A/N: This story was originally posted on AO3, so if you see it on there that's why lol.
As with any other sunny afternoon, Claudine sat outside in her usual spot in the academy's courtyard, relaxing underneath the flowery outdoor pavilion. With a teacup in one hand and the other resting comfortably on the table, the blonde stared up in disbelief.
"You want me to do what now?"
Claudine asked skeptically, her jaws practically hanging open in front of one of her fellow classmates. A short brunette stood in front of the blonde nervously, her dark-colored eyes gazing anxiously.
"P-please? I need some advice on how to approach Maya and get her attention…," the classmate spoke softly, her index fingers tapping together in a panicked manner.
Even as it was uttered a second time from the girl, Claudine could not bring herself to believe what she was hearing. Of course, it was well known around the school that the French girl practically knew everything about the infamous Maya Tendou, and even Claudine prided herself about it. Hell, she may even know more about Maya Tendou than the brunette herself! It was no easy task, after all, to understand the top student and her cold (sometimes even harsh) demeanor.
It was necessary, as Claudine would argue, to know all the strengths and weaknesses of her one true rival. No information was trivial when it came to Maya, whether it was from her favorite type of food or to the exact form she perfected during dance practice. Knowing everything about Maya was essential, especially if she planned to beat and surpass Maya one day. As such, it was not highly unusual for students to come up to Claudine for advice on how to become like Maya and to get better.
But of all the things she expected for people to ask her about the brunette, this was definitely not one of them.
Claudine's expression must have shifted at one point from shock to an unreadable expression as she noticed the girl flinch subtly.
The classmate averted her gaze from the French girl, a prominent blush on her cheeks as she spoke. "I-I really like her…and I was hoping you could help me since you and Maya seem to be close friends…," she trailed off, growing more nervous with each passing moment.
Friends? As if she was hit with another crushing blow, Claudine slowly set her drink down on the table before it slipped out of her hand. Stunned into complete silence, Claudine honestly did not know if she could speak anymore, much less know how to begin this conversation.
Sure, from the outside it may seem like Claudine spent a lot of time with the academy's top student, but it never crossed her mind that it could be taken as friendly. To her, at least, there was nothing friendly about her relationship with Maya. Every single day, Claudine was always challenging and bickering with the brunette in a desperate attempt to assert her dominance in the school, but Maya always came out on top. Whether it was in class or during dance practice, Tendou continued to outshine her in every way. Even if Claudine spent countless nights in the studio practicing till her legs gave out, she was always second best to Maya.
It infuriated the blonde to no end, and it angered her even more to think that anyone could mistake that as "friendly" or "close".
Though admittedly, Maya was the reason Claudine tried to better herself. Without that constant need to surpass the heiress, the French would not be where she was in the class. Maya seemed to draw out the better side of the blonde, the more motivated and determined side – but Claudine would never admit to that.
She will admit though that they have spent a lot of time together, whether it was in class or outside of it. Whenever one of them was spotted, the other would assuredly follow right behind and it became an expectation for the two to appear as a pair. No matter where people looked, Claudine would always be there around Maya.
But surely it was coincidental, Claudine reasoned. Even at this moment, it was simply a coincidence that the half-French girl was waiting for the Top Star to come and join her for tea like she always did. Even rivals needed to relax with each other once in a while, right? Surely, it wasn't that strange to feel comfortable around a rival and let her walls down once in a while... right?
Claudine clicked her teeth together to stop her thoughts. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before she let rested her elbow on the table and placed her chin gently in her palm.
"Listen, I think you're mistaken," Claudine said softly, meeting her classmate's gaze. "Maya and I…," her voice trailed off once she met the girl's face.
The brunette was clearly bracing herself for rejection, her posture completely rigid and tense. Even so, it seemed like she was trying to put on a brave face and not show any disappointment.
Claudine silently cursed at how much that reminded her of herself, especially during the entrance exam when she was absolutely crushed by Maya and her stupid perfect self. Claudine bit back on whatever it was she was going to say, pressing her tongue up against the roof of her mouth.
Goddamit.
She sighed in frustration and swallowed down in distaste. She knew she was going to regret this.
"Alright, fine. But I'm only going to help you this one time." Claudine watched as the girl looked at her in shock before nodding eagerly. God, she really hoped no one was paying attention to them.
Looking for an excuse to stall for time, Claudine took a sip from her herbal tea and frowned. It had only been a couple minutes, but her drink had already cooled down and it did not taste as good as it should have. Without missing a beat, Claudine mentally blamed Maya Tendou for it.
If that Maya had shown up on time like usual, the French would not be in this predicament right now.
Claudine could feel the expectant look from her classmate as she waited, and it took a moment for the blonde to wrangle out everything in her thoughts about the Top Star.
"Maya is…full of things you don't expect," she paused to gauge the other girl's expression. "She is surprisingly drawn to all things romantic, even though she doesn't seem like it most of the time. If you want her to notice you, you have to do something that would be able to sweep any girl off of her feet."
"What do you mean by that?" the smaller girl asked, to which Claudine shrugged.
