked her to not exclude Kagami and Lila. Marinette, well, I can’t explain that. Maybe they, and I mean Marinette’s friends, hope to help her?”

            “They have more faith in her than I ever could.”

            “You don’t have a lot of faith in anyone.”

            “Exactly, but those three particularly. I mean, fuck. Lila isn’t going to attend because of her whole ‘affair’ with Bloody Bug. Kagami is thoroughly brainwashed and conditioned. Marinette, well, at least she has people she can count on.”

            “Well, Sabrina did point out that we should give people second chances to be better, and that everyone has the potential to be better. So, I told Chloe to give them those chances. Oh! And I’ve also brought a special friend.”

            “Oh? Who would that be?”

            Adrien turned as Felix took a seat next to him.

            “Alix,” Felix said.

            “Felix. Been a while,” Alix remarked.

            “Yes, well, get used to it.”

            Alix hummed when Chloe blew her whistle, getting everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for meeting me here. As you all know, I’m hosting a Valentine’s dance for couples, and polycules, this Valentine’s Day. You’re all here because you losers need some help, so here I am to play your cupid. Now, let’s begin! I want to see you guys pair off and hit the ice. Any left behind will be matched based on my expert opinion.”

            Everyone exchanged glances before people paired off. Nino and Alya, Juleka and Rose, and Mylene and Ivan were amongst the first. Luka and Marinette were pulled out onto the ice alongside them.

            Alix tsked. “I don’t envy Luka, but good on him.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Huh? Oh, he has a crush on Marinette.”

            “He does? I thought he had a crush on you?”

            “I guess he has one on each of us. In all honesty, I’d rather he just be interested in Marinette. Being with me could be… messy.”

            “I don’t think he minds who you are, Alix.”

            “It’s not that. It’s just, well, I’m aromantic. At least, that’s what Juleka and Rose said it’s called. And I agree with them.”

            “I’m sorry, but that’s this ‘aromantic’ thing you bring up?” Felix asked.

            “It just means that I don’t experience romantic attraction. From what I’ve gathered on my own, there are many different types of aromantics. I’m still not completely sure where I fall, I just know that I don’t care for romance, don’t understand it’s finer points, but also do want companionship.”

            Felix and Adrien exchanged glances before Kagami arrived. Kagami glared down at Alix, before she looked at Adrien. Alix snarled until she noticed Felix’s wide, enchanted eyes that were fixated on Kagami.

            “Let’s go, Adrien,” Kagami ordered.

            “Ah, well, you see, I-,” Adrien started.

            Felix stood up. “Please, I beseech you, skate with me instead.”

            Kagami’s brow furrowed as she took a step back. “Excuse me?”

            “Your ebony hair that illuminates with shades of blue is reminiscent of the night sky under a full moon in its silver, resplendent glory. The freckles that adorn your beautiful skin are like stars painted on the night canvas. And your eyes are like a low, inviting fire out of the silvery mist of darkness. They call out like a siren sings to her victims, beckoning all who dare gaze upon you in until they are ensnared by your ferocity. You are the night and the moon personified. Please allow me to be your Sun.”

            Adrien’s eyes sparkled at Felix’s poetry while Alix made gagging noises. A slight blush formed on Kagami’s cheeks before it vanished.

            “Fine, but just this once.”

            Felix beamed as Kagami led him onto the ice.

            “That was beautiful,” Adrien whispered.

            “That was sickening,” Alix retorted.

            “What? But-!”

            “Uh, Adrien?” Sabrina interrupted.

            Alix and Adrien turned to look at Sabrina.

            “Hey, Rin. What’s up?”

            Alix raised a brow when she saw Sabrina blush.

            “You… you wouldn’t mind if we skated, would you?”

            Adrien lit up. “I’d love to!”

            Alix watched Adrien head onto the ice with Sabrina. Alix smiled, happy for him, but that happiness was soured by a gnawing envy. She frowned as she looked around to see nearly everyone had hit the ice save for her, Kim, and Chloe. Chloe turned towards her when Kim moved in and stole her away towards the ice.

