Gotham's Lucky Charm (Daminette)

Ch 4 - The Creative Arts Club

Damian was not stalking Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He was simply observing her. Ensuring that the girl's first day at Gotham Academy went well.

It wasn't his fault that she just so happened to be in every single one of his classes. And they sat beside each other during Calculus. And they were lab partners in their Anatomy and Physiology class. And their English teacher had asked him to occasionally translate for her since he was the only student in the class who could proficiently engage in basic French conversation.

He had never been so thankful that his father had suggested for him to learn the language.

But he definitely was NOT staring at her for a majority of the day. He didn't even like her. She was an annoyance to him. It wasn't like he thought that she was stunningly beautiful and attractive.

No. She was just another girl. Another annoying classmate.

Damian looked down at the sketchpad that he was drawing in. He hadn't even realized that he was sketching her face.

The graphite pencil snapped in Damian's hand.

He quickly turned the page of the sketchpad before the other students in the after-school Creative Arts Club could notice the portrait of the French exchange student.

Damian covered his eyes with his hands. What was wrong with him? He couldn't stop thinking about that girl: the soft smile on her lips when he had helped her onto his vigilante motorcycle, and the touch of her hands on his body while he drove her to Gotham Academy that morning.

There was a gentle knock on the art room door.

"Excuse me," said a girl with a French accent. "Is this the Creative Arts Club?"

Damian's hands dropped from his face. He whipped his head towards the voice. Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood in the doorframe with her backpack slung on a single shoulder.

Could it be possible that Dupain-Cheng was stalking him?

"Oh, hi!" Skylar Collins, the redheaded student who was the president of the Creative Arts Club, walked forward to greet her.

Damian took a new pencil from his bag and began to sketch a still-life composition of his water bottle and a stack of textbooks as he eavesdropped on their friendly conversation. Marinette asked if she could stay and work on some fashion design sketches. Skylar was ecstatic to get a new club member.

"Bonjour!" The legs of the chair next to Damian scraped against the tile floor. Marinette pulled it away from the table and sat down. "Hello Damian! I didn't know that you would be here. This is awesome! Now I have another friend who is interested in art."

Friend?

"Tt."

Silence overtook the art room. The other students stilled as they watched with shocked and worried glances.

Damain Wayne had a...reputation. Most people referred to him as Gotham Academy's coldhearted Ice Prince. He avoided pointless small talk. He did not make friends. He wouldn't hesitate to break your kneecaps if you insulted him.

"Hey, Marinette," said Skylar, "why don't you come and sit with me over at the other table."

"Aww, thanks Sky! But I'll stay here. Your table is already crowded with people, but the chairs by Damian are all empty."

Damian raised an eyebrow. Yes, there were several good reasons as to why no one willingly sat by him.

"No, seriously, you should move to the other table." Skylar gently tugged Marinette's arm.

"Why?"

"Ice Prin- I mean- Damian Wayne doesn't like to be bothered when he's working on an art piece."

"Ah? Really?" Marinette turned her face towards him as she stood up. "Je suis désolé! I'm sorry, Damian, I didn't know. I totally understand. I'll leave so that you can concentrate on your drawing."

Damian's hand reached out and grabbed her wrist before his mind could comprehend what his body was doing. He wasn't sure what had come over him. But he didn't want Marinette to leave.

Marinette looked surprised.

The rest of the class looked terrified.

"Wait..." Damian said slowly. "I would appreciate it if you stayed. I need...a model."

"A model?"

"Yes. I would like to practice sketching a portrait of a human face. If you do not mind, would you stay here and allow me to draw you?"

Marinette's face glowed with the same smile that had consumed his thoughts the entire day.

"Of course! I would love to be your model!" Marinette sat back down and set her backpack on the ground.

Damian blushed as he realized that his hand was still holding onto her. He immediately released her wrist.

"O-okay then," Skylar stuttered, "I'll go back to my table. See you later, Marinette."

"Bye!"

Damian focused on finishing his still-life composition drawing as the other students in the art room stared at him. He never liked being the center of attention, but it was unavoidable. Apparently, it was impossible for people to mind their own business and not gossip about the personal life of a famous billionaire's antisocial son.

After a few minutes, the whispers stopped and the students returned their attention to the art projects in front of them. Damian relaxed. It felt as if the weight of their stares had been lifted off his shoulders.

Damian turned his head and glanced at Marinette. She drew graceful pencil lines in the pink notebook that she had laid on the table. Damian squinted and leaned closer, looking over her shoulder.

It appeared that she was designing a pattern for a floor length evening gown. The sketch for the dress was impressively detailed, with small notes about specific measurements scribbled on the edge of the page. There was a small symbol, or logo, drawn into the back of the dress design. The cursive letters MDC were integrated into the pattern of stitches below the low opened back.

Marinette turned her face towards him.

Damian jumped back. He hadn't realized that his head had moved so close to hers.

"Oh," the Parisian girl giggled at his reaction. "Are you done with your still-life drawing? Would you like me to model for a portrait now?"

"Yes. Thank you." Damian flipped to a new page. He fidgeted with the pencil in his hand. For some reason, his palms were sweaty.

"What should I do? I've never modeled for a portrait before."

"Just keep your head still. Feel free to continue drawing. I only need to use the side profile of your head as a reference."

"Ah d'accord, okay!"

Damian began to lightly sketch an outline of Marinette's head. Marinette worked on several different clothing designs.

They fell into a peaceful rhythm of graphite scratching against paper. They didn't speak to each other as they worked, but Marinette occasionally hummed a quiet song. Damian didn't mind; he was growing quite fond of her voice.

[Ch 4 - 1,082 words]

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