MARINETTE

"How dare he!" I shout once I find myself alone in the bunker. "I hugged you! I comforted you when you cried and then you tell me that nothing has changed between us?! That you can still scold and shout at me?! ORDER ME?"

"You have someone you can trust!" I mock myself then slap my forehead in frustration. "I must have freaked him out when I said that."

Stupid, Marinette.

"Darn it. So much for trying to act like a woman in front of him."

I kick the space in front of me and slump down on one of the bunk beds. "But of course, I'm still a private. He still has every right to scold and order me around...but a simple 'thank you' would have been sufficient."

I head to the door and step out of the bunker to breathe in fresh air to clear my head.

"I wouldn't be worrying over these matters if it weren't for this...switch...project." I trail off as I see the male soldiers playing in the field wearing nothing but their camouflage pants and boots.

"Goodness, look at their bodies..." I whisper as I unconsciously walk closer to the field just to look at them. "It has been a long time since I've seen men without blood spilling out from their stomachs."

My jaw drops as I see Adrien in the field, catching the ball and throwing it at another direction.

"Catch!" He says to a fellow teammate and throws it at him. He starts to run back to the center while fixing his hair. I should be wondering why he is not wearing his assigned scrubs and why he chose to wear his military outfit, but I can't stop staring at...

His...

Soft..

And

Hot..

Blonde...

Hair...

Goodness gracious, Adrien.

"Look at his body..." I am put in a dreamy trance just by looking at his toned stomach with matching abs and to top it all of, the sweat glistening on his body makes him look...hotter. "Damn, his 5 years of military training really paid off..."

I blush upon realizing that I was drooling over him. I turn away from the field and run to the infirmary and use my palms to cover my very red cheeks.

"From all people that got my attention, it had to be him! It had to be him!"

"Who got your attention?"

"Aah!" I scream in surprise as I almost trip over a defibrillator. I steady myself to come face-to-face with Alya who is carrying a stack of white towels.

"A-Alya!" I stutter as I place a palm over my chest. "You scared the crap out of me!"

She places the towels on a table and walks close to me as she crosses her arms in front of her. "Hmm..." She sighs, "you look distracted and...embarrassed."

"I-I'm not..." I stutter.

"Your cheeks are red and you look like you had the hots for someone...was it because of the soldiers outside?!" Surprisingly, she gushes and lets out a soft squeal before dragging me with her to look outside the window, "Because if it's because of the soldiers then I'm not judging you! I've been watching them too!"

The both of us look out of the window, lo and behold, those good-looking men were still playing outside.

"I think we should stop, A-Alya-"

"Oh hush, Marinette!" She interrupts and brings me back to the window. "This is our only chance to look at those perfect bodies of well-trained men! And the best part is that there is no blood coming out from them! It's weird to see them not in pain..."

I only look at Adrien just in time to see him lie down on the grass. He rests his head on his arms and just by that action alone, his muscles are flexed and his biceps are shown in a perfect angle from here.

"Thank the heavens that they didn't notice me when I was watching them." I whisper and Alya snorts.

"Oh please, if they caught you looking at them, they would take it as a compliment!"

"And what do you mean by that?" I turn to look at her as I ask the question.

She grabs me by the shoulders, "Honey, it would be a huge achievement for them to attract the general's niece, one of the most highly respected nurses of all time!"

"Alya, I'm not that important. And so what if they can attract me? That is just the work of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin."

"Goodness, Marinette." She rolls her eyes and heaves a sigh, "Must you always find a scientific way to explain everything? No wonder why you are respected..."

"It's our job to know those chemicals, Alya-"

"So those chemicals have been excreted from your body when you saw Adrien?!"

I gasp in shock, "N-no!" I stutter, trying to defend myself in a helpless situation judging by the fact that my cheeks are burning right now.

"Aha! I knew it!" She points a finger at me, "Don't deny it! I saw you fixing your eyes on one person and that was him!"

"Alya, I-I wasn't looking at him!"

"Oh please! You volunteered to help him calm down hours ago! I knew that you did it to get some time alone with him. I bet that you hugged him too!"

I don't reply and I look down in shame by her last statement. She gasps loudly, suddenly realizing that what she said was the truth.

"Oh my Gosh! You did hug him, didn't you? I knew it!"

"I hugged him in order to comfort him!" I utter, waving my hands everywhere as I explain to her the events that occurred, "He was crying as he woke up. He explained to me that he had it for 4 years already so I allowed him to cry as we hugged. And I might have said something to him too..."

