Marin sat on the staircase next to this kitchen holding his phone in hand. He was texting his friends back and forth about finding Andre, much to his chagrin. So long as he was home in time for dinner his parents probably wouldn't mind despite it being his father's birthday. It would make Tikki happy to actually try the legendary ice cream maker's cold treats, and there was a high chance that Adrien could show up. But on the other hand...

"It really is a shame, Rolland! It's your son's 40th birthday today! And, uh, I know how much Tom would love it if you- Ah." Marin overhead his mother saying. He turned his head to see his mom sigh heavily as it appeared she had been hung upon. She then sat at the table, resting her head on her hand, looking deep in thought.

["Was that gramps?"] Marin asked as he placed his phone into his jacket pocket.

Sabine looked up at him with a troubled expression on her face. For a moment it looked like she was about to deceive him, but then conceded the idea. ["Yes..."]

["So he's definitely not coming."] Marin confirmed as he walked into the kitchen, resting his back against the fridge and crossing his arms. ["Why are you even trying? You do this every year and he responds the same way."]

["Because it would've made your dad so happy."] Sabine said simply.

Marin rolled his eyes at that, wondering why his dad still held hope. ["He should expect this by now, shouldn't he? Not even Nonna comes around that often. I don't even know why you're trying to push something that's never going to happen. Gramps already made up his mind."] He expected his mother to scold him for his pessimistic attitude, but instead, she placed her hand on his head.

["Dad doesn't talk very openly about his feelings, but I know he's sad that he doesn't see his own father anymore. It's a shame really, to not be able to see your loved ones for so long."] Sabine mused sadly.

Marin hung his head as familiar negative emotions began to stir in his heart.

From his perspective, it was always his mom going out of her way to try and quell whatever anger his father and gramps held towards each other. He'd never seen his father try to talk to gramps, and he knew if he asked his mother would just defend his decision to never make the first step. At the front of these mixed emotions was resentment and anger towards people who were supposed to be adults. People who could so easily talk openly but at the same time didn't want to bridge the gap.

But in that regard, he wasn't any better, after all, he wasn't a helpless child anymore. He couldn't just reason; If gramps wanted to be here he would be; anymore without trying to do something himself.

["Why exactly doesn't he want to see dad anymore? I can understand Nonna, but you and me as well?"] Marin asked as he walked towards his mother.

["It's a little complicated…"] She said slowly, choosing her words very carefully. ["Your grandfather is like your father, it's not easy for them to step away from their beliefs. Once they were...challenged, he doubled down and kept to himself. After that, your father was more than a little grief-stricken-"]

["Yeah, I remember, I was there."] Marin said curtly, his patience wearing thin. ["But how hasn't he left his home or seen a single person for over 10 years?"]

Sabine chuckled, then stepped off the stool she was sitting on. ["Your grandfather was always a passionate man. I have to start baking the cake for your father, why don't you keep him company for a little while in the bakery? You know much he loves spending time with you."] She suggested, kissing his cheek as she then walked into the kitchen.

Marin grumbled to himself as he followed her. ["Hasn't dad tried to talk to him once?"]

["He's thought about it, but he doesn't want to go through more trouble."] Sabine said as she started pulling out ingredients. ["Are you going to help me?"] She asked turning towards him.

Marin thought about it for a moment, normally he'd jump at the chance to bake something, but right now he wasn't in the mood. ["Nah, I think I'll refill the cookie jar"] He said as he took the empty cookie jar- courtesy of Tikki- and walked down towards the Bakery.

Marin sat at the cashier counter watching his father do prep work, though he seemed to be a little off today. Usually, he hummed his kneading song while preparing the dough, but he was unusually silent and wasn't properly pinching the edges of the dough. Marin placed a Pizzelle cookie in his mouth as he could feel an awkward tension growing between them. He could feel his father knew why he was loitering around the bakery but didn't want to acknowledge why. He loved his father, really he did, but he did wish that his dad could be more forward about such matters.

"Papa, why hasn't Gramps left his house in 10 years?"

He noticed his father tense up at the question. It was rare that he asked something prompted like this, but here they were. "Oh? Uh, well, because he's very fond of tradition, and, uh... if you wanna know more about it, you should probably ask Nonna. Oh- I'm running out of flour gotta go, love you!" His father said, failing to notice all the sacks that were behind him, in favor of running out of the bakery still covered in flour.

Marin sighed heavily, he wasn't a fan of calling up his Nonna, but then again...

"Oh, he's always lived in the past. Well, it's complicated. If you really want to know about it, you should probably ask your dad or your mom. Oh- I left my bike running, gotta go! Ciao Bel!"

Marin stared at a back screen as the video call with his grandmother ended rather abruptly. He groaned to himself, turning his attention towards Tikki who was watching the news.

"Marin, did you know they're building a train under the English Channel? Isn't it amazing?" The Kwami asked, turning towards her partner who sat down before his desktop just behind her. He couldn't help but smile at her, nuzzling her cheek affectionately with his hand. It wouldn't improve his entire mood but certainly helped. "I can't believe how many inventions humans have made since I last had an owner." The Kwami said in amazement, hovering before her owner.

"That's right, it was even before Master Fu became a guardian right?" Marin asked, welcoming the change in atmosphere.

"Yup, the only time we Kwmai's get to experience the outside world is when we're assigned to those who champion a Miraculous. Other than that, our only contact comes from the gifts we receive from our birthday."

"Doesn't that ever get lonely for you guys?"

"No, after all we have each other, and if we wanted we could reach out to a guardian. But even so, the earrings of creation and ring of destruction are extremely precious, it's extremely rare that Plagg and I are ever allowed to leave. So we're very fortunate so soak up all the culture we can for now." Tikki said with a smile, but it quickly faded as she saw the fallen expression on Marin's face. "What's wrong?"