            Alix watched everyone skate around the rink. She sighed as loneliness ate away at her and tore her apart. She took off her skates, returned them to the front desk, and left. She headed away from the building as Tikki and Ziggy poked her back. She grumbled as she put in an earbud, flashed her phone, and put it in her hoodie pocket.

            “What do you want?” Alix asked.

            “What’s wrong? You seemed happy, but then you weren’t,” Tikki pointed out.

            “It’s nothing. I just… I didn’t want to be that freak that’s always alone while everyone has fun. That’s all.”

            “Well, why not join the skating anyway? Who says you need to have a partner?” Ziggy asked.

            “That’s not how it works. Besides, I… I don’t know. It may not be bad to have someone as a companion. Not that I’ll ever have that.”

            “Why not?” Tikki pressed.

            “Yeah, why not? You seem to have plenty of options available,” Ziggy added.

            “It’s… it’s not like that. I can’t go to any of them. I don’t… I don’t want to give them false hope or lead them on, or whatever.”

            “What do you mean?” Ziggy asked.

            “I… I don’t know. I just… a lot of things are changing. I’m starting to, I dunno, want things I never did before.”

            “Like wanting a boyfriend or girlfriend?” Tikki asked.

            “Please, don’t use those terms. They make me feel… icky. Use companion. It feels… better.”

            “Ok. So, does this include wanting a companion?”

            “I… I think so.”

            “But don’t you have a lot of companions already?” Ziggy asked.

            “I have friends, and I love them dearly, but I also want a little something more. I want someone who’d accept me, all of me.”

            “I don’t understand. Don’t you have that already? I mean, you have Adrien, Rose, Mylene, Ivan, and so many others. Are they not enough?” Tikki questioned.

            “Not… not like them. They’re friends, but I don’t want them. They accept all of me that they can, but I want something that will accept all of me. Do you understand?”

            Tikki hummed and shook her head.

            Ziggy considered, then gasped. “Oh! I think I do! Don’t worry, Alix. They’re called hormones. They’ll pass in time.”

            Alix pinched the bridge of her nose. She opened her mouth when a scream tore through the air. She turned around to see everything was covered in ice. Her heart dropped seeing the people caught in it turned into ice statues. She ducked into an alleyway, transformed into Bloody Bug, and took to the rooftops. She hovered above the ground with her skates as she surveyed the area. The entire city had been transformed into an icy wonderland with everything turned to ice. She jumped down from the roof when a blur ran past her. She lost her balance but regained it as she faced against an ice-skating villain.

            “Who are you? What do you want?”

            “I am Frozer and I’m here to ice over your world.”

            Bloody Bug pulled out her yo-yo and braced herself as Frozer advanced. She dodged his attack and threw her yo-yo at him. He slapped away the yo-yo when a lasso ensnared him. She furrowed her brow as he was lifted off the ground and dangled from the rooftop.

            Bloody Bug looked past him at a girl dressed up in a deep gray-brown cowgirl ensemble with a white shirt with an eagle on it, yellow face bandana that covered only her mouth, white, messy short hair, and yellow cowgirl boots. The cowgirl tied off Frozer and jumped down. The cowgirl tipped her hat to Bloody Bug.

            “Howdy, pardner. Name’s Outlaw. I reckon your that famous red bug I’ve been hearing all ‘bout,” Outlaw said in English with an American, southern voice.

            Bloody Bug’s face scrunched up in confusion. She opened her mouth, shut it, and held up a finger for Outlaw to wait. She moved over to Frozer, inspected him, before she destroyed his ice skates, and released the Akuma. She caught it, purified it, and released it. The ice that covered Paris evaporated as Frozer reverted to Philippe, the figure skating trainer at the ice rink she was at earlier.

            “What happened? Where am I? Why am I tied up?” Philippe asked.

            “You were akumatized. What happened?” Bloody Bug asked.

            “Huh? Oh, right! Andre Bourgeois was going to shut down my ice rink to build a gym for his wife, Audrey Bourgeois. The only way I could stop him was if I got someone to sign up for my lessons. And, as luck would have it, there were a whole selection of people to ask, but no one wanted to sign up.”

