Gotham's Own Ladybug

Six

Pulling on its zip, Marinette opened up her backpack, placing in her prized sketchbook and an empty container that had housed several treats hours before. Students around her all began to pack away their equipment and textbooks, including the male next to her.

Marinette gazed at him again, as he slid a bookmark into his book and closed its pages. His dull blond hair was slicked back, in a way that radiated authority and power. Stormy grey eyes matched the aesthetic of his black tie and monotone personality, whilst also complimenting his overall appearance.

A bell rung loudly in Marinette's ears, making her jump slightly at the noise. Felix only gave her a seemingly passive glance, though the twitching of his lips said otherwise. Pupils clambered out of the entrance, chatter beginning to fill the halls as they finished their class.

Standing up, the teenager pushed her chair under its table after the movement, and turned to the nearby male.

"I hope you enjoyed the cookies, Felix," she said, giving him a small smile.

After a moment, he replied, "They were adequate, Marinette," before sending her a polite nod.

"I'm glad! I'll bring more the next time I have this class!" the girl enthused. "Bye!"

Strolling her way to the exit, she looked straight ahead, missing the slight upturn of her classmate's lips.

When finally walking down the school steps, Marinette caught sight of Damian, and made her way over. As soon as she was a few feet away from him, he turned a speculative eye at her, though his suspicion soon disappeared when he recognised the teenager.

Smiling, she pulled her backpack straps over her shoulders, coming towards his figure. Raising a brow, Damian asked, "You've finished the cookies already?"

Marinette giggled, answering, "You could have just asked for more, Dami."

The sight of her bright grin made something flutter in his chest, however he wrote it off as nervousness.

"Right," he remarked sarcastically with a fond role of his eyes. "How did you even finish them that fast?"

"Oh! I made quite a few friends by handing them out!" she responded happily. "I got to hang out with Claude, Allegra and Allen in Music class, and Felix in English. Thankfully, Felix helped me with some mistakes I made in translation."

Damian took in the information with a nod of his head, reminding himself to research who the first three she mentioned were at the manor. At the reminder of his house, Damian twiddled with the pen in his hand, a habit he couldn't help but perform whenever in the presence of Marinette.

"Angel?" he called, despite mentally facepalming at the nickname once he'd said it again naturally. The reaction from Marinette made his lips twitch, as a rosy flush flooded her freckled cheeks as she bashfully glanced down.

"Dami! You can't just refer to me as that!" she exclaimed in a hushed whisper, scanning her surroundings as if anticipating someone to overhear their conversation in the flood of students waiting outside.

He barely stifled his snort, instead choosing to send her a small and sly grin, which prompted her to pout childishly and send him a glare through narrowed eyes. She folded her arms and looked to the side after a few seconds of intimidating silence, pink highlighting her cheekbones and two kwami vibrating in amusement within her blazer pocket.

"Well, you are very similar to an angel, Marinette," Damian stated. "You're kind, make treats for strangers and have an ample sense of humour."

Feeling confident, Marinette cheekily said, "Ample?" Snorting, she carried on with, "And I thought I was old."

Before Damian could tease back, Marinette noticed a familiar car parked beside the pavement situated across from the school entrance, making her eyes widen.

"I'm so sorry, Dami. My aunts are here to pick me up, so I have to go," she apologised. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Following her line of sight, the male took note of the vehicle she was darting her eyes back and forth from, quickly realising it was the same as the one that had appeared yesterday.

"Actually, Angel," he started. "My father recommended that I invite any friends I make over to my house. Perhaps you could join us at the manor now instead of going home?"

"Oh! Umm, well..." Marinette hesitated. "You see...my aunts aren't very keen of me hanging out with boys. Something happened where I moved from and it involved a male. It's...one of the reasons I'm not really comfortable with them touching me, since it reminds me of him."

Marinette shivered in memory, recalling all of the times her partner attempted to garner her affections. Thankfully, she was broken out of her thoughts by Damian as he questioned, "Is the male you're referring to the one who called you those nicknames you dislike?"

Nodding sadly, she returned her gaze back to Damian, eyes glistening. "I'd love to join you at the manor," she decided. "Let me just go ask my aunt first."

Not waiting for an answer, she turned and briskly walked to the Mercedes parked across the road, subtly wiping her eyes before opening its passenger door.

Blonde hair tied in a ponytail, Harley Quinn sat in her leather seat, idly tapping her fingers against the steering wheel out of boredom. When the door to her right opened, she jumped and watched as Marinette slid into the vehicle, before closing the door behind her.

"Sweetie! I'm glad you're okay!" she cheered. "Ready to go and bake some macaroons at home?"

Nervously, Marinette wrung her fingers, hesitating. "Auntie..."

Picking up on her mood, she rose a brow in a questioning manner, making Marinette carry on, "I was hoping I could go to my friend's house for dinner? They invited me, and it would be kind of rude not to go, right?"

"Well, it depends, Sweetheart! What's their name?"

"H-His name is-"

"His? Okay, okay! No way are you going to go somewhere with another male after what happened with that blond brat before we foun-"

"Damian Wayne."

Her words made Harley fall into complete silence, as she peered over Marinette's shoulder and spotted a dark-haired teenager waiting at the entrance of Gotham Academy, with his body facing the Mercedes. Letting out a smug grin, she met Marinette's eyes, her own twinkling in amusement.

Picking up on the implication, the girl's cheeks turned a bright red as she buried her face in her hands. "Auntiiiieeee...."

Chuckling, Harley simply patted her head, choosing instead to comfort the female rather than embarrass her more. "You can go, Sweetie," she allowed.

In surprise, Marinette shot her head up, blinking twice.

"R-Really?"

"Trust me, Honey," she answered. "His family are very trustworthy in Gotham, I can assure you. Pretty sure they wouldn't try and kidnap you, since one of them gets held hostage every week if I'm being honest."

A wide grin broke out on her face, as she pulled Harley into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you so much, Auntie," a muffled voice said from the embrace.

Pushing back slightly, the clown only said, "No problem! Just remember, find somewhere safe to transform if you want to get home quick, otherwise call me, Ivy or Selina, okay?"

Marinette nodded enthusiastically, sending her aunt a blow-kiss and exiting the vehicle. Harley smirked as she saw the girl almost skip to Damian in delight, mouthing something she couldn't tell. Twisting the car's keys, the Mercedes' engine roared to life, as it was soon driven off twenty miles above the speed limit away.