Marin hesitated for a moment, reflexively wanting to keep quiet what was bothering him. However, Tikki was always the exception, she was his partner, after all, someone who he knew he could be honest too about anything.

"It's just kinda funny is all. There are you guys who have to hide away to protect yourselves, but even so, you still enjoy the limited freedom you have. Whereas some people don't know how good they have it, locking themselves away for selfish reasons and never realizing how good they have it." Marin huffed at her rested his head in his arms on his desk. Tikki landed on his head, looking at him curiously.

"Then...shouldn't you do something about it?" She suggested carefully, already having an idea of what her partner was going through.

Marin couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of his Kwami's reasoning, always grounding him when he was scatterbrained. "When you're right, you're right sugarcube."

Adrien glanced at his bodyguard as he pretended to look out of the window. He was finished with his photoshoots for the day and had already snuck in a good hour of study in between. Now all that was left was deciding how to escape this time. Adrien took out his phone, reading over a few recently sent texts, both between Alya and Nino who had managed to decypher where Andre was going to be. Today was the day he was going to have that legendary ice cream, no doubt about it.

His eyes scanned over the road and began to smile as traffic began to build within their lane. He glanced down at Plagg for a moment, winking at him to signal his Kwami to sping their plan into action.

Plagg smiled deviously as he phased through the car's seats, well camouflaged against the black interior.

Adrien coughed once to cover the sound of clicking and then as soon as the car stopped opened the door to escape. He glanced back at his bodyguard apologetically who was shocked at his ward's most recent escape.

"I promise I'll be back by dinner time, I already did my studying!" He called as he then slammed the door close, taking off in a sprint through traffic and through the alleyways.

As he was running through with a triumphant smile on his face Plagg hovered nearby, cackling. "I can't believe he thought he could trap you with childproof locks."

"Live and learn." Adrien remarked as he opened his shirt. Plagg hid away in his pocket just before Adrien hit the main streets again. He took out his phone with a smile still evident on his face.

[Adrikins: Got away from Gorilla, going to have to go ghost for a little bit so he can't track my location.]

[Cookie: NICE DUDE!]

[Cupcake: Solved Andre's puzzle :P Meet us at the Louvre!]

[Adrikins: On my way. Is Marin coming?]

[Cutie Pie: Can't, have plans.]

Adrien's smile faded as he read Marin's text.

[Cookie:WHHAAAAAATTT?! NOOOOO!]

[Cupcake: :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( ]

[Adrikins: ;; ]

[Cookie: YOU MADE OUR SON CRY]

[Cutie Pie: lol.]

[Cookie: THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!]

[Cutie Pie: It's my dad's birthday, I'm running some errands.]

[Cupcake: Any chance you could run by us?]

[Cookie: lol]

[Cutie pie: As much as I'd love to I can't, this will probably take me the whole day to do.]

[Cupcake: But now Adrikins is going to have to get ice cream alone!]

[Cutie Pie: Just share him]

[Adrikins: I can get ice cream by myself, I'm a big kid.]

[Cookie: NO WAY. IT'LL BE TOO SAD ;;]

[Cutie Pie: You guys can decide this for yourself, I have to do work. TTYL]

[Cupcake: They grow up so fast. ;;]

Adrien chuckled just before he turned off his phone. Sure he was looking forward to having ice cream with all his friends, but 2 out of 3 wasn't bad all things considered.

Marin had spun a lie about going to the park to work to his mother, when in fact he was now standing in front of his grandfather's house. He wasn't sure why he thought he had to lie, so his mother probably wouldn't have stopped him, and his father wouldn't have to will to do so either. Honestly, it was a little frightened at the fact that deceiving others was now his reflex whenever he felt guilty about something. But that was a problem for future Marin, right now he had to focus on the task at hand.

"What are you waiting for, Marin?" Tikki asked poking her head out of his messenger bag. "Aren't you going to go in?"

Marin shook his head. "It's not that easy sugar cube. If I tell him who I am right away, he won't listen to me, just like with mom."

"But aren't you his grandson?"

"Whom he hasn't seen in over a decade. If he's not going to listen to my mother of all people then he's certainly not going to open up to me." Marin assumed. "I'd have better luck being a stranger." He explained, and then signaled for Tikki to hide once a familiar truck pulled up.

"Hi Gilbert." Marin greeted nervously as he saw a familiar man step out of the truck with a flour sack on his shoulder.

"Hiya Marin, what are you doing here? Is there something wrong with Rolland?" Gilbert asked in concern.

"No, well-" Marin stammered as he rubbed the back of his neck. " No. I actually need a favor if you wouldn't mind."

"A favor?"

"Yeah, could you let me deliver the flour?" Marin asked boldly.

The deliveryman looked at him in confusion. "Sure, but why today?"

"I uh, just thought about seeing him, I doubt that he'd let anyone else in so I need a cover?" Marin asked, gripping his wrist, fully expecting to be turned down so he was surprised when he heard a "sure."

Gilbert handed over the sack and almost toppled Marin over, due to the weight, being denser than the bags he was used to.

"You need some help?" Gilbert asked, ready to help.

"No, no." Marin insisted. "I can do at least this, I am a bakers son after all."

Gilbert smiled at him in amusement, placing his hat on his head to complete the delivery boy look. "You can leave the hat in the house, I'll come by and pick it up next time I see him."

"Thank you very much!" Marin said gratefully as Gilbert walked back to his van and drove off. "Now then." Marin huffed at he tried not to drop the flour, but he was always so close to falling over as he scaled the staircase.

"Tikki- Tikki the door. Tikki the door!" Marin said with urgency. Tikki quickly did as she was asked, opening up the door for her partner and then quickly returning to the cover of his bag. The moment Marin stepped into the house it felt like he was blasted back to the past. Almost everything was as he remembered it being despite how young he was when he last visited this place right down to the smell of yeast.

"Put it in the usual place Gilbert."

