mind over mask

twenty-two

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Damian's POV

One of the first things my mother taught me was to be aware at every moment, and to never be caught off guard.

Even though I don't agree with my mother on most subjects, what she has taught me has saved me time and time again.

But Marinette made me forget my past, she made me feel like I was a better person than I was. Her bright blue eyes enchanted me, and her hair fell in delicate waves. She was mesmerizing to watch, and—

"Damian! Can you tell me the answer to the problem on the board? Or are you to distracted watching Marinette?" Mrs. Bustier asked me.

Mortified, but my face as still as stone, I turned to the board. Marinette, however, turned the shade of Ladybug's red suit. I still can't believe they were the same person, but it made working with Ladybug harder because she was a complete stranger.

Marinette would make a good super hero, no matter how clumsy she was, she had the same heart that Grayson did. A hero's heart.

I took a glance at the board, and answer, "It's the square root of 128. Simplified, it's 8 square root 2."

Mrs. Bustier looks shocked that I answered it so quickly. She looks back to the board, double checking the question. "You're right," she says shocked, but she shakes it away. In a more stern voice, she chastises, "But next time, please pay attention."

I roll my eyes and ignore her, because I know I'm smarter than her. If anything, I'm losing brain cells just by sitting here.

"She's right, you know." Marinette whispers to me.

"Why, angel?" I ask her, and watches as she goes impossibly red.

"You shouldn't be staring at me. At least pretend to pay attention, or she'll be forced to move you."

"Tt. You're right. I'll try to refrain, for the chance she might make me sit next to the liar."

"No other reason?" Marinette teases.

"You'll have to remind me after class," I quip back.

Bourgeois looks back at me and Marinette for a moment, smirking at Agreste. They've caught onto us, it's obvious by their body language, but luckily they haven't bothered Marinette and I about it.

She had been trying to get the four of us to hang out, but as both Agreste and Bourgeois both attended similar events as I did in our early teens, I had avoided contact in fear of my identity being exposed.

It would be international news if Bruce Wayne's son had been discovered in Paris. Especially at the same time as Robin.

The girl with glasses, I hadn't bothered to learned her name, even if she was Marinette's ex-best friend, nudged the liar loudly, "Look!"

She pulls out her phone, and our akuma alert sounds off. The sky turns dark, and the wind howls against the window.

The classroom bursts into cacophony, and we all flee towards the safety shelters, before it's too late. I can't find Marinette, I've lost her in the crowd. Adrien and Chloe are out of sight, which means they  must've taken her to safety.

Or that they're a trio of heroes.

Even though Marinette had revealed she was Multimouse, I still sensed some hesitation about a big secret.

I wasn't going to put my Ladybug theory to rest yet.

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Marinette's POV