            Bloody Bug opened her mouth when she heard Outlaw grumble in English about Audrey Bourgeois and the horrible person she was. She pursed her lips then shook her head before she let Philippe down.

            “Head back to the rink, Philippe. I know someone there who might be able to turn things around for you.”

            “Really? Who?” Philippe asked.

            “Can’t ruin the surprise now. Hurry back.”

            Philippe nodded and headed off. Bloody Bug sighed and turned to Outlaw.

            “Thanks for the assist, Outlaw. Always happy to see others rise to the call of action,” Bloody Bug said in English.

            Outlaw stared blankly at Bloody Bug before her eyes widened. “Wait, you actually speak English? Hell yeah! What did you think? Was I heroic enough?”

            “You were amazing. I hope to see more of your heroics, Outlaw.”

            Outlaw bounced around happily. “Hell yeah! I don’t get to do shit like this back home. Granted, the ‘real’ heroes take on the baddies. So, I give them a little trouble before I help. I know they hate me, but they also love me.”

            “Well, you’re welcome to help as much as you please while you’re here.”

            Outlaw whooped and hollered. “You bet I will! This was too much fun not to.”

            “I’m glad. As for now, I have to get going. I need to see to something else.”

            “Ditto. Later, Bug!”

            Bloody Bug and Outlaw parted ways. Bloody Bug headed back to the ice rink, de-transformed, and grabbed a pair of ice skates again. She slipped back into the rink and put on the skates while everyone else checked on each other. She glanced up as Adrien noticed her and started towards her when Philippe returned.

            Alix took a deep breath and headed for the rink’s entrance. Chloe, Rose, Adrien, and Luka rushed to check on her. She ignored their fussing and held out her hand. They all stopped and exchanged confused glances.

            “Look, I’m helping someone out. I need a partner for a demonstration, the rink cleared, and as many people to record this as possible. So, who wants to suffer my company for this?”

            Chloe, Rose, Adrien, and Luka exchanged glances before they each reached to grab Alix’s hand. Adrien got to Alix’s hand first and she held it fast. She guided him to the middle of the rink while everyone else emptied it and sat on the sidelines to watch. She ignored everyone else and searched for Philippe, who stood near the exit and watched with bated breath.

            “So, what’s really going on?” Adrien whispered.

            “That man was akumatized. The mayor threatened to take away the ice rink if he couldn’t get someone to sign up for his classes. When he couldn’t, well, you know.”

            “Oh! I get it. So, we’re putting on a demonstration to get people to sign up, right? But how are we going to do that when we aren’t figure skaters?”

            Alix grinned and led Adrien around the rink. She gave herself a couple warmup laps to readjust and refamiliarize herself. She took a deep breath and led Adrien through a basic couple figure skating routine with simple twists, spins, and lifts.

            “Woah, Alix, I didn’t realize you knew how to skate like this. I mean, I knew you could skate, but isn’t ice skating something entirely different?” Adrien asked.

            “It is, but I had the best coach. My mom.”

            “Wait, really?”

            “Yeah. She’s a big reason I started skating, and why I stopped ice skating.”

            “What happened?”

            Alix took a deep breath. “We used to come to this rink and she’d just skate. I often watched her skate her worries and problems away. I watched the ice listen to her unspoken words and everything melted away. I loved seeing it all vanish and the moment she became one with the ice. She was incredible.”

            Adrien giggled. “I see why you always tend to skate when you’re angry or bothered.”

            “Yeah, I guess so. But I took more to roller skating than ice skating, but I still learned for her. For that chance to experience what she did on the ice. To move as she did, let everything fade away, and for there to nothing except you and the ice. I admit, I have that with roller skating. But being back on the ice, something feels… different. Bittersweet.”

            “Well, why did you stop ice skating?”

            “When her health started to decline, and she couldn’t skate. I kept it up because I loved doing it and she loved to watch me. She got Philippe to keep my lessons, but we stopped that because it wasn’t the same for me. It wasn’t her that was teaching me. When her health plummeted and she could go anywhere, I stopped ice skating and just stuck with roller skating.”