Marin froze just as he was about to step into the parlor, hearing the familiar raspy voice of an old man. Part of him was terrified, what if this plan was dumb, what if his gramps would kick him out the moment he saw him? What if he would hate seeing him? What if he would yell at him after sending all those letters?

But Marin realized as Tikki poked her head out his bag that he wasn't alone. He felt a wave of nostalgia overtake him once he stepped into the parlor, his eyes were trained on an old man who was working in the kitchen who in comparison, he was significantly taller than.

"Um, good evening sir." Marin greeted as his grandpa suddenly turned around, clearly surprised that his usual Deliveryman was replaced.

"What are you?!" He demanded, as part of Marin's heart sank at those words.

"I'm uh, an intern? I'm doing the delivery today." Marin said adjusting his borrowed hat to cover more of his face.

"An intern?" Rolland asked in disbelief, "for a flour shop?"

"Uh, yes sir, I'm in line for an apprenticeship there. See, I wanna open up my own bakery someday..." Marin's words trailed off once he spotted a familiar guitar sitting nearby. It didn't have it's strings and was covered in a good layer of dust, evidence that it hadn't been touched in a long time.

"It's good to have asperation. Just leave the sack in the kitchen and be on your way." Rolland said as he then turned back to his work." Salt." He said and 2 mice pushed a har of salt towards him.

Marin observed the framed photos and trophies as well as the bronzed bread as he walked over to the kitchen, taking in all that he saw while he still could.

"Your appliances seem really old, do you live alone sir?" Marin asked already knowing the answer. He once tried to watch television on this old thing when he was young, but it practically short-circuited when he tried to turn it on. He recalled the bittersweet memory of his grandpa trying to get him to stop crying, even playing a song for him on his guitar that was now abandoned. "Seems like kinda a lonely place."

"Are you a flour delivery boy or a detective? Good day." Rolland snapped, growing more irritated the longer this stranger stayed in his house.

Marin frowned at him, realizing that his gramps turned more sour since the last time he'd saw him. He walked over to the kitchen, placing the flour nearby a few empty sacks stacked up. His gramps had probably gone through that should be a month's supply in what appeared to be a week. It shouldn't be possible unless he was actually selling it, or he was eating it at every meal. Marin cringed at the thought of anyone eating that much, his mind flashing back to Master Fu for a moment.

"Do you eat bread alot?" He asked as he clapped the flour off his hands.

"What's it to you?" Rolland snapped.

"Nothing, it's just-" Marin stammered, looking for anything to change the topic and saw the oven. "Ah, that oven. It's a limited made wood burning Panyol from 1972 right?"

Rolland turned towards him with a shocked expression on his face. "How do you know that?!"

"Ah- um, it's a passion of mine?" Marin offered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I have to know everything about every aspect of baking if I want to ever dream of owning a bakery." It wasn't really a lie, part of him desired to take over the bakery from his family, but that was a long way away. "It's uh, part of our curriculum at culinary school."

"The delivery boy wants to be a baker?" Rolland asked in disbelief, a smirk of amusement drawing on his face before erupting into laughter."And you're studying through delivering flour?"

"I'm don't just study ovens or ingredients, some people have said I'm the best baker in the city." He recited, really not wanting to sound like a jerk, but this man laughed at his fake dreams. Sure he was lying through his teeth but to be belittled over a fake dream he had constructed from nothing? It was hardly a laughing matter.

Almost immediately Rolland started to laugh harder, almost crying at his statement.

Marin frowned for a moment, but then a sly smile took hold. "I'm pretty proud of my baking skills sir. I'm probably even better than an old-timer like yourself."

"Old-timer?!" Rolland scoffed. "This old-timer has been baking since before you were even thought of!"

"Baking good bread is about the technique, and it seems like we have a similar technique." He claimed, feeling a swell of victory as Rolland looked up at him, his interest now peaked by this stranger.

"Oh really, then show this old-timer how babies learn how to fold bread at baking school." Rolland snapped his fingers, and three mice pushed ingredients towards him, as well as a large glass bowl intending for mixing, rather cutely. Marin's eyes rested one multiple jars of flour, all of them without labels, looking identical. He could feel Rolland's eyes on him, almost taunting him as he placed a challenge before him.

Or what the old man thought was a challenge.

Marin picked up each mason jar, able to smell the difference between them, then felt the grains in his hand. He was easily able to discern what each flour was and measured out what would mix into bread flour and what needed to be added. He noticed the small mice had formed a small peanut gallery, watching him as he mixed the ingredients together.

"Um, should they be in the kitchen?" Marin asked holding his hand out for the small rodents to familiarize themselves with him.

"They're fine, they're my assistants." Rolland insisted. "They're clean and well disciplined."

Marin looked down towards the mice who all of them sniffed his hand curiously before then scattering all of sudden. They returned moments later with an unopened bag, one that caught his attention as he picked it up curiously.

"Rice flour?" Marin asked as he recognized the smell and texture of this specific flour.

"Never mind that!" Rolland snapped as he tossed the bag away on the other empty sacks.

"What's wrong with rice flour?" Marin asked, observing that the old man lost the previous spark of competition he had.

"It's...unnatural!"

He almost laughed in amusement at the wooden ladle being pushed towards him by one of the mice, but shook his head in favor of mixing the flours together by hand. He was surprised at the diligence of the mice as they then pushed started to seemingly organize the flours. But then he looked over the table, frowning as he couldn't find what he was looking for among the ingredients that were set out.

"Looking for the yeast?" Rolland asked, signaling once of the mice pushed forward a small glass bowl filled with said ingredient.

But Marin smirked, adjusting his hat ever so slightly at the old man's tricks. "I know the smell of sourdough anywhere sir." He said as Rolland chuckled. "Any baker worth his salt knows you put a starter in the dough."

