Cupid's Canvas《Marinette Dupain-Cheng》

˚₊· Our Art

˚₊·

AS THE WEEKS WENT BY, they got closer and closer. While she was still shy, Claire also got more comfortable, and became amazed at her ability to get her sentences out without her brain short-circuiting. But when it did, Marinette didn't judge. She simply laughed it off as something normal.

Despite Marinette's newfound presence in her life, there were still some things that she hated the thought of.

"Alright then. Claire, you're up," a bored voice said.

Her stomach began to twist before she'd even heard the full sentence.

She'd done the assignment. It got hard at some points, but at least she'd been able to do it.

Claire felt her legs shaking as she got out of her chair. The front of the room suddenly felt like a mile away. She tried to take a deep breath, but her throat closed up. She felt like she was about to cry and quickly blinked away her tears.

She couldn't cry, not when everyone was staring, not when everyone was waiting to see how she would react. "The Girl Who Cried Before a Presentation" wouldn't be a good title for her.

"Claire? You did the assignment, right?"

Claire quickly nodded, but they couldn't say anything. Not like this. "Can I be excused?" they asked quietly, choking on their words.

The teacher simply rolled her eyes. "Make it quick," she grumbled.

She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room. People were whispering and exchanging glances behind her. She just needed to get away from it all.

Once hidden in the stall of the bathroom, she granted herself permission to cry. Quietly, so one heard her, but hard enough that it allowed her to get it all out.

98, 96, 94...

Claire stopped at fifty. Deep breaths, in and out. She took another breath, trying to recollect herself before leaving the stall.

Anxiety is such an asshole, they thought as they splashed water on their face.

But they forgot they were wearing mascara, so their mood lowered even more when they lifted their head up and saw streaks of black running down their face. It was the only makeup they did, but they were this close to throwing it against the wall.

She grabbed a makeup wipe from her bag and cleaned up her face. School in general never went that well for her. But she'd hoped that this time, reality would be a little nicer. After some consideration, she decided didn't want to go back to class. She'd rather die than walk through the door and have everyone stare at her.

Technically, I have my stuff with me. I don't really have to go back to class...

She knew where to go before she even finished the thought. The empty hallways left her free to travel up the stairs in peace. Still, she wasn't fully calmed down yet. She walked down the hall, gripping her backpack straps so hard that her hands hurt.

The art room welcomed her with open arms--or, open doors. It was propped open, and when she took a peak in, she found the room empty, but with some materials lying on the back tables. Deep down, she hoped that whoever had been using them didn't come back. She didn't have the mental energy to deal with anyone.

When she went to the canvas that had her painting, she saw another lacy, pink sticky note, with the same white heart in the center. She stared at the note for a moment, a mixture of emotions swirling in her stomach. She thought the first time she'd gotten one would be the last. But she was too tired to think about it.

Stuffing the note in her pocket like she'd done with the previous one, she sat down, and began to paint. The forest she was painting was more of a side project. Something to keep her busy when school wasn't. Or just when she desperately needed an escape during the day.

So she couldn't exactly blame herself when a tap on her shoulder made her jump out of her skin. She nearly dropped her paintbrush and turned to face bright cerulean eyes, along with a familiar playful smile.

"Marinette. Hey."

"Hey." When Claire didn't say anything else, Marinette moved one of the other stools and sat down next to them. "Every time I come here, you always seem to be here, too," she said. "I don't mind, though. What are you doing here?"

Claire shrugged. "Um, I had to present something in class, and I got really nervous," they said. Of course, that was an understatement, but Marinette didn't need to know that.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you want to be alone, I can leave--"

"No, it's fine. In a way, being around you is kind of like being alone." Claire turned back to the canvas. "Anyways, painting helps me calm down," she admitted. "I know it's stupid, but--"

"What are you talking about?" Marinette interrupted. "It's not stupid at all. It's pretty cool, actually."

Claire's eyes widened, but her surprise turned into the smallest of smiles.  "Thanks," she said, taking another deep breath. She'd needed to hear that. Then a thought swept across her face. "Hey, what were you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, I was working on something in class. I came to get some art supplies." Marinette smiled, but that smile quickly dropped when she realized what she'd just said. "I still have class. I totally forgot!" she said as she shot out of her seat.

"I'll see you later, okay? I hope you feel better!" And with that, Marinette ran out of the room, catching herself before she tripped over her own feet.

Claire laughed to herself. Marinette always had a way of making her feel better, no matter how clumsy she was. By that point, just the thought of her was enough to bring a smile to her face.

As she turned back to her painting, she thought,

Maybe new places aren't that bad.