*I don't own A Monster in Paris or its characters

it's a short chapter, but I hope you like it TheJokerMan95, and thanks for the review.

Chapter 7:65 days left

Every glass, plate, and balled up napkin in reach which could be thrown was thrown Francoeur's way and caught by one of his many arms. Lucille walked in with three cups of tea, clearly unamused. "Don't do that" she scolded

"Do what?" Chuckled Raoul

Francoeur stopped writing at the sound of her voice. Even if he did nothing, he still had the tendency to feel flighty when frightened. Lucille looked his way and smiled, motioning him to continue what he was doing.

Across the room Lucille set down the tray on a nearby table, her heels clicking as she walked up to Raoul. Taking away the cup from his hands, she slapped his hands. "Stop throwing things at Francoeur, it's rude and can't you see he's busy?"

"But it's so cool how he catches everything"

Actually, Francoeurs arms had a mind of their own at times, but this time he was thinking of how to avoid damage if it could be helped, so in turn he caught everything.

Handing Raoul his now cool cup of tea, she retorted. "If I had that many arms I would catch everything too, but now isn't the time for that. So if you could stop and focus at the task at hand then I would appreciate it"

"But it's so boring"

"Nobody said fixing the lights would be interesting"

With a sigh he finished his tea and climbed back up the latter. "You know, it takes six men to carry a coffin, but it takes only one woman to put him there"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, unless I fall off this latter, then I'll know who to blame"

Holding his cup of tea, Francoeur watched as the two argued. They were like overgrown children to him, since she was serous while Raoul was all games. Lucille was what you called very modern, and wouldn't take things sitting down.

Raoul irked Lucille in such a way that even she couldn't understand. Like she would say, he was still the same idiot from the first grade. "It's always convenient for a man to blame a woman for his problems"

Even if he annoyed her, irritating her was the only way he'd get her attention, but sometimes things went a little too far. "And it's always convenient for a woman to ignore what's in front of them if it meant reattaining her freedom!"

The silence in the room was awkward for everyone, and if it wasn't for Francoeur's chirp then it would have remained. "It's not like everyone wants to get married you know, some of us have standards"

"Standards huh, I'm sure your knight in shining armor will come in any second now. Oh look, a second passed, and another and another, I don't think he's showing up"

"I don't think he's showing up either"

Shrugging his shoulders, he let it go and complained about the task at hand. "What am I doing here anyway? Can't you hire an electrician?"

"My aunt is out of town right now and won't be back for a few days, so I'd rather not invite strange men that I don't know"

"And I suppose I'm a strange man you do know?"

"Yes in fact, you're absolutely correct"

The first genuine smile Raoul received all morning was a gappy grin which was too cute too ignore.

The mood in the room kept changing, faster then Francoeur was comfortable with. First she was angry, then she was laughing and smiling, and it seemed Raoul manipulated her feelings. How could Francoeur see Lucille's many faces too? He would never want to be hated, but he wanted to be liked, to be liked more then she already liked him currently.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Raoul took a tiny leap, sounding more serious then he preferred. "Say Lucille, if you're not busy or anything, would you like to see that new Méliès film tonight? What I mean to say is that I couldn't get Emile to shut up about it unless I agreed to see it"

"Me and Francoeur would be happy to go"

Francoeur didn't like films, but anywhere Lucille went he was sure to go, but the look on Raoul's face said otherwise. Climbing down the latter, Raoul sighed. "Actually, I thought perhaps it would be better if just you and me went. You know, to attract less attention"

It was common knowledge that the singing duo were getting really famous, but in Raoul's case, what he was trying to say was a different story. Lucille thinking Raoul as the simple minded fool, she misunderstood completely. "Are you saying that Francoeur is a nuisance?"

Holding his hands up in defense, he tripped over his words. "No Lucille that's not what I-"

"And you claim to be his friend when you talk so treacherously, this I cannot accept"

"That's not what I meant, I was just trying to-"

Francoeur's confused face made her feel more hurt then she'd thought she'd feel. Her blood boiled at her own confusion, and she raised her voice. "No, I won't accept that. He is just as welcome as you and me and anyone else who pays for a ticket"

"You don't get it, you never do. I'm out of here as soon as I fix this light"

The hurt in his voice was real, just as the broken light needed to be fixed. But she wasn't going to crack now and apologize, not now, not when the hurt was still there. "I'll leave some money on the table by the door, don't forget it on your way out"

"I won't"

Francoeur soaked in their words, taking it as inspiration for his new song. It was going to be full if hurt and strife, but it was going to be good. Hopefully it would be able to fix more then missed chances, but to ask things broken.

Lucille walked out of the room with an empty look in her eyes, and Raoul continued on working quietly without complaint. Francoeur felt relieved, but sad at the same time for Raoul. If all things were as simple as song, then perhaps they would get along better too.

He knew what Raoul meant, but Lucille was just too stubborn to see it.