"What? What did you say?"

"Something about me being the only person he can trust if ever he feels down or low...Oh my God I just realized that I sound so selfish!"

"And what makes you say that, Marinette?"

"No wonder why he pulled away from the hug with a scowl on his face!"

"What?!" Alya shouts and I place an index finger on my lips to silence her.

"He pulled away from the hug and told me to forget everything that happened. Then he just left me dumbfounded in the bunker. So much for trying to act all attractive..."

"You freaked him out, Marinette!" Alya says, "You barely know each other and then you tell him that you can be the only person he can trust? That's crazy talk."

"What was I supposed to say? A handsome man hugs me as he cries over a traumatic experience! I must confess, I find him very attractive and I too was freaking out. I had to say something!-"

The doors of the infirmary suddenly open and the male soldiers who were playing a while ago enter with their loud chattering and sweaty bodies.

"Hey Alya, babe!" Nino calls out to Alya. I give a you-owe-me-an-explanation look to Alya and she replies by giving me a later look.

"May you hand us some towels please?"  He continues and Alya flashes a smile at him but doesn't move.

"There are some towels on the table to your right, Nino. You can take those."

Nino grabs the stack and distributes the towels one-by-one to each soldier. "And Marinette?" He says, "Please prepare glasses of water for us too."

"Yes, sir." I utter, not forgetting that he is considered to be one of my superiors. I run to the faucet that gives out potable water and fill a pitcher with it. I grab plastic cups and stop the water from the faucet as the pitcher is filled to the brim already.

"Here, sir." I announce to Nino while placing the pitcher and cups on the table.

"You should have moved faster, private." Adrien says as he surprisingly grabs the pitcher to fill his own plastic cup. He brings it to his lips to take a sip and I give my very best to not make myself stare at his body. So instead, the safest place to look would be up, the ceiling.

"Hey, look at me." He instructs and I don't hesitate to look at his green, inviting eyes. "You wouldn't want to keep your superiors thirsty, right?"

"N-no, sir..." I reply and he gives me a soft smile then gives me a hard pat on my shoulder.

"Then move faster next time." He says before turning away and heading back to the group.

"Yes, sir..."

------------------------

The shower room was prepared by my fellow government soldiers. They made sure to check if there were no hidden microphones and cameras around. They also made sure that the connection was fast in order for the call to be fast too.

"Marinette," Nathanaël gets my attention, "Monarch will be answering the call in a minute."

"Thank you. And all preparations are finished? No one will be recording this?"

He shakes his head in denial, "No one. I assigned people to be on the look-out in case something fishy occurs. But I doubt that will ever happen. After all, the others are busy eating their lunch in the canteen. We don't look too suspicious."

I hope we aren't suspicious.

"Hand me the phone, Nath. It's almost time."

Nathnaël hands me the phone and I put it against my ear. Nathanaël leaves me in the room to check on everyone outside.

"Hello?" A voice from the phone is heard.

"Monarch? It's Mari..."

"Marinette!"

"Monarch, keep your voice down." I sternly say on the phone as I look around me. No one is here except me but I can't help to feel suspicious.

"Mari, you have to listen to me. Don't say anything else. Just listen." He clears his throat before continuing, "We lied to the general."

"Uncle Hugo? What did you send him?" I question.

"A telegram stating that we will be sending troops to fight the rebels in 3 months and 2 weeks. But those are all lies. Our real plan is to drug those who are part of the mutiny and let them be unconscious as we bring them to our base. The soldiers left at your base right now will think that the others were killed in action. When in fact, they were just brought to the government's base to be tested on and interviewed."

"Wait. Tested on? Interview? What are you planning, Monarch? You're the general, but this seems like a useless plan-"

"This is the only plan we can make." He cuts me off and I am taken back by the volume of his voice. "They're growing, Mari. They are recruiting a lot. Your uncle, Lieutenant Nino and Lieutenant Adrien!"

"Adrien? Adrien is part of the mutiny?"

"Have you ever thought of the reason as to why he decided to train you? They want you to be part of their group-"

"And I'll give them want they want!" I interrupt, "If I say no, they would be suspicious and choose to not trust me anymore."

This is my chance to infiltrate their system! I can show them that I am not just a nurse, I can also fight on the field!

"I can't let you get hurt like that, Mari."

What? My hand curls into a fist out of anger and intake a sharp breath.

"You may be the general of the president but you cannot boss me around." I sneer on the phone, pointing my index finger to the ground as I speak. "And just because you were my boyfriend before it doesn't mean that you can still take care of me."

