She's Sunshine, She's Grace, She'll Punch You in the Face

Chapter 64: Adorable

Marinette walks hand in hand with Damian back to their class and can't help but to smile up at him as they go.

"What?" He asks when he catches her staring again.

"I like your hair like that." She giggles. "It suits you."

"Are you saying that you didn't like my hair before?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"No." She shook her head. "I love your perfectly groomed hair, but if I had to choose, I'd pick this one. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to do your hair like this every day. That's not very professional. After all, you do have an image to upkeep."

"I think the image people had of me has shattered around school ever since you came along." He held the classroom door open for her. "Especially after that stunt you pulled at lunch today."

"You aren't mad, are you?" She gave him an awkward smile.

"I could never be mad at you for kissing me." He winked as they both took their seats. "Even if you do make a spectacle of us."

"I'll remember that." Marinette giggled and then looked down at the papers still on Damian's side of the table. "Are you almost done with that?"

"I'm pretty close." He nodded. "No peeking, remember?" He then turned his papers over to continue.

"I won't." She smiled. "But I will just watch you as you work if you don't mind."

"Just in case..." Damian picked up his school bag from off the floor and set it between Marinette's sight of the paper and the paper itself. "I wouldn't want you to accidentally see."

"Of course, we wouldn't." She smiled with agreement.

Marinette enjoyed watching him write. He seemed to be completely consumed into his work and every so often he would look up at her and smile, making her heart go all aflutter.

All too soon, Damian began to fold up his letter and stuff it into his envelope. After addressing the letter to Marinette, he swiftly got up and walked it over to Madame Mendeleiev.

She watched from across the room as he spoke to her teacher for a moment and the two looked over at her briefly before he smiled at her and made his way back to the table.

"I feel like you upstaged me in whatever you put in your letter and now I kinda feel bad." Marinette joked as he sat down next to her.

"I would never try to upstage you on purpose." He grabbed her hand. "I just wanted to take my time. That is technically the first letter I ever wrote to you."

"Are you planning on writing me more letters, Dami?" She grinned.

"Maybe." Damian shrugged. "You never know."

Marinette stared into his emerald eyes for a moment and smiled widely at him. "You are absolutely adorable sometimes, Damian. Do you know that?"

"What?" Her comment must have caught him off guard because he had a genuine look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah." She nodded. "You always do the sweetest things for me and just a moment ago when you were writing my letter, you would just look at me every once in a while and smile like you were having the time of your life just sitting here with me. You are so adorable that it hurts and I absolutely love that about you."

The more she spoke, the redder he became. "You think I'm adorable?"

"Sure, I do. Adorable, handsome, beautiful... there are a ton of words I could use to describe you, Damian." She paused for a moment. "It does make me wonder how you acted around other people before I came along. Everyone always said you were a bit cold and distant. Maybe even a little bit rude but I just can't see it."

"I don't think I have ever outright been called adorable before." Damian thought about that for a moment. "But I do think I've had a bit of an attitude change since you came around. There is something about you Angel, that brings out the best in me and I don't quite understand it. It's kind of frustrating at times."

"I think that that is how love is supposed to work." Marinette gave him a soft smile. "We are supposed to bring out the best in each other. This might sound a little bit selfish but I'm glad you are showing these parts of yourself to me that you usually kept hidden from others. It's like I'm keeping parts of you all to myself that no one else is allowed to see."

"Right." Damian finally smiled at her. "It's okay if you want to be a little selfish just this once. There are things about you that I want to keep to myself as well, Angel."

"See?" She giggled. "That right there. Adorable."
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The school bell had just rang and Marinette was getting up with Damian to leave the classroom when Alya walked over to greet her.

"Hey, Marinette. You mind if we walk and talk for a moment?"

"Sure." She smiled at the girl as she took Damian's hand to leave the classroom. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering what you had planned during our free week?"

"This weekend I have some things planned with Damian and his family but during the weekdays I don't have anything in particular planned. Of course, we have the Gala on Saturday and we leave for the Airport on Sunday. Damian still has school during the week so my days are pretty much free."

"So, do you think the girls and I can do some last-minute shopping around Gotham on Friday before the Gala with you? The boys could always split off and do their own thing."

"I don't see why not. A girl's day out seems pretty fun." Marinette gave Alya a wide grin. "Damian showed me a pretty nice shopping district last weekend that I think would be great for us to walk around and shop."

"Awesome! You'll text me the address to give to Mendeleiev?" She asked.

"Sure." She pulled her phone out of her bag, careful not to disturb her resting kwami's. "I'll send it to you now that way I won't forget."

"Thanks girl! You're the best." Alya gave her a quick hug before racing up to the rest of the class to tell the other girls.

"Her complete 180 towards you is very strange." Damian carefully watched the girl with glasses talk to her classmates. "I still don't trust her."

"I think now she's starting to act more like herself. The girl that you saw was completely consumed by Lila's lies and she wasn't the real Alya. She's finally come to her senses now and I'm happy to get my old friend back. I still don't 100% trust her either but I will always give her the chance to prove herself. I think she's changed for the better."

"For her own sake, I hope you are right." He gave the back of Alya's head a dirty look before smiling back down at Marinette. "She'll really regret it if she hurts you again."

"I think she knows that." Marinette giggled.

"Be safe this week, Marinette." Madame Mendeleiev waved to the girl as they walked pass the bus towards Damian's car.

"I will." She waved back. "See you later."

As the two approached the car, Damian unlocked the doors with his keys and opened the passenger door for his girlfriend.

"Thanks." She smiled at him as she got into the car and put her seatbelt on.

Damian shut her door and made his way around to the drivers' seat and got in. Shutting the door behind him, he started up the car and looked over at her. "Will you be working on your Gala dress tonight?" He asked while he too, put his seatbelt on and slowly backed out of the parking space.

"I am. It will take me a few days to finish. Thankfully, I finished everyone else's gifts."

"When are you going to give everyone the things you made them?"

"Whenever, I guess but yours will have to wait. It's not like it's super special or anything but its definitely a gift that I need to give at a specific time."

"You are far more kind than any of us deserve, Angel." He reached over to grab her hand.

"Are you kidding? I'm doing all of this as a thank you for the kindness all of you have shown me."

"I know that and that's one of the many reasons why I love you." He reached down to kiss the back of her hand.