"So the delivery boy knows how to bake bread." Rolland scoffed as the mouse pushed away the glass bowl. He then reached for a small canister that was sitting on his shelf, one made from glass the was colored brown, making it look like a roll. He showed it off proudly as Marin recalled seeing the same one when he was young. He felt a pang of melancholy as he reheard the story for the first time in years.

"You see this sourdough starter? It's been passed down from generation to generation in my family. Ever since my indomitable ancestor Gaul Paindemix who was the generated baker in the village of Armoique and a comrade of the great king Vercingetorix. But then the king fell, and then everyone started putting tomatoes and cheese on bread! Blasted Pizza!" Rolland complained as he handed the jar of starter to Marin.

"...You're mad at Pizza?" Marin asked as he noticed one of the mice pushing a small jar of familiar white flour towards him.

"That's not how you do things! You don't put tomato sauce on bread! It's not how bread was meant to be eaten!" Rolland began to rant off more, as Marin added the extra flour within his mixture.

"But didn't Pizza originate from China?" Marin pointed out as he, by hand, mixed all the ingredients to form a dough. He then nodded towards the mice in thanks as they pushed a small jar of water towards him. Like they already knew what to do.

Rolland immediately brushed him off. "It doesn't matter where it came from, the fact is, it was the dang Italians that started that vermin of a dish. Now it's everywhere!"

"So you don't like Italians?" Marin asked carefully but recoiled back as Rolland glared at him.

"I just don't like unnecessary things! There's a proper way to do everything, and pizza was completely unnecessary! Bread should have just stayed bread!"

"...Alright." Marin said as he handed back the starter. He focused on mixing together the ingredients before carefully saying. "You know, pizza is pretty good."

"You...you like pizza!?" Rolland gasped, the betrayal evident on his face.

"Yeah, I think it makes the bread taste even better than it would be alone." Marin said as he finished off his dough then scraped off most of the wet dough that was sticking to his hands. He then noticed he managed to lose the little respect he had garnered from Rolland as the old man turned back to his own dough, folding it on his own. Marin narrowed his eyes slightly as he could see who his father picked up his technique from.

"Learning how to fold sourdough?" Rolland chided as he stepped back, challenging him again as Marin placed his dough directly on the counter.

"You take the dough and fold it evenly, bringing it back to the top and then pinching it evenly. It gives it elasticity and develops the gluten. Which ensures a long shelf life after baking." He said easily while Rolland rolled his eyes.

"Psh, you're just a schoolboy repeating his lessons." The old man said, then crossing his arms. "There's only one proper way to bake a loaf of sourdough bread."

Marin hummed for a moment as he glanced at his grandfather. "You know, there's a lot of ways to bake a sourdough, I think it's good to add some texture."

"Texture?!" Rolland chided as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "These young people and their, "texture", who in their right mind would ever want their sourdough to taste different?!"

"Well, maybe something different is good once in a while?" Marin offered as he saw Rolland grow more annoyed. "Have you tasted sourdough with different flours added to it? Maybe if you just added some of that rice flour?"

"Of course not! Rice flour in bread?!" Rolland scoffed angrily. "It's ridiculous! You sound just like my son, why he..." Rolland stopped himself before he started another tangent.

"You have a son?" Marin prompted, wanting to know his grandfather's take on what happened.

"That's all over, I don't have a son anymore, not since he betrayed me."

"Because...?"

"BECAUSE HE PUT RICE FLOUR, IN BREAD, MY OWN SON!" Rolland snapped angrily as he became more forceful with his folding.

"Good Sourdough bread isn't about the flour you mix, it's about how much love you can knead in." Marin said with a smile, but froze as his grandfather spoke up again.

"Who told you that?" Rolland asked suspiciously.

"Are you a baker? Or are you a detective?" Marin asked back with a cheeky smile on his face, despite the fact that he was screaming on the inside at his slip up. Rolland dropped his questioning, but still had a suspicious look on his face. "My mom told it to me. She doesn't really bake, but she always says that when I help her mix the flour." Marin said sincerely as he smiled at the memory of when he was young enough that moth could hold him in her arms. "When I was really little, she'd even let me add chocolate."

"Chocolate?!" Rolland gasped with his hand on his chest, looking like he might have a heart attack. "What kind of baker are you?"

Marin couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. "My dad did that same thing when he found out. See, I was sick a lot as a kid. I couldn't leave my room most times, and I couldn't have sweets that often. So my mom thought it would be fun to add creative stuff in bread. She'd let me help her bake sourdough bread, I'd add chocolate to the flour mix, and then when it was done we'd both have warm honey milk together."

"Your mother sounds ridiculous," Rolland muttered under his breath.

"It sounds like your son is ridiculous as well." Marin pointed out, then saw Rolland's expression wince for a moment, not long enough that he could discern what it was. "...If my bread is as good as yours, would you do something for me?" Marin suddenly asked without thinking.

Rolland glared at him, "What? What do you want?"

"It's standard playground rules, the loser has to do any one thing the winner asks of him."

Rolland scoffed, "Childs play."

"Afraid your bread is going to lose?" Marin pressed, seeing that same spark of challenge in his grandfather's eye.

"Your bread will never be as good as mine, but a baker never goes back on his word." Rolland said, holding out his hand. Marin returned the gesture, shaking on what was a gentleman's agreement.

Marin turned back to his work with a little smile on his face. Part of his plan had come together, now he just had to do what he did best. He carefully folding the ends of the dough to make the perfect shape, reflexively singing out a familiar tune.

"Little bread rolls kneaded with love, are much better when they come out of the oven~"

"That song..."

Marin froze as he realized he had messed up.

"There's no way you'd know those lyrics! Who are you?!" Rolland demanded as Marin stopped folding his dough.

He took off his borrowed hat, holding it at his chest as he looked down towards his grandpa. He could see the old man scanning over the face of the person he thought was a stranger. Suddenly his eyes widened as he took a step back.

