"Hey, Alfred, what's up," Jason Todd's voice came in clearly through the cell phone speaker.
"Hello, Todd."
"D-D-Demon Spawn? Why are you using Alfred's phone?"
"Yes, it is I, the spawn of the demon," said Damian. He crossed his legs as he sat in the backseat of the limo. "I had no choice but to borrow Alfred's cell phone since my last 14 phone calls to you have been ignored. I would like a report of your escorting Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng to her apartment."
"I texted you that she got home last night!"
"Yes, but it is suspicious that you missed breakfast and I haven't encountered you all morning. Are you hiding from me?"
"Uhm...no."
"Todd."
"..."
"I know where you keep your collection of hardcover 1st edition books. I will not hesitate to make a book bonfire in the manor's back courtyard."
"Okay, okay! Sunshine got back to her apartment, but there was a slight...scuffle...last night. Her shoulder was cut by a pocketknife."
"..."
"Uhh, Demon Spawn, you still there?"
"I ASKED YOU TO DO ONE THING, TODD, YOU HAD ONE JOB!" Damian yelled.
A pair of Gotham Academy students gave Damian a strange look as they passed by the limo's open window. They whispered to each other and quickly walked away.
"I am disappointed in you, Todd." Damian cleared his throat and rolled up the backseat window. "I thought you were somewhat reliable, but it appears that I was mistaken. You are now placed at the bottom of my 'trustworthy family members' list. Congratulations. You are now ranked lower than Drake. That is quite the accomplishment."
"Wait! Dem-I mean-Damian! I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you."
"Yes, you will. But first, Todd, guess what I am holding in my hand."
"Uh, I don't know?"
"I'll give you a hint. It has a soft, black-colored cover and a bendable binding." Damian noisily flipped through the paper pages, loud enough for his brother to hear on the speaker phone. "It tells the tragic tale of a deformed bell ringer and his unrequited love for a beautiful gypsy dancer. The story takes place in Paris. The same city Dupain-Cheng is from. What a coincidence."
"Is that my Penguin Classics edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame?" Jason nervously asked.
RIPPP.
Damian tore out the first page. "Oops."
"Demon Spawn, don't you dare rip another page of my favorite Victor Hugo novel!" Jason hissed.
"Tt, you're right. Ripping out these pages is childish. I brought my katana with me; it would be foolish not to use it."
Thunk. The blade pierced the center of the book.
"DeMOn SPawN-"
The phone beeped as Damian hung up.
"Thank you, Alfred, for allowing me to use your phone," said Damian. He returned the katana back into its case.
"It was no trouble at all, Master Damian," Alfred said from the limo's driver seat. "Shall I proceed with the plan to leave the book in front of Master Jason's door when I return your blade to the manor?"
"Yes. And I trust that my new motorcycle has been placed in the location which I requested."
"Indeed. Along with two helmets and two protective leather jackets."
"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.
Marinette opened her locker.
Before she could reach her own class materials, Damian grabbed them and piled them on top of his things.
"Damian? What are you doing?"
"Well, since I'm already carrying my class supplies, I might as well carry yours too."
Marinette acted as if her shoulders weren't bothering her, but Damian knew that she must be injured. He had let her carry her backpack into the school, otherwise she might become suspicious. But he refused to let her carry heavy textbooks the entire day.
"You don't have to do that," said Marinette. "I should carry something."
"Tt, that's true," said Damian. He pretended to appear deep in thought. "Ah! I know what you can carry."
Damian balanced all of the books and supplies on a single arm. He offered Marinette his free hand.
Marinette gave him a weird look. "That's...your hand."
"Yes, and it's very heavy. I hope that you'll agree to carry it for me."
Marinette shook her head and burst into laughter. "Alright, I'll carry it. But only while we're walking to class!"
"Thank you, Habibti."
Marinette held Damian's hand as they walked down the rest of the hall. Neither of them noticed the gapping mouths of the students around them or the phone that discreetly snapped a picture. It was impossible. But it was happening right there for everyone to witness! The Ice Prince was holding hands with the French transfer student.
"Hey Damian, what does Habibti mean?" Marinette asked as they turned a corner. "You also said that word earlier when we were talking about last night's...skirt and grappling hook disaster."
"Oh. I didn't even realize that I called you that." The top of Damian's ears blushed red. "The word is Arabic, my first language. It's a...nickname."
"What does it mean?"
"It's just a silly nickname, nothing important- oh look at that, we've already arrived at the classroom. Let's go sit down."
Damian set the stack of supplies on their desks.
Marinette giggled as he pulled out a chair for her. "Thank you."
The first period bell sounded from the speakers in the ceiling. The rest of the students poured into the room, but the teacher still hadn't arrived.
Damian remembered overhearing other students complain that this teacher was notorious for running late.
As they waited for class to begin, Damian finally noticed the stares aimed at him and Marinette. He scowled. The smarter students immediately looked away.
A phone alarm rang through the room.
Marinette quickly pulled out her phone and muted the alarm.
Damian looked over her shoulder. There was an image of a dark butterfly on the screen. The word 'akuma' flashed below the butterfly.
"What is that?" Damian asked.
"This is...uhmm...an alarm," said Marinette.
Damian rolled his eyes. "Yes. But what is the alarm for?"
"It's a reminder to take my daily vitamins. But, oh no, I left the pill bottle in my backpack. I'm gonna go and get it before the teacher arrives."
Marinette quickly stood up.
"I'll go with you-"
"No, no!" Marinette said as she hurried across the room. "Stay here! I'll be right back."
She disappeared out the door.
Damian sighed and scratched the back of his head. He wasn't used to these strange feelings. Why did he feel so protective of Marinette? She was only going to her locker; she would come back to the classroom in a few minutes.
But Marinette didn't return to the classroom in a few minutes.
For the next two hours, she was missing.
[Ch 10 - 1,669 words]
Thanks for reading!
Me: "Hello dearest reader! What's that you say? Your hand is feeling heavy? Don't worry! There's a reason why Marinette has two hands! She can just hold Damian's in one hand, and yours in the other-"
Damian, dressed as Robin, crashes into the room through the window. Broken glass crunches under his boots as he stomps forward. He unsheaths his katana while panting heavily (he's probably out of breath from running as fast as Barry Allen).
Damian: "The reader's hand won't be heavy if I cut it off!"
Me looking up from my laptop where I'm writing Ch 11: "Dang it, Demon Spawn, now we have to get new windows."