"Marinette." He says, his voice becoming raspier on the phone, "I care about you. I still do. And I won't stop until you come back to this base, alive and well. Stay away from that Lieutenant from now on. Stop your special training with him and learn with the team. That's an order from your general!"

"And I am not going to follow your order!" I utter just as Nathanaël opens the door of the shower room with eyes full of curiosity as to why I was shouting.

"I'm here to stop the mutiny and I am doing what is right! And I am not letting you stop me!" I continue then end the call. I release a ragged breath and rub my forehead in annoyance.

"I'm guessing that it did not go well?" Nath asks slowly.

"Oh it went well." I utter, "But he still can't let go of being the protective one...Hasn't he realized that I don't love him anymore?"

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know that it started to become personal..."

"And I'm sorry that you had to hear our conversation. Sometimes you fall in love with the wrong person at the right time and there are times when you fall in love with the right person at the wrong time. It's the timing that sucks." I hand him back the phone and fix my uniform. "Let's head to the canteen one-by-one. We wouldn't want to look too suspicious."

Nath shows a hand salute, "Yes madame. I shall instruct the others." He heads out and just as I follow him outside, the ground shakes as we hear a loud bang from the other side of the base where the canteen is located.

I gasp in surprise as I take a hold on a railing beside me and I see my fellow comrades holding something stable near them to stop themselves from falling down. The ringing in my ears don't stop and I can't help to crouch down on the ground and cover my ears in desperate hopes of stopping the deafening sound.

"Help!" I hear desperate cries in the distance. I try to move my feet under me but I fall back to the ground as I still feel dizzy.

"Mari! Mari!" A fellow private of mine runs to me and grabs me by the arms, "A bomb exploded in the right wing of the canteen! We have to help the others!" The person helped me stand up and now we are running to damaged part of the canteen.

Think straight, Marinette!

I inspect the whole scenery before running to the middle of everything to help the injured.

Fallen debris were all over the place. Tables and benches were thrown everywhere and there were people buried under the debris. The nurses were moving exceptionally fast and the soldiers helped in carrying the injured bodies to the infirmary.

"Stitch up the wound on his forehead! Make sure that he is sleeping as you fix him because that looks like a big gash!" I instruct 3 soldiers and one nurse carrying an unconscious person and they nod their heads at me before continuing their way to the infirmary.

I run to the infirmary, knowing that I can help the nurses there. The infirmary is hectic as I enter, all nurses even the new ones were running around trying to attend to all injured soldiers and nurses too.

"Aah!" I hear someone shout as that person drops a whole bucket of newly sterilized tools. I turn around to find the person and I see him in the floor, picking up the fallen medical tools. I run to him and stop in shock to see Adrien, wearing his scrubs, on the floor looking so fazed and distracted as he picks up the tools.

"A-Adrien." I say as I bend down to hold him. He looks at me and somewhat calms down knowing that it's just me. "You have to think straight. Stand up, let's take these back to the sterilizer."

I help him pick up the tools and stand up. The both of us head to the sterilizer and we move fast in arranging the tools in the sterilizer. Sometimes he would dart his eyes around the room as we moved the tools. Oh please do not have an episode right now, Adrien.

"Argh!! Argh!"

I turn my attention to a soldier lying down on a bed. No one was attending to him right now since everyone was busy. I drag Adrien with me to inspect him.

The soldier has a deep open wound on his left thigh and the worst part is that it is covered with the dust from the debris.

"Adrien, prepare cotton pads, two pairs of tweezers and a bottle of disinfectant. I will prepare the materials needed for suturing." I instruct him and he complies to the command. He grabs the disinfectant and applies a generous amount on the cotton pads. He grabs a pair of tweezers and grabs one cotton pad.

"You will be the one to clean the dust on his wound." I tell him and Adrien almost lets go of the tweezers.

"Wha-what?" He stutters then looks at the body in front of him and starts to shake. "I-I can't, Marinette."

I grab his wrists and hold them firmly, "Don't think about what happened in the past. Let go of your PTSD right now and think of healing this man." Adrien starts to get teary-eyed and I don't hesitate to wipe his tears away with my thumbs, "I trust in you. I put all of my trust in you. Don't let us down, Adrien. Don't let me down."

He nods then focuses his attention on the wound. He starts to wipe gently on the exposed flesh. The soldier suddenly shouts in pain and Adrien winces, surprised by the shout. He closes his eyes and starts to whisper incoherent words.

