A Snap in Time

Chapter 25 (Marinette)

Marinette was still processing her encounter with Chat Noir. The feeling inside her nothing more than a severe churning sensation linking to the fear of the unknown. The whole idea was he came to talk to her and explained some things. Instead, they were interrupted by a clearly frazzled Alya and both shot off into the night together. Did they know each other?

Marinette had tried to ring Alya time and time again last night to no avail. It was unlike her friend to not answer her phone, she was glued to it 24/7. The only time it made sense was if she was chasing akuma's and Marinette wouldn't be trying to contact her then anyway.

As she made her way downstairs and into the bakery, preparing to head over to school she heard laughing. One she could pinpoint as her father, the other seemed familiar but not placeable. Where had she heard that laugh before?

Stepping into the shop she noticed her father having a pun-off with whoever this mystery person was, and by the sounds of it the unknown voice was winning. She'd never heard her father laugh so hard before. It was heartwarming and wonderful.

"What's going -" she stopped abruptly as she noticed Lee Fu standing facing her father. His green eyes sparkling in their display lighting and calling her like a moth to a flame. "Oh," she gasped, "hi."

"Hey," he replied, his smile brighter than the stars in the night sky. Something about him was so captivating, something she couldn't place. "How are you?" His voice was smooth and calming, and she found her usual tension leaving her shoulders. How could four words have such an effect?

"I'm good," she smiled, "and you?"

"I'm good too," she continued holding his gaze, increasing her smile every time he did.

Without knowing, Tom Dupain was currently very intrigued by the display in the bakery, and it wasn't the display of the treats. "You two know each other then?" He said to his daughter.

"Yeah," they finally broke eye contact and she looked towards her father. "Lee started at collège yesterday. He's in my class. He stuck up for me when Chloé... well ... you know."

"He did," Tom bellowed out, slapping one of his huge palms onto Lee's small shoulder. "Then your treats are on us."

"No, Sir, honestly, it was nothing."

"Nothing?" Tom questioned, returning to the box and placing a 'TS' sticker on the lid. "Anyone who saves our little munchkin can hold us in their debt."

"Just the Madeleines will be fine, thank you Sir."

"Please, call me Tom."

"That's very kind, thank you sir- I mean Tom." Lee smiled at her father and she couldn't control the flip of her heart. How could she go from zero reactions to boys, to three who were constantly making her heart pound? It just didn't seem rational.

"I better go," Lee said pointing to the door, "thank you again, Tom."

"You'll have to come around sometime and show us those video game skills you've been hyping up."

"I'd love to," she noticed how he turned his attention straight to her, a worried look on his face. "Only if it's okay with Marinette."

She smiled at his care, "of course it is. If you think you're good enough to take the Dupain's on." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he laughed wholeheartedly at her.

"That sounds like a challenge, but let's hope you're not bigging yourself up to get knocked down. It's hard to fall from the top."

"I don't need to do such a thing."

"We'll see."

Tom started to laugh again. Marinette turned to look at her father and noticed the look of sheer joy on his face. She was almost 100 percent certain he was marrying her off to Lee Fu right about now. "Come for dinner tomorrow night, my lad. I'll get Sabine to make some of her famous croquettes and I'll bake us a cake. Say lad, what's your favourite flavour?"

Marinette didn't know what came over her as she blurted out "passion fruit."

Lee looked towards her, a sparkle of something in his eyes. "You're right."

"How did you know that?" Unbeknownst to everyone in the bakery, Luka had made his way in and was now standing at the door, arms folded and leaning against the frame.

She stood shell shocked staring at him. Firstly she didn't know how she guessed that, and secondly why was Luka so taken aback by it? Her mind started turning trying to think of an excuse, but for once in her life no lie was coming to her, and she was thinking that was actually because she didn't know the truth.

"I told her at collège yesterday. It was my first day and I had to tell the class something about myself, so I said I loved Passionfruit flavoured items." Lee spoke up, covering for Marinette's obvious distress to the question.

"And you are?" Marinette watched as Lee stepped forward towards Luka and placed his hands together, taking himself down into a bow.

"I am Lee Fu, a foreign exchange student from Shanghai. I have family here who I'm staying with for a short time."

Luka nodded before holding a hand out. "Here, we shake, not bow."Marinette watched as Lee's face morphed into uncomfort and a sudden memory from class yesterday came charging into her consciousness. Marinette moved forward positioning herself between the two boys.

"Lee doesn't like to be touched." She said, arms out protectively of her new friend. She remembered how he'd scurried out of Mr Damocles touch yesterday and felt a sudden need to protect him.

Luka looked between the two, raising one eyebrow in disbelief. He was perceptive and she knew he could see right through her. "Whatever you say." His voice was laced with incredulity. He wasn't believing a word coming from her mouth and fear began to circle in her stomach.

"I better go," Lee said, thanking her father one more time before he exited.

Mistiming his step, Lee tripped out the door and dropped a couple of his Madeleines on the floor. He turned back to look at them in the shop, shrugged his shoulders and continued walking. Marinette didn't know why, but she had the crazy idea that he'd faked it and a smile encroached on her lips.

Her eyes remained on the outside, as her father muttered something about Lee being charming before excusing himself out of the bakery. Leaving her alone and with Luka. She heard him huff out air before muttering something about him being a loser under his breath.

"No he's not!" Marinette didn't know where her sternness had come from, but her voice was hard and commanding. "Don't say things like that. You don't know him."

"I know he was flirting with my girl!"

"I am not a possession, and he's a new guy at school who I happen to have a lot in common with." She snapped back.

"Yeah sure! It's not like we don't have things in common either, but for some reason you'd rather talk to him than me."

"I was being friendly!" She said, clearly annoyed by where this conversation was going.

"You were being available!" They stood staring, Luka glaring into Marinette's eyes with such intensity she had to look away. "First the cat, and now him! What happened to my Marinette who wouldn't even look in the same direction as another guy. The one who always trusted and believed in me."

"I've never stopped!"

"Yeah well it doesn't feel like it. All it feels like is someone else who is abandoning me."

She clenched her jaw tightly. What had happened to Luka? This was not the same guy she dated, it was as if the day Lee appeared, the same day as Chat Noir appeared, Luka changed ... his personality completely flipped.

"I'm not abandoning you, just ... I don't know what to say. Something is not right at the moment, and I don't know if it's me or you, or us? But I don't feel like I did ... about anything."

"So what are you saying?" Luka looked at Marinette and she noticed a flicker in his eye. A greyness that shouldn't be amongst his usual vibrant blue, a greyness that had no place there.

"I'm saying I need a break Luka," she looked her partner in the eye, "I need a break from us."