Cupid's Canvas《Marinette Dupain-Cheng》

˚₊· Her Realization

˚₊·

"CLAIRE, YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T be here all the time."

Claire laughed awkwardly. "I'm not here all the time."

"Right. Just every time you don't feel like going to class," Alix said back.

Claire glared at her, but she knew that Alix wouldn't budge from her spot in front of the art room's doorway.

"You're here a lot, too," she tried.

"Yeah, but I'm not risking my chemistry grade because of it."

Claire sheepishly avoided her gaze. Her chemistry grade wasn't as good compared to her other grades, but it didn't concern her yet. "Come on, Alix. Give me a few minutes."

Alix said nothing for a moment. Finally, she sighed. "You have till ten after the bell," she said, stepping to the side.

"Thank you!"

"Don't thank me when you fail your next test."

Claire rolled her eyes and stepped into her heaven. The painting she'd starting when she first arrived was done--she wasn't sure why she'd spent so much time working on it. Now, she was working on another project. She forced herself to look at the clock and give herself time to leave. She wasn't usually one to skip class, but lately she had a habit of arriving late.

When she sat down at the canvas, she sighed. Another pink note was stuck onto the easel.

Claire frowned as she took the piece of paper in her hand. "Who could be leaving these?" she said to herself. Although it hadn't crossed her mind in the last few days, it still frustrated her that she hadn't figured it out yet.

Something caught her eye and she brought the note closer to her face for a better look. That's when she saw messy black lines on the back of the note. She turned the paper around and gasped.

It was the first time the note had any writing on it.

Your paintings are some of the most beautiful I've seen. But none of your art compares to how beautiful you are.

"Woah. That's...wow."

Claire couldn't help but smile at the message. It was dorky, but in a cute way.

Oh, I really hope this person doesn't have a crush on me. I don't wanna have to reject someone.

When the clock hit ten minutes after the bell, she knew this case would need to wait until later. Reluctantly, she organized her things and walked down the hall to her next class. Mentally, she wasn't ready to sit down and focus on whatever boring topic her teacher decided to talk about. Her mind was still wandering, still curious. She was so lost in thought that she turned the corner and nearly ran straight into someone.

"Oh, sorry!"

When she looked up, she immediately recognized the face of Adrien Agreste.

Claire wasn't exactly sure where her feelings for Adrien stood. He seemed nice, but she'd heard about his past relationship with Marinette. She wasn't sure about the details, and it sounded like they ended on a good note, but still. She didn't like or hate him, she just wasn't sure.

"It's okay. I should've looked where I was going," he said, smiling. "Are you looking for Marinette? She just walked out of her last class--our teacher made us stay after the bell."

"Yes, and no. I'm sort of trying to solve a mystery," Claire said.

She quickly explained the situation to him, and he nodded as he listened closely. "I asked Alix about it, but she didn't have anything for me," she finished.

"Really? She's in that room just as much as you are, if not more."

"I know!"

Adrien chuckled to himself. "I wouldn't be surprised if Alix was the one leaving the notes," he said. "Probably too prideful to compliment you."

Something in Claire's brain shifted at that. It was like that rare moment in math where they finally understood the equation.

Adrien lightly shrugged and waved to them. "Well, good luck. I hope you find who you're looking for."

"Thanks." was all Claire could say.

Minutes later, when she reached the locker room to grab a notebook she'd left behind, she ran into just the person she was hoping to see.

"Uh, Alix," she started, "Did I ever ask you about the notes on my paintings?"

"Yes, you did," Alix said, leaning against the lockers. "And I already told you, I have no clue."

It took a second for a frown to form on Claire's face. "You seriously know nothing?"

"Not. A. Thing."

That was that. Just as she was about to leave, Claire watched, awestruck, as Alix reached into her backpack and pulled out the same pink, lacy sticky notes that were being put on her paintings.

"Um, what are you writing?" she asked.

"To-do list," Alix answered without looking up. "Maybe I should add "find Claire a love life to the mix." After writing something down, she shoved the note into her pocket. "You okay? You look like I just told you painting is illegal."

Claire recovered from her surprise as fast as she could. "What? No. I'm fine," she said quickly, avoiding Alix's eyes.

"Yeah, sure." Alix slammed her locker shut before turning to her. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. Cool."

She stood there as Alix walked past her, her heart racing with excited nervousness.

Once again, Claire couldn't find the right words. But this time it was for a good reason.

Throughout the day, her conversation with Adrien did nothing but swarm in her head. When the final bell rang at last, she headed for the tall doors that led outside of the school building.

When she saw the girl she wanted to see, she excitedly ran over to her.

"Marinette! Guess what?!"

Marinette wrapped her arms around her in greeting. "You're in a good mood," she noticed. "What happened?"

"I finally figured out who's been leaving the hearts!"