"Um...nice to see you again, gramps?" Marin said nervously but flinched back as he could see the fury brewing in his grandfather's eyes.

"LIAR!" Rolland snapped. "My grandson is- he's not-" Rolland grasped his head in frustration, turning away as his anger started to bubble to the surface. "ANOTHER BETRAYAL! That's not how things are done!"

"What betrayal?" Marin questioned, but at this point, his grandpa wasn't listening instead he favored to continue rambling on.

"Go home to your mother, you'll get ill if you're outside too long!" The older man scolded.

Marin rolled his eyes, he heard this enough from his parents. "I'm not a little kid any more gramps, I'm not going to get sick so easily anymore! Like it or not, you agreed to taste my bread! And a baker ever goes back on his word!" He reminded the old man.

"Fine! Then wait outside!" Rolland demanded as he pushed Marin out of the kitchen then closed a sliding door to divide them.

"Gramps! Like it or not, it's dad's birthday, you have to see him!" Marin called out, but didn't receive and answer. He groaned to himself, resting his back against the door. "Well, that went well." He said as Tikki peaked her head out of his bag.

"I thought so." The Kwami said. "After all, you bonded, and he seemed to like you."

"Well, not anymore," Marin said. "Now that he knows I'm family, there's no way I can convince him to see dad."

"It's still early, he still has to try your bread after all." Tikki said.

"Somehow I don' think bread is going to fix everything Tikki-" Marin was about to say but then felt a familiar negative energy. He suddenly stood up as he could feel the presence of an Akuma close by. "Tikki, do you-" He was about to ask before he was suddenly knocked back. Marin tumbled to the ground as he was suddenly faced with a large bread monster looking down at him. "Gramps?!"

"There's no more Gramps here, now I am Bakerix! And to those who refuse to do things the proper way will have to face my indomitable anger!" Bakerix proclaimed as he held the sourdough starter case in his bread hand, then seemingly drank it. The moment he did, he seemed to grow stronger as the bread that made up his body expanded, making him grow in size. "Soon, Paris will return to the way it was before! Before it became..." But the villain didn't finish his words, instead, he lept through the roof, giving no regard to the destruction of his home as he then jumped towards the city.

"Ohhhhhh this is bad." Marin grimaced as he jumped to his feet.

"I'll say." Tikki agreed, watching her partner turn off the oven, but something caught her attention. She hovered over to a broken photo, one that seemed to be stuffed to the brim with opened envelopes hidden behind a photo.

"Tikki!" Marin called out, garnering the attention of his Kwami. She flew over towards him holding one of the worn-out letters.

"Look, these are in your handwriting!" She said, handing one to her partner. Marin held one of the letters in his hand, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw the seal was broken. He wavered but ultimately tossed it aside.

"We'll handle those later, right now we have a job to do. Tikki, spots on!"

"Welcome! Would you like some of André's Sweetheart's Ice-cream?"

Adrien walked up towards the ice cream maker as Alya and Nino stepped aside to allow him to go first. He couldn't hold back his smile as he asked.

"Is your ice-cream really magical?"

"What do you think?" André asked as he pulled out a cone.

"I think you have to believe." Adrien said earnestly, his eyes lighting up as he watched the ice cream man work.

"You're spot on, son! Strawberry with black chocolate chip! Blackberries for their hair, and blueberry ice-cream just like their sky blue stare! On the house!" André said happily as handed the cone to Adrien.

His heart raced as he held the cone in his hand recognizing the color pallet in hand.

"There's love in your eyes! André can see it clear as day! This love is true!" André said with a big smile.

"You think?" Adrien asked as he stepped aside for his friend to get their ice cream.

"Of course, André's ice cream can bring anyone together!" The ice cream maker said confidently and then he turned towards his friends as Adrien walked towards the benches across the street.

He admired the ice cream in hand, wondering if what André said was true. He hoped it would be, he hoped he could find something like Nino and Alya had but something that would be unique just for him.

Adrien's thoughts scattered once Plagg popped his head out of Adrien's shirt and started sniffing at his dessert.

"You want some?" Adrien asked, taking a spoonful of the strawberry ice cream and holding it towards Plagg. However, the Kwami gagged, he was almost physically repulsed by the notion.

"Gross! Who would want sweet stuff like this when you could have a nice warm camembert?"

"Anyone who doesn't want to stink like cheese Plagg." Adrien chuckled. But just as he was about to try the ice cream he heard a scream behind him. He turned around to locate the sound but the next thing he knew he saw a car flying towards him. However, not even a second later he was tacked to the ground, his face immediately turned red as he saw Ladybug's face hovering a few inches from his own.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked as he pulled Adrien to his feet, holding onto his hand. "Where's your bodyguard?"

"Um...must have lost him in the commotion," Adrien said sheepishly as Ladybug looked at him in disbelief. But before he could respond, a large akumatized villain lifted up another car, glaring at the hero.

"I'm going to get rid of all of this modernity, starting with you!" The villain proclaimed as Ladybug wasted no time in ensuring Adrien's safety. He picked him up in his arms, then used his yo-yo place distance between them. Adrien felt his heart face as Ladybug then hid him behind a nearby Ad. Ladybug peaked out from behind cover, seeing that the villain was making his way towards the Louvre.

"Are your friends here?" Ladybug asked quickly, not realizing how close he was to making Adrien's heart burst due to their closeness. The hero had him pinned to the ad, but paid him no mind as he was only focused on the villain that had appeared.

"Ah- yeah, my best friends are waiting at the Louvre for me." Adrien informed.

"Alright, you hide here, I'm going to deal with him." Ladybug said now standing up. "Ah, sorry about your ice cream" He apologized, bowing his head apologetically just before he used his yo-yo to reach higher ground, no doubt wanting to get the advantage against the villain that was easily 5 times their size.

"It's fine..." Adrien murmured, almost whispering as he suddenly felt light-headed.

