Gotham's Lucky Charm (Daminette)

Ch 10 - Holding Heavy Things

"Excellent. Thank you, Alfred, I shall be off to class now. I'll see you when I return to the manor later this evening."

Damian opened the limo door and stepped outside. It was an average Gotham morning: cloudy, gray, and gloomy.

But a ray of sunshine ran across the street to greet Damian.

"Good morning," Damian said as the Parisian girl caught her breath.

He looked over her body, specifically her shoulders, as he tried to determine how bad her injuries were. The straps of her heavy backpack dug into her shoulders, but she didn't seem to be in pain.

"Hi Damian," said Marinette. "Are you ready for our second day of school?"

"I suppose. My seat partner this year has made our classes a bit more bearable." Damian smirked as his words caused her to blush. But he quickly suppressed the expression and made a more serious face. "How was your bus ride and walk home last night? I was worried that you might encounter one of Gotham's more unsavory characters before you reached your apartment."

Damian followed Marinette as she walked towards the school building. Would she tell him about the pocketknife incident?

"Oh...uhm, I made it back just fine!" Marinette appeared to be calculating what to say next. "But something unusual did happen..."

"What happened?"

Marinette learned closer to him and spoke in a low voice. "I ran into Red Hood, and he offered to escort me back to the apartment! He carried me through the city while swinging with his grappling hook!"

"He did what?" Damian looked appalled. "You're a civilian! That was incredibly reckless and dangerous of him."

"But it was so much fun! I got to see the entire city from the sky!"

Damian ran a hand over his face. "Habibti, were you wearing your school uniform?"

"Yes? Why wouldn't I?"

"Looks like there will be a book burning in the back courtyard after all," Damian mumbled.

"Qu'est-ce que tu as dit? What did you say?"

"I'm happy that you got a nice view of the city," Damian sighed. "But I'm upset that most of Gotham had an opportunity to see up your skirt."

Marinette's feet stopped. She stood frozen in the middle of the school's hallway.

"Alors, du coup..." Marinette let out a silent scream and buried her burning face in her hands. "I flashed my undergarments to the whole city!"

"It's not your fault," said Damian. "Red Hood should have considered your attire."

"No, but I was the one who agreed to it. This is so embarrassing!"

Damian grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her away from the center of the hallway. Seven members of the football team charged down the hall like a stampede of rhinoceroses.

"Try not to worry about it," Damian said as he led Marinette to the wall of lockers. "If I meet anyone who saw it last night, I'll rip their eyes out."

Marinette laughed. "Thanks, your joke makes me feel a little better."

"I wasn't joking."

Marinette stared at him. Damian smiled back.

"Damian, promise me you won't actually do that."

"I do not make promises that I cannot keep." Damian put the code in his locker door and opened it. He hung his school bag on a hook and took out his textbook and supplies for their Calculus class.