Chapter Text
When Marinette was 5 years old, her kindergarten teacher was an older but amazing sweet older lady named Mrs. Lillie, though she insisted everyone call her “Nana Lillie,” whether they were co-workers, friends, or students.
Everyone loved Nana Lillie. She was a great teacher for all subjects, but the subject that all the students loved for her to teach the most was reading. Everyday, Nana Lillie read some sort of children’s book for them. Whether it was a book that someone’s parents had read them before bedtime, only a slightly different version, or a story from Nana Lillie’s own childhood, everyone loved it.
Since Marinette loved the thought of being a knitting fairy, she drew that and based her drawings on Nana Lillie’s drawings. Some of these pictures she even drew and gifted for her teacher, who would smile softly at her and thank her. She was also incredibly impressed on how well Marinette could draw, as she was only 5 years old at the time.
“Nana Lillie?” Marinette had called softly, her voice hesitant as she approached the teacher's desk.
Nana Lillie, an older woman with gentle eyes and a warm smile, was sitting at her desk, sorting through a stack of books. Her silver hair was tied back in a neat bun, and she looked up at Marinette with a knowing smile, as though she had been waiting for this moment.
“Yes, my dear?” Nana Lillie replied kindly, her voice like a soft lullaby.
Marinette took a deep breath and unfolded the drawing. The picture depicted a tiny fairy with sparkling wings, sitting on a ball of yarn and knitting a long, colorful scarf. Her delicate fingers were poised gracefully, and the knitting needles were drawn with such precision that it seemed as though they might move at any moment.
“I… I made this for you,” Marinette said, her cheeks turning pink with shyness. “I know you like fairies, and I thought… maybe you'd like this one?”
Nana Lillie’s eyes widened as she took the drawing in her hands. She studied it carefully, her fingers tracing the lines of the knitting fairy, the curves of the yarn, the details of the tiny knitted stitches.
“Oh, Marinette,” she breathed, her voice filled with awe. “This is absolutely beautiful. You’ve captured the magic of the fairy perfectly.”
Marinette's heart fluttered with happiness as she watched Nana Lillie’s reaction. It was more than just a compliment—it was the kind of praise that made her feel as though she had truly created something special.
“You’ve done such an incredible job with the details, my dear,” Nana Lillie continued, her voice full of admiration. “You’re not just drawing, you’re telling a story. I can see the fairy's heart, her soul in every stitch she’s creating.”
Marinette beamed, the warmth of Nana Lillie’s words filling her chest.
“Really?” she whispered, barely believing it.
“Absolutely,” Nana Lillie said with a soft chuckle. She set the drawing down on her desk and looked at Marinette with such genuine affection that it made the young girl feel like the most important person in the world. “You’re very talented, Marinette. I can’t wait to see what you create next. You have a gift, one that I’m sure will only grow as you get older.”
“Thank you, Nana,” Marinette said softly, her little blue eyes glowing with happiness and pride. “Do you think I can really become the real Knitting Fairy and make clothes for everyone once I’m older?”
“Well, Marinette,” Nana Lila turned, taking one of Marinette’s pigtails and gently stroking the hair of it. “It is true that the Knitting Fairy has magic of her own, but you’ve also got your own magic. I’m sure anything you create when you grow up will be just as wonderful as this drawing.”
This time, Marinette blushed again, and her teacher could see the gratitude in her eyes.
-
Around the time Marinette entered the 3rd grade, Nana Lillie retired. Marinette was sad to see her favorite teacher leave, but even before Nana taught her, she had been a kindergarten teacher for over 20 years. She supposed Nana Lillie would have to leave eventually. There was a huge retirement party held for her, and nearly the entire school came.
After Nana Lillie formally left the school, Marinette was sad to see her leave, but it soon turned to happiness as she found herself seeing her more than she thought.
Nana Lillie had become a regular customer in Marinette’s parents’ bakery! She especially liked it when Marinette was helping her mom at the counter, and her eyes would always light up at the sight of her. Every once in a while, after the bakery closed for the day, Tom and Sabine would invite Nana Lillie in for tea. Before she left, Marinette would always have something ready and made by her own hands for Nana Lillie.
As the years passed, Marinette saw less and less of Nana Lillie. A few times, she got worried for her. Her parents reassured her by saying that Nana was just starting to get too old, so moving around wasn’t as easy for her as it was used to. Nowadays, whenever Nana Lillie wanted to get pastries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Marinette and her parents would pack them in beautifully crafted boxes and Lillie’s grown up son would do the favor of helping his mother get the food for her.
Little did Marinette know, one day she would reunite with her former teacher again, and although she wasn’t the one who did it directly, she would send her on a real-life adventure of her own…