"Are you done swooning?" Plagg asked in annoyance at his partner, seeing how stunned he most recent contact with Ladybug had left him practically helpless.

"It's just sweet how much he cares." Adrien pointed out.

"Psh-" Plagg scoffed. "He cares about everyone."

"Why can't you just let me have this?"

"Because it's my job to keep you humble, not indulge in your utter devotion towards someone who's clearly career-oriented." Plagg quipped rather observantly.

For a moment, Adrien wondered where he learned such vocabulary, but that was a question for another time. He quickly made sure he was unnoticed, seeing that there was no one in sight." Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug shoed away the civilians surrounded the Louvre, faced head-on against Bakerix and his enhanced strength.

"There's no need for heroes! Leave protecting people to the police!" The villain demanded as he tried to punch Ladybug but kept missing.

The hero jumped on top of a nearby ad, "They still do, but it's our job to protect civilians from threats like you." Ladybug retorted now trying to keep his distance. He could sense the negative energy coming off in waves but couldn't get close enough to grab the possessed flask without risk of getting caught.

Bakerix glared at the ad Ladybug was standing on. "A train that goes under the sea?! That's not how it's done! You take a boat and get seasick if you want to go to England!" The villain proclaimed, throwing a tantrum that sent shockwaves through the ground.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, training on the flask at Bakerix's side. He knew he couldn't reach for on his own, so instead, he took out his yo-yo, then dashed towards Bakerix as far as he could. At the last second, he used a punch thrown at him to spring off of, fully intending to catch the flask in one move, but then Bakerix grabbed his arm. With the villain's super strength now faded, he was faster and using the momentum of Ladybug's decent to slam him against the ground.

The hero gasped for air, winded from the impact for a moment his vision went fuzzy. But it cleared up in time to see Bakerix about to pummel him to the ground, the Villain lined up for the punch but then was knocked back by a swinging staff.

"Seems like a bad time to, loaf around, wouldn't you say?" Chat Noir called out landing before Ladybug with his weapon in hand.

The moment Bakerix's eyes landed on the new hero he began to grow more enraged. "People walking around in cat costumes?! It's not Halloween!"

"No, but I look Rye-ly cool no?" Chat Noir remarked as he helped pull Ladybug to his feet, still holding onto his partner's hand

"No public displays of affection! It's unseemly!" Bakerix demanded, downing more of his starter. His bread muscles started to expand and his strength started to return, becoming more of a threat.

"Ooo, he sounds croissant at us." Chat Noir said cheekily. "Shall we take this guy out, my Lady?" He asked, but both of them were then faced with Bakerix holding up the glass pyramid of the Louvre.

"You're not up to the task, you don't have enough experience!" Bakerix proclaimed, tossing the pyramid at them, effectively trapping them in place and lept away.

"Well, only one way out. Cata-" Chat Noir was about to activate his power but Ladybug grabbed his wrist to stop his incantation.

"You really need to work on your impulse control." Ladybug commented, then pointed towards a nearby sewer.

"Why do you think you're my partner?" Chat Noir asked, following Ladybug down into the sewers as he opened the gate.

Ladybug took point as he and Chat Noir traversed the sewers, it was hard to focus in on where the Bakerix had gone. But Ladybug had a pretty good idea of where he would be going.

"You think I look cool right?" Chat Noir asked as they ran together.

"Um, well..." Ladybug muttered, grateful that they were in a darkened area with limited visibility.

"Am I not?!" Chat Noir asked, now looking genuinely concerned as he really cared what his partner thought of him.

"It's not- Why are you even worried about what I think?!" Ladybug retorted. "You know what, we're getting off track here." the hero said as he stopped in front of a ladder.

"But we can talk about this later right?"

"Chat!"

"Okay, okay." Chat Noir conceded as he followed his partner up onto the surface and in front of the train station that was opening the first voyage of the Startrain. "How do you know he's here?" Chat Noir asked. But was promptly answered as they heard screaming from within the building, followed by a series of loud crashes. "...Right." Chat Noir mumbled, dashing alongside his partner into the building.

"You handle the people, I'll handle Bakerix!" Ladyboy said, using his yo-yo to jump before the villain while Chat Noir evacuated the passengers on the maiden voyage.

Chat Noir acted quickly to help out the passengers on the train that was being threatened by Bakerix. Much to his surprise, he came across Chloe who accepted his help to escape the train.

"You should ask for Queen Bee's help." She said just as she left the vehicle.

"We're doing alright for now, but I'll make a note of it for later. Thank you Chloe." By sheer luck, she was the last one to leave the train just before Bakerix threw the first car into a wall. Chat Noir then scanned for his partner, seeing that he had jumped onto the platform above safely. Chat Noir quickly joined him just as Ladybug threw up his yo-yo.

"Lucky Charm!" He said, and from it fell a bottle with Ladybug print on the bottle.

"Ketchup?" Chat Noir asked. "I know your charms are obscure but I think this one takes the cake so far."

"No, this is just what we need." Ladybug said looking around the train station and setting his eyes on a nearby concession stand. "I'm going to make something that's going make a traditionalist that that guy extremely angry." Ladybug informed, patting Chat Noir shoulder before jumping towards the concession stand.

The cat-themed hero smiled in amusement, already having an idea of what his partner was planning. At his vantage point, he spotted Bakerix taking apart the train and saw the perfect place to strike, one that would be in his blind spot if Ladybug's plan worked out.

Which it always did.

Chat Noir jumped behind a pillar, overlooking the scene, hiding within the shadow until he could see an opportunity.

"Mmm, a nice artificially flavored candy and mass-produced potato chip sandwich on cheap factory-made bread! Delicious!" Ladybug called out as he dumped whatever he had found at the concession stand to put on what sounded like a disgusting sandwich. But to play the part his partner had a broad smile on his face while Chat Noir couldn't help but gag at the mere thought of putting that into his mouth.

