Miraculously Unrequited

"Here we are!" I made a grandiose gesture towards the front of the bakery and gave him the biggest smile I could muster. "Welcome to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, best in Paris!" I was about to open the door for the two of us to step through when he snatched the handle from my hand and graciously waited for me to walk through.

He looked up through his blond lashes from his bent position towards me with a soft smile, "a lady must always enter first." He straightened up as I awkwardly stepped through the door.

It's funny how a simple gesture can make walking into the same old place I call home, less humble and more spectacular! He really knows how to set the mood even if he's not trying

Looking back, I watched as Felix softly closed the door behind him and carried the same swiftness like a jaguar but had the poise of an owl. "We can go to my room so that you can focus better." I went to open the kitchen door to see my parents when the handle was covered by another hand.

"Ladies first," I shifted my eyesight to above my shoulder to see Felix so close I could feel his breath tickling my nose.

"O-Oh..." I stepped away and clumsily tripped on the door frame when walking through.

"Ah~ Marinette! How was school today?" I looked up quickly to see my Papa coming warmly towards me with arms spread wide. He picked me up and swarmed me in all his love and continued, "we got a call from the school today about a disturbance around lunch, are you alright?"

Before I could say anything, Papa looked behind me as we both heard footsteps trailing behind me. "A fight broke out, but the teaching staff was able to dismantle it before anyone really was injured." Felix straightened his vest but still kept his pin-straight expression on as he informed Papa about what happened earlier today. He turned to me and gestured for introductions.

"Oh! Uhm... Mom, and Dad this is Felix. He just moved here from England." I gave them both a wide smile and stepped to stand beside him and explained, "we sit next to each other so I thought it'd be nice if I caught him up on everything he's missed so far."

Looking over the Felix he tilted his head down in a sophisticated manner and added on, "I really appreciate everything she's helped me with. I don't think I'd be able to keep up with my school and homework otherwise."

I glanced over at my parents and was shocked to see my parents in awe. My mom softly laughed and questioned, "are you sure it was only Marinette that helped you?"

"Mom!"

"What? You know how clumsy you are sometimes, Marinette. I just don't want him to praise you for something that you only took some part in, you know that."

I was about to rebuttal her statement, but Felix cut in, "Marinette has really been the only person I've been talking to besides my cousin. She's a marvelous young lady that takes serious and extraordinary precaution in her studies. I was lucky to get such a partner as herself."

He stood as stark as ever, but his words made my insides run rampage. I really had no idea how to respond, and by the looks of it, neither did my parents.

"Oh, well then..." My dad trailed off still dumbstruck by his words, "I'm glad the two of you get along so well. As long as there's n harm done, right Sabine?"

We all looked at my mom as she shook herself from the shockwave Felix blew over her, "of course!" She hurried around the kitchen and started topping off a plate with pastries that just came out of the oven.

"Uhm, Mom-?"

She stopped in front of me and happily handed me the plate and cheerfully exclaimed, "you two have fun studying, your father and I will be down here if you need anything!" Before I could say anything, she pushed us with a wide grin on her face out of the kitchen and into the hall.

Felix and I stood awkwardly in the hall as I held the plate in my hands, "macaroon?"

He looked down at the plate then up at me, "let's sit down before we eat so we don't get crumbs everywhere. Your parents seem too busy to worry about cleaning this rug." He gestured for me to lead the way in an elegant bow making me slightly blush.

There was always something about Felix that made me feel special. Maybe it's an England thing...

Walking up the stair, I turned to wait for him behind me, only to turn around and see him only inches away, "AH--I mean..." Catch my breath from the near heart attack he just gave me I took a deep breath and awkwardly said, "c-can you hold these so I can open my door?" Pointing to the pink door on the ceiling, I waited for him to make a snarky comment about me living in the attic.

"Alright." But it never came.

Smiling to myself, I handed him the plate then proceeded to open my door. When I climbed up, I grabbed the plate from him and felt Tikki fly out of my bag. Looking up I saw her point to my sewing area then fly over there.

Looking back down, I saw that Felix was already climbing the ladder, "excuse my rudeness." He crawled up and was on his knees before standing up straight and dusting himself off.

I watched as he looked around with the same blank expression as always, "well?"

"Well...?" He looked back at me and sighed saying, "it's very...Pink."

Giggling, I walked further into my room and twirled around laughing, "I painted it myself! Hard work pays off right?" Gazing towards him, he looked very unamused as he sat down on a nearby ottoman.

Cl.i.c.k.i.n.g his tongue he looked towards me and narrowed his gaze. I didn't know what he was thinking until he sternly echoed through my empty room, "how come you present yourself like that?"

Putting my thoughts on pause, I crooked my head and felt my brows crease not knowing what he meant. "how I present myself? Do you mean my posture?" I turned to look in the mirror to see myself sitting up straight with my hands in my l.a.p. Turning back to him he just bored his yes deeper into my soul.

I feel like he expected me to know what he meant by searing into my soul with his meaning in his sea-green eyes. He scoffed, "please tell me you know what I'm talking about. I've already expressed my feelings about how childishly you are with styling your hair." He motioned towards my pigtails making me slowly pull them out in embarrassment. Continuing, he explained, "your clothes as well. You seem to wear the same childish outfits every day."

He stood up and took my hand, leading me up to my feet facing me towards the mirror. "I don't understand, why should it matter how I 'present' myself?" I looked up to him as he looked at me through the mirror.

