Miraculous: One-Shots ✅

A Grandfather's Love

"Have fun, Marinette!" Sabine called, just before walking out of the front door.

"I will, thank you, Maman," she replied, sending a blow kiss in her mother's direction.

The woman pretended to catch it, placing it on her cheek. The two shared a giggle and wave, as Sabine stepped outside with the sunlight showering her figure.

"She's gone, hah! Great! Now we can get to baking!" Roland exclaimed from behind, waving his hand in the air.

Marinette chuckled. "Alright, grandpa," she agreed, following him deeper into the household.

Classical music reached her ears, consisting of piano notes and hints of violin. The walls around were covered in stripes of orange and brown, that fit the overall aesthetic of the furniture perfectly.

Cooking ingredients lined the shelves high above - salt, pepper, food colouring, extract, and dozens more.

"It has been a long time since I've seen you, my granddaughter. What was it?" he rhetorically asked. "Two weeks?"

Marinette laughed, saying, "That's not that long, grandpa. Besides, it was only a one time thing. That won't happen again, I'll be sure to visit you every Friday. I promise."

Taking a more serious tone, Roland informed, "You know, I was worried when you missed our weekly baking session. I thought something had happened."

"W-Well...something did, I guess? I don't r-really want to talk about it, though," she responded, rubbing the back of her neck in anxiousness.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Of course!" Roland exclaimed, holding his arms out. "Now, let's get baking, my dear. If I'm correct, we were going to make macaroons today."

"Yes, we were."

With that, the two began to gather their equipment. Circular bowls, wooden spoons, icing bags, sugar, and milk were a certain few.

Almost naturally, Marinette started to add the ingredients together, mixing them sturdily with a whisk in her grip. She slowly poured a fixed amount of lukewarm water in, stirring the contents of the plate in smooth motions to create a creamy batter.

"That's how it's done!" Roland enthused, receiving a miniature grin from her.

So transfixed on the task, she didn't notice the speculative stare of her grandfather, who was studying her in a meticulous manner.

"Grandpa?" the girl called. "Can I have the sugar?"

He passed it over, watching her measure out 35 grams before dumping it in.

"My dear," Roland started. "What happened?"

The blunt question prompted Marinette to look up, as she blinked twice. "W-What?"

The man sighed, standing up from his stool and limping to where she was. He softly repeated, "I asked what happened, Marinette. It's obvious that something did. I'm guessing it concerns why you didn't visit me like usual last week, am I right?"

Mouth slightly gaping, she glanced to the side, hurt flashing in her eyes. Though it was only for a split-second, he caught it.

"Your parents told me how you were expelled. That's what it is, isn't it?"

"I-I'm back in school now, though..." Marinette weakly argued, as she met the gaze of her grandfather.

Exhaling, he straightened his posture, placing a large hand on her shoulder. "Tell me, my dear. Why did you get expelled?"

"W-Well, ummm...this girl in my class has a disease that causes her to lie and-"

"The truth, please."

Gasping quietly, she looked at the adult. He sent her an unimpressed grimace.

"You're telling me someone you know has a lying disease? There is no such thing," he explained, waving it off. "Besides, I don't see how that could get you an expulsion. Unless you bullied this girl, yet I doubt that you would do such a thing."

Muttering, she spoke, "The rest of my classmates didn't seem to think that."

Raising a brow, a sad smile graced his features. "Let me guess, your class believed this 'diseased' girl over you?"

Marinette nodded.

"She faked a leg injury by planting herself at the bottom of a set of stairs, and saying I pushed her over."

Roland scoffed. "They didn't check the security cameras? They didn't check for witnesses?"

"No, the teachers didn't. I wasn't surprised by that, but...I thought that at least my friends would stand up for me. Turns out I was wrong."

At the last sentence, her wry smile began to falter, shaking as her bluebell eyes watered. She let out a sniffle mixed in with a choked laugh.

"They, they actually believed her over me. They believed the girl with fake promises and obvious lies over the one who would bend over backwards to help them."

Tears rolled down her freckled cheeks, but she still kept the unbelieving smile on her lips. "The worst part is that Maman and Papa didn't trust me. The ones who've raised me for my whole life thought I was capable of petty theft and cheating."

As Roland pulled her in for a comforting hug, Marinette wasn't aware of the quick glance he threw at the corner of the room. Where a camera was sat recording live to a couple at their bakery.