"Whatever that you think is romantic. Personally, for me, I would be very flattered if someone were to…let's say write a poem or a song for me. It shows me that that person is not afraid of expressing themselves, and that's always a great start for any kind of relationship. Maya may share that sentiment, and I know she would also probably enjoy some sweets or flowers with it," the blonde said without a second thought, pouring herself some more tea to drink.
There was a moment of silence between the two girls, and Claudine figured the girl was letting her words set in.
"A-and you're okay with that? Like…you're not going to be jealous, right?" the girl spoke up.
Claudine nearly spat out and choked on her tea.
"What-..! No-..! *ack* I mean yes! I mean-…," the blonde struggled for air as she tried to settle down, her eyes tearing up lightly from the pain. Once she calmed down, Claudine composed herself once more, suddenly feeling some warmth on her cheeks. "Of course I won't get jealous. It doesn't matter to me what you do to Maya," she said with finality.
The classmate seemed to perk up and smiled brightly at her, any previous nervousness completely erased.
"Okay…! I will! Thank you so much, Claudine!" the girl waved her off before dashing away towards the main school building.
Claudine set her cup down with a noticeable clank, frowning immensely at what transpired. Did she really just give dating advice on how to get Maya Tendou? Her eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration as she replayed the whole thing in her mind. Claudine most assuredly did, and she could have sworn the end of the world was nearing. For all she knew, pigs could start flying up in the air wearing cupid's sash while mocking her. Claudine let out a tired sigh.
"What was that about?" spoke an all too familiar voice behind her, scaring the living daylights out of the blonde.
"Merde!" Claudine cursed out loudly, forcefully holding herself down to prevent her from falling out of the seat. "You are really trying to give me a heart attack, aren't you?" She scoffed, turning her head to glare at her sudden, but not unexpected, visitor.
Maya stood there elegantly with a small smirk, her arms rested comfortably around her chest. There was a hint of amusement in her lilac eyes. "It's not my fault that you don't pay attention," Maya rebutted, gracefully taking her usual assigned seat next to an angered Claudine, who was completely fed up with anything Maya-related at this point.
"I do pay attention!" Claudine snapped back. "But it would be nice, for once, if you could make a sound or something to make your presence known. Otherwise, you could scare the other girls senseless with your sudden appearance."
The top student chuckled softly and Claudine felt her heart skip a beat. Maya's laugh was oddly sweet and melodic, and it was very rare to see the brunette show her genuine colors. It was a rare treat that only Claudine was privileged enough to experience. Although she would never admit it, the French girl recognized her rival had some charming characteristics about her, and it was no wonder why their classmates would fawn over the heiress.
Maya Tendou was quite literally the embodiment of perfection.
Claudine could feel her cheeks start to warm up more when the brunette shot her an infuriating smirk.
"I don't know these 'other girls' you speak of. You're the only one who gets surprised when I walk up from behind."
The corner of Claudine's mouth twitched up in annoyance. She held back the urge to smack that pompous expression off of the Top Star's face.
"That is bull crap, and you know it. Half of the freshmen here are intimidated and scared of you… hell, even some of our own classmates are! I know for a fact that I am not the only one," the blonde said sharply, turning away from the other with a huff to hide her growing blush. "Honestly, for a top student I would have thought you'd have known that about your own personality," she added, quietly anticipating for an argument.
To Claudine's surprise, moments passed by without a single word uttered. Concerned and perplexed, the blonde glanced back towards Maya.
There was a solemn gleam in Maya's amethyst eyes as she met Claudine's gaze, her lips pursed into a thin line. It was clear the brunette was in a deep contemplative thought.
"…but you're not intimidated by me, are you?" Maya asked in a low tone and leaned in, inching closer to Claudine.
Claudine was caught completely off guard. Her eyes widened slightly and she could feel her thoughts start to jumble together as she tried to assess the situation. Maya was looking at her with an odd gentleness and she almost seemed…concerned? There were no hints of Maya's usual arrogant and prideful self, and all the pretense of teasing seemed to have disappeared.
It was very unlike-Maya.
Claudine bit back on her tongue, dispersing any previous sarcastic remarks she had prepared. The blonde knew this was not the time antagonize the other, and she matched Maya's gaze with one of her own.
"What a ridiculous question. If I was, I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now," the French girl scoffed, trying her best to pull on a cool demeanor.
A small smile made its way onto Maya's face, dealing another effective blow to Claudine's beating chest.
"Good. I don't think I could bear the thought of you being afraid of me," Maya admitted and hummed quietly as she helped herself to some tea, clearly satisfied with the answer.
The fair-haired girl flushed at the confession. At this point, Claudine was convinced there was some sort of witchcraft at play here. Otherwise, there was no proper explanation for the fluttery feeling she felt in her chest as she gazed at Maya's content expression. Claudine huffed.
"You're infuriating."
Maya continued humming, neither denying nor acknowledging it. They sat there briefly in a moment of silence.
"…So who was that girl?" the heiress asked.
Claudine started to feel the tips of her ears burn and she immediately turned away with a scowl. "Méchant! Like I said, infuriating!"