"Adrien!" I utter, holding his hand again, "Don't think about what you suffered in the past please! Don't start an episode right now! Heal him!" My heart aches for him, wishing that I can do something else to stop him from thinking of the past, the past that will haunt him forever.

Adrien inhales and exhales sharply as he continues to wipe away the dirt on the flesh of the soldier. I hold him in comfort as he finishes the job. And thankfully, after a few minutes, he finishes. I put on my surgical gloves and a mouth mask.

"H-how many stitches?" The tired soldier asks.

"Around 20, sir." I answer placidly and it doesn't surprise me to see the man immediately faint just by the number.

"Why did you tell him the number?" Adrien asks almost panicking and I just chuckle at him.

"I'm only giving 10 stitches. I say double the amount so that he will pass out out of fear. It's easier to work on them when they are sleeping. Now give me the needle and thread and watch a master do her job."

-----------------------

I can't sleep. What happened this afternoon was eventful. Very eventful.

A hot Adrien running around. Monarch telling me about the plan and being protective. The bomb incident. And Adrien panicking.

I stand up from my bunk bed and grab a jacket before exiting the bunker.

The air is cool tonight, the stars and the crescent moon is out tonight. I wrap the jacket around my body and head to the field to lie down and maybe fall asleep underneath the starry night.

Walking closer to the center of the field, I spot someone at the center sitting down and looking up at the stars too. As I walk closer I notice that the person is Adrien and I can't stop myself from smiling because of his presence tonight.

"Can't sleep?" I call out to him and he turn his head to look at me. He was still wearing his scrubs but he had a blue blanket wrapped around his body.

Why hide that wonderful body of yours, Adrien?

I try to hide my flaring cheeks by coughing as I approach him.

"No..." He sighs and now I have arrived standing beside him.

"May I sit beside you?" I ask and he sullenly nods. I sit beside him on the grass and look up at the stars too. "The stars are beautiful tonight..." I say after a moment of silence between the two of us.

"I was scared..." He whispers and I turned my attention to him. "I didn't know what to do and imagine if you have never helped me...his wound could have led to an infection." He continues and I furrow my eyebrows.

"No one taught you how to clean a wound?" I ask softly and he hangs his head down in shame.

He heaves a heavy sigh before nodding his head back and forth. "I have no one to teach me." He says sadly.

Awe, my heart melts for this helpless man beside me. He may be mean and cold-blooded but he still has a weakness and a soft spot.

"I can teach you..." I whisper and I knew that I got his attention. "I can teach you basic first-aid and I can teach you how to stop yourself from having episodes because of your PTSD."

He scoffs under his breath, "My PTSD can't be healed anymore-"

"Yes, it can." I interrupt him. I rest my hand on top of his and give it a light squeeze. "That is, if you'll allow me to..."

He looks at my hand on top of his and just as I thought that he would push it away, he places his other hand on top of mine. "We'll divide our free time from now on. One-half for you and the other half for me."

"That sounds splendid, Adrien."

We stay in that position for some time, us holding each other's hands and basking the aura of each other.

My heart fluttered crazily as he squeezed my hand and grinned at me, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight like the brightest star out there. My cheeks start to turn hot by the thoughts running in my head right now. I squirm in discomfort and try to act normal again, if I can.

Adrien must have noticed how uncomfortable I have started to look since he gently let go of my hands and stood up. "Um...uh. I will be going back to the bunker-"

"Yeah! You can go back, Adrien. I mean today was a long day and we have a longer day ahead of us..."

"Yes, Marinette. Are you going back to your bunker?"

"I will in a while. You go ahead."

"Oh." He slips his hands in his pockets, "I'll see you tomorrow, Private. And thank you. Thank you for telling me that you can teach me...good night." He turns around and walks back to his bunker.

He didn't even wait for my reply but he said, 'thank you'- the two words I wanted to hear from him today...he finally said them.

I watch his back as he disappears and I let out a breath I have been holding in for a long time.

"Monarch, you told me to stay away from him...but I can't." I whisper to myself.

I lie down on the grass and look at the stars, admiring them.

"Adrien has caught me with his lasso and now I don't want to be set free from his grasp..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay so I had a hard time imagining a 24 year old Adrien not wearing a shirt haha I knew that he would be buff and very muscular but I can't fully imagine yet xD if ever you find a picture of a slightly mature Adrien that is shirtless, send me the link please xD It's a fangirl sake!!

Btw, how was the chapter? :)

@pufoasa2002 thank you for the idea :)

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