"You won't trap me with your little charade!" Bakerix proclaimed, downing more of the starter from his flask. He double his size, even causing Chat Noir to become a little worried about how they'd be able to take on a villain like that.

"Really?" Ladybug inquired with a sly grin. "Then maybe a little ketchup will wet your pallet. I'm sure it's going to taste just like pizza when I'm through with it." Ladybug taunted topping off his distraction with his lucky charm much to Bakerix's horror.

"No NO NO NO NOO!" Bakerix was about to jump after the hero, dropping his guard at the travesty that he was faced with. Which gave Chat Noir the opportunity he was looking for, easily grabbing the flask from Barkerix's hand and tossing it towards Ladybug who destroyed it with one swift kick.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir knelt next to the old man Bakerix had turned back into, looking around in confusion at this new place he was in. "Where am I, who are you?!" The old man demanded as Chat Noir helped him to his feet. He and Ladybug pounded fists victoriously just as his partner's Miraculous beeped.

"I have to leave, but don't worry sir Chat Noir will be able to-"

"What is going on who are you two?!" The old man snapped stepping back from the two of them and glaring at them in suspicion.

"Who burned his buns?" Chat Noir asked lamely, crossing his arms.

"His name is Rollan Dupain." Ladybug said, noticing Chat Noir's look of surprise at the old man's last name.

"Dupain?" Chat Noir asked taking a double-take of the old man who was now wandering off.

"As it turns out he's kind of been in self-imposed isolation in his house for over 10 years, think you can handle him?" Ladybug asked looking a little worried. But Chat Noir just smirked, placing his hands on his hips confidently.

"Who do you think you're talking to? You can always rely on me when it comes to stuff like this." Chat Noir confirmed just as Ladybug Miraculous started to beep more rapidly. He still had a look of uncertainly on his face, taking another glance between the old man and Chat Noir again before he sighed.

"Then...I'll do just that then." The hero said just before he used his yo-yo to jump onto railing up above them and then out of the train station. Chat Noir watched as his partner left and then turned towards the old man trying to get his attention.

"So, would you be okay taking a cab back home? Or would that be too modern for you?" He lightly teased, but it appeared not to go over well. The old man didn't respond, instead, he glared at the hero probably about to snap some insult. But then his eyes widened as though he were recalling something.

"I left the oven on!" He realized as he then gripped Chat Noir's wrist. "There's no time to lose youngster!"

Chat Noir was stunned at the old man's eagerness but then lifted him onto his back. "You sure this is alright? Traveling via superhero isn't exactly modern."

Rolland was unamused. "There's more than bread at stake here youngster!"

"Right right." Chat Noir remarked thinking that the old man probably had some pets he was worried about as he used his staff to jump on top of the roofs. "Hold on tight!"

Chat Noir landed before an incredibly old looking house, right down to a rusted gate that creaked as Rolland opened it. He rushed into the house at great speed, much faster than his Akumatized form was. Chat Noir followed behind, wanting to at least make sure his house wasn't on fire. But as he walked into the house he was met with the overwhelming smell of freshly baked bread along, reminding him of the Dupain-Cheung family bakery, making his mouth start to water.

"Gramps? Are you alright? You're out of breath."

Chat Noir stopped himself for a moment as he heard his friend's voice just before he stepped into the parlor. Instead, he peaked behind the corner seeing Marin take 2 rolls of bread out of an oven, though oddly enough he had 2 mice on his shoulders and the third sitting on his head.

"Yes, I...was afraid that you would burn the bread if I wasn't around to show you how," Rolland said walking towards his grandson. He looked over the bread pensively. "Well, it looks alright..." He commented reluctantly.

"Of course, I learned from the best after all." Marin said confidently, something that was extremely rare but not an unwelcome sight, making Chat Noir smile proudly for his friend. However, it soon faded as he realized he probably shouldn't be spying on what was clearly a family matter. He did his job and that was all that mattered-

"You! Cat boy!" Chat Noir tensed up at the sound of the old man's voice, hand almost on the doorknob, about to escape, but realized it was futile once Rolland pushed him into sight of one of his best friends. "We need someone to taste test the bread," Rolland said, basically ordering him to stay.

"Um, I actually have to go-" Chat Noir tried to argue back, but silenced as he rested his eyes on Marin looking at him in surprise. He scratched the back of his head nervously, not wanting to impose. Which Marin seemed to pick up on, but didn't insist on him leaving.

"It will just take a moment. Please?" The taller boy asked as he clapped his hands together, looking at the hearo with an expression that read; Please go along with this.

Chat Noir pushed back a groan of defeat. How could he ever refuse Marin when he was the one asking for a favor. He sighed, not saying anything and then looked down at both bread rolls before him. He took a piece of each bread, and was overcome with a crunchy and soft pillowy texture from both that left him wanting more.

"So?" Rolland prompted once Chat Noir had tasted both breads.

"They're both delicious, one with a very traditional flavor and the other with a different taste but not bad at all. It's silly to have a contest over which is the better flavor when they're both great." Chat Noir said honestly. However, he could sense the air growing tense as Rolland placed his hands on the counter while Marin looked at his grandfather anxiously.

"If there is no decisive victor then the deal is off." Rolland said firmly.

"Deal?" Chat Noir inquired as he looked between them now regretting his previous answer. "What deal?" His eyes widened as he saw a look of defeat etched across Marin's face, along with a wave of repressed anger indicated by him clutching his fists; however, that was only momentary.

Marin took a deep breath, walking over to a dresser. He lifted up the frame of what looked to be an old family photo, under it was an envelope that had been opened.

"Ah- hey!" Rolland said in a panic he saw what his grandson was messing with.

Chat Noir couldn't see what Marin's reaction was to the letter or the photo as he placed it back on the dresser carefully, now facing up. He then turned back to his grandpa with an assured expression on his face.