            “Did you miss this?”

            Alix considered. She blocked out the murmurs that buzzed in the rink and focused on everything else. The silence filled with the scraping of skates on ice, the chill that rushed around her but never got to her, and the serenity and peace she felt rising within her being on skates. Tears fell from her eyes.

            “I did. I really did. I loved this, but I let her death stop me.”

            Adrien squeezed Alix’s hand. “It wasn’t her death. You were just grieving, Alix. She meant the world to you, and she still does. But I think the greatest way you can honor her memory is to reclaim what you loved. Starting with this. Show me the bliss of the ice you both shared.”

            Adrien let go of Alix and skated to the entrance of the rink. He gave her a thumbs up while he remained on the ice. She took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. Silence fell over her audience as they waited for her.

            “Tikki, Ziggy, get in the hoodie pocket,” Alix murmured.

            Alix felt Tikki and Ziggy move through her into the pocket. She shook off the sensation as she tore off her hoodie. She shuddered at the cold that nipped and wrapped around her bare arms and right shoulder. She took a step, then another as she skated up to Adrien and tossed him her hoodie and cap. They shared a look and a nod before she turned back to the rink.

            Alix took a deep breath as she skated forward. She started with simple spins and jumps before she took off around the rink like she was in a roller rink. She felt the rush of the cold as she raced around that ebbed away as she moved into elegant twirls and risky jumps. The cold disappeared and she closed her eyes, losing herself to the world she lost once again.

            Alix felt a peace she hadn’t felt since her mother fell ill. A peace that she couldn’t achieve with her roller skating, which only eased her anger. Here on the ice, there was stillness. She found the ice listened to her and melted away her problems, just as it did for her mother. She smiled and let the tears flow as she gave herself to the ice.

            Adrien watched in awe with everyone else as Alix put on an amazing display of figure skating. He saw a few people rush to Philippe to sign up for classes with Chloe amongst them. He was happy it worked, but he was happier for Alix. She felt calmer, happier, at ease. Even as he saw her cry, he wasn’t worried. She was at peace.

            Alix brought her skating to an end and rejoined Adrien by the entrance. She stood still until she hugged him. He returned the hug and held her close.

            “You were amazing, sis.”

            “Thanks, bro. That felt… that felt great.”

            “Wanna ditch and get ice cream?”

            Alix snorted and laughed. “Alright, let’s go.”

Okay, so I brought this concept up before but I’m bringing it up again since there’s an actual possibility of it becoming canon!

Marinette becomes Adrien’s support system

Think about it. Adrien is losing his connections with people he cares and trusts.

He already doesn’t have a close connection with his own father nor the other people in his household (Nathalie and the Gorilla).

Chloe, his childhood friend, doesn’t get along with him anymore.

Kagami broke up with him and has nearly cut him off entirely as a friend.

And now Nino outwardly said how much he doesn’t like Chat Noir (the persona Adrien is more comfortable with, mind you). Plus, revealed that him and Alya are Carapace and Rena in his super emotional state.

Who’s left on the close friend list? Oh yeah, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

I mean, not only is he in love with her (and doesn’t realize), but he has confided in her before. There’s Frozer, when he needed help trying to ask Kagami out. There’s Glaciator, when he told her about loving ladybug and being turned down by her. There’s Gorizilla when he was trying to see the movie of his mom. They have a special connection as friends.

I think he could easily test the waters with Marinette, open up to her about his stress at the very least. Then, it builds and builds. He starts hinting that he’s Chat Noir and Marinette slowly pieces everything together.

OR, maybe he could open up to Marinette as Chat Noir (get lots of Marichat action in). That way, she gets insight as to what Chat Noir is dealing with and begin to solve their issues while they’re on duty again.

But, oh my, does Adrien need someone right now. He only has Plagg and he hasn’t been very helpful. Plagg just goes with the narrative that Ladybug is the guardian and she makes the rules, and makes ridiculous references to cheese every time Adrien tries to confide in him.

Frozer S02E17 // Strike Back S04E26