"Marinette, I'd only say these things to help you." He combed his hands through my hair, "excuse my rudeness but I want people to respect you more and dressing like this will make people continue to view you as a child." We made eye contact through the glass in front of us as he whispered, "you've become a dear friend to me and it's quite upsetting to hear people belittling you by the way you look. From what you've said in class today I know that you're a strong girl that has even stronger views of the world she lives in."

I looked down at my pink capris and white flowered shirt and realized that I do wear slightly childish clothes. Sighing I walked over to my closet and started digging through it for a more serious outfit. "I don't know, Felix...I've always been able to get along with people just fine."

He walked towards me but then stopped and mumbled, "excuse me but, could you close your wardrobe? It feels a bit improper for me to be in a woman's room already."

I tilted my head and questioned, "it's just my clothes. Why do you think it's improper for you to be here?"

He sighed and sat down explaining, "back in England, I was raised to respect a woman's privacy. And," he motioned around him, "being in her bedchambers is invading her private life."

"All of my friends come up here, there's no reason for you to feel rude being here!" I laughed as I crouched down in front of him and giggled, "and since we're friends it's only right to add you to my wall!" Standing up I skipped over to my workbench and plucked a picture of Rose and I throwing up peace signs and said, "you're the only one not up here!" Grabbing my polaroid camera, I jumped and tumbled across the room towards him.

He flinched at my every move seemingly not knowing what to do with my bursts of happiness and energy. "Marinette, I don't think that will be necessary. We haven't known each other for so long." He stood in a panic and headed for the door, "I'll just borrow your notebook in class as always, I have my violin lessons soon."

"Oh no, no, no!" I pulled him back with a cheeky grin on my face as he sighed and rolled his eyes, "You yourself told me that we were friends! I always take and hang pictures of me and my friends around my room, you have to be there too!"

He shriveled his nose in annoyance as he snatched the camera from my fingers, "fine. I'll hold it since I'm taller."

"Of course!" Before I could say another word, I saw a flash of light and then a picture pop out of the camera.

"There, can I have your notes now little girl?"

That's not fair! I wasn't even ready for the picture!

I snatched the print from his hand and waved it around for it to develop quickly just to see a blurry frame of me half blinking with Felix staring up at the lens with a straight face. "No! We're retaking it!" I tore up the hot mess and threw it back at him, "for real this time!" I eyed him suspiciously then tacked on at the end, "and you HAVE to smile!"

I glared at him until his eyes rolled so far back, I bet he could see his tiny brain. "Fine, but let's hurry up, I don't have all day."

"Wow, I really miss the polite Felix. What happened?" I lightly shoved him with a smile prancing on my lips.

He looked down at me and smirked, "well a little birdy told me there was no reason for me to feel like I'm being rude." He lifted the camera but I wasn't so focused on the small blue pastel polaroid I bought off of Amazonian. No, I was focused on his bright smile that washed waves over my soul without fail each time he flashed it.

Which wasn't that often, to say the least.

I cleared my throat and barely got out, "w-we should retake it!"

Before I could take the picture from the film dispenser, Felix snatched it and started waving it high above his golden locks. "Why? I smiled as you told me." He laughed as he lifted the picture to his eyesight, but he immediately trialed off. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and announced, "my vest was crooked. We'll take one last one."

He shoved the picture in his inner b.r.e.a.s.t pocket then straightened himself out for the next yet final one. While I made sure to keep my eyes trained anywhere but his. The last thing I need is for another awkward picture to be taken.

So, smiling as widely as I could, I jumped at Felix and wrapped my arms around him. I know I caught him by surprise, but the mood was way too serious! It felt like I was sitting in a room with Sir Noir trying to make small talk!

As Felix stood up waving the picture around, I realized that the two of them are eerily familiar. The way that they talk, act and even their eyes.

Anyone can how golden blond hair with blue-green eyes, Marinette! Stop trying to figure out another person's identity! Sir Noir could be anyone just like Chat Noir, Adrien was the last person I suspected to be my partner in Akuma fighting.

Wiping the thought off the face of my mind, I skipped over and peered over Felix's shoulder to see the picture. "Wow~! That was a perfect one!"

"Yeah, now let's actually do what we came here for... STUDYING." He grabbed my shoulders and turned me around while pushing me towards where our bags sat.

"W-wait!" Twisting around, I walked back over to my desk and hung up the newly developed picture right next to the picture of Alya and I. "There! Now you can say we're truly friends!"

Felix rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "such a child."

I walked over to him and smacked him on the arm and jeered, "you're the one that can't keep up in class. Isn't that why you're here? I mean, it's been over a month since you've moved here!"

We laughed and joked around until we fell into the work he needed help catching up on. It wasn't hard at all, he seemed to already know everything we were learning, but still let me explain everything.

As time ticked away, Felix remembered his violin lessons and needed to leave. "Thank you for helping me today, Marinette." We were in the middle of the bakery as he took my hand and bowed whispering, "I'd love to finish another time if you'd have me?"

I didn't know what to say with what came next. It seemed like deja vu as Felix brought his lips to the back of my hand the said goodbye and walked out. Standing there and saying nothing, was all that I could manage at the moment as I reminisced every other time someone has kissed the back of my hand.

Sir Noir and Felix are two different people Marinette! There's no way they're the same, he even came from the complete opposite direction as Sir Noir after Time Turner!

"That's right! He could be anyone..."

I glanced out of the shop windows as Felix disappeared down the street.

Anyone but him, please!