"It's been a while since we were all together. " Marin said. "It would be nice if you could visit for a little while, I know that dad wants to see you."

But Rolland only turned his back towards him, folding his hands behind. "If he truly wanted that then he would've been the one to call, or would've come here himself. Yet who was the one who always made the effort?"

Marin's face fell, making Chat Noir's heart sore; he wasn't entirely sure what was going on but anything that made his friend look like that could never sit well with him. "Sorry Gramps," Marin apologized, bowing his head respectfully just before he walked towards the door. "But you don't give up on the people you love. So don't expect the same luxury from me that you get from mom or dad." Marin said assertively. For a moment, just as he opened it, there was a brief silence. A silence that should have been filled with conversation, something, anything that could be latched onto. But neither spoke up, whether it was due to stubbornness or defeat or a combination of both, Chat Noir couldn't be certain of.

All he heard was the door closing, and something inside of him...changed.

"Ugh," Rolland grumbled as he placed his hands on the counter with the mice surrounding their friend. "That's boy's his mother's son all right, the spittin' image."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Chat Noir demanded, now peeved as he realized that he was roped into a competition against his will, one that ended up making his friend upset.

"What?" Rolland snapped back, holding his hands behind his back. "If there's no victor, then the deal is off altogether."

"YOU'RE GOING TO LET A STUPID THING LIKE BREAD GET BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?!"

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW CAT-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Chat Noir yelled back. "WHAT COULD EVER MAKE YOU HATE THEM THIS MUCH?"

Rolland flinched, he opened his mouth to say something enraged again but instead grumbled to himself a series of garbled words, empty frustration. "I don't hate my family. It's complicated."

"Do you want to see your family?"

"Of course-"

"THEN IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED!" Chat Noir said bluntly, not having the same patience that Marin had for this old man's reasoning. "Marin came to see you because he wanted to see you. Do you know how much he's accomplished? How messed up he thinks he is because of how you and his grandma ended things?! Stop being selfish and do something else for someone else other than you for one!"

Rolland sighed heavily, he pinched the bridge of his nose just before he walked over to the dresser. Chat Noir saw the old man open up one of the drawers, then took out what looked to be a cookie tin but instead of treats there were dozens of letters, all opened. "All these are letters my grandson and my daughter have sent me. His mother and I talk over the phone at least twice a month. Not once has my blood ever shown that kind of effort but, I don't blame them for it, I never have."

"But earlier you said-"

"I know what I said." Rolland said sternly. "I said it to send away my grandson because...I was ashamed," Rolland admitted, hanging his head shamefully, surprising Chat Noir. "I let my pride and grief get in the way of actually spending time with my family. I become rotten to the ones I spent my life with and too scared I would be the same thing over again." Rolland said calmly. "People fall out of love easier than you think. Once that happens, even after a decade of separation, it will still hurt just as bad as the first day it all ended. Really, it's too late now, by this point they'd be better off without me."

Chat Noir gripped his fist. "You say that but who are you to decide how they get to feel?!"

"Have you seen my grandson? The last time I saw him he was right up to my ankles, now he's twice my size and more accomplished than I could have ever dreamed to be when I was his age. How can I just step in after everything I've done."

"Because you don't give up on the people you love." Chat Noir repeated, placing his hand on the old man's shoulder. Rolland looked up at him for a moment then back at the mementos of his family, reminders of all the time lost between them. He looked back at Chat Noir with a determined expression in his eye, one that reassured Chat Noir that the old man wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

...

...

Marin watched as his grandpa walked into the family bakery, he and the rest of his family were in disbelief at Rolland's presence in the bakery. The old man seemingly had undergone a personality change in the past few hours, now he more boisterous and smiled more. Thought, it was obvious as to the reason due to the circumstances. Marin was happy to see his grampa get along with his father and Nonna, but something felt off.

He had a feeling that wouldn't go away, something that was stuck to his heart and he desperately needed to relieve himself of.

["I'm going to get something from my room."] Marin said to his mom as he passed by her. They would soon take the party back up to the living room, so he probably wouldn't have a lot of time.

Marin raced up to his room, passing by Tikki who was reading in her yarn basket and up to his roof. His heart raced as he saw Chat Noir sitting on top of the railing as he usually did. But this time the hero's ears twitched, clearly not expecting him to show up. But even so, Chat Noir gave him his signature carefree smile.

"Hey," Chat Noir greeted casually, "Is it just me or do your spirits look a little lifted-" He was about to say cheekily, but suddenly found himself being hugged by one of his best friends. Chat Noir was stunned as Marin had wrapped his arms around his torso, resting his head on the hero's shoulder. He wasn't sure what to do for a moment but ended up returning the hug as Marin lingered. A soft smile broke out onto Chat Noir's face as he heard a soft thank you from his friend.

Notes:

-I guess all the chapters are just 9-10 k from here on out.

-Chat Noir really out here dropping the b-word out here...Best friend. XD

- It's embarrassing how much research I put into writing the food episodes (But it's kinda my favorite part in writing this fic) Making sourdough is an incredibly long process, so it's sped up for the sake of pacing.

-I was probably the only person who thought for a moment that racism didn't exist, but Rolland didn't come off to me as racist until I saw all the theories. Probably because I saw him talking to Sabine, and it seemed like she was the only person Rolland was talking to. So in my version, it just kinda is like, Sabine the unofficial head of the family who keeps everything together to enough extent.

- Idk if it's ever going to be brought up again, maybe, maybe not so basically: Gina fell out of love, Rolland didn't, but they both were extremely sad and hurt and it was a painful divorce. There was a bad falling out that Tom got involved in, and he left for a while because he was dealing with his family drama. Which left Sabine with baby Marin for a couple of years around the time he was really sick, but more on the latter parts in future chapters.

-I didn't mean for this chapter to be so serious, but here we are.