MARINETTE

"I made sure that the room we are going to use has its cameras and microphones off," Nathanaël informs me as we both walk together.

"Thank you...and thanks also for agreeing to be with me in this meeting."

"No problem, Marinette. I just...I know that you have developed the balls to go against Monarch and call for a meeting like this, but are you sure that you want to push through with it behind his back?" Nath asks in a low voice as we near the meeting room where Adrien and Nino are waiting for us.

"If Monarch knew about this, I bet my ass that I will not be alive tomorrow."

Nath sighs out loud. "Like as if that would happen, Marinette. He loves you."

We both stop at the entrance of the room and rest my hand on the doorknob. "Well, I don't share the same feelings anymore."

"Sometimes I feel like you're taking advantage of his feelings by having more courage to do these kinds of things."

"What's daring with this meeting?" I ask Nath with a smile. "I'm just going to talk with two friends of mine."

"Yeah, right. Friends." He mutters under his breath as I open the door and the both of us enter the room.

Both Nino and Adrien stand as Nath and I enter the room. Immediately they salute to Nath and I, while Gorilla stands and does the same at their back. In the room are just four chairs and a table enough for us to have the meeting. Nath looks at the three of them as he tries to hide his surprise. It's his first time to have people salute at him.

"Is...Is this normal for you?" Nath whispers to me.

"I've learned to just go with it," I whisper back. "At ease, soldiers," I command them and the three men in front of us put down their arms. "Gorilla, thanks for giving them company. I'd like you to leave for the mean time." I flash him a smile and he just grunts in recognition before leaving the room.

"Please take a seat again," I say to the two men in front of me. "Thank you for coming here today." Nath and I take our seats as well.

Nino immediately scoffs as he drums his fingers on the table. "There is nothing to thank us for since we were forced to be here."

"Nino, stop," Adrien warns him from his right side.

"What the hell, dude?" Nino exclaims. "Are you suddenly just switching out for your own convenience?"

"I'm just trying to stay neutral here," Adrien snaps at him.

"Don't you realize that I've been trying to do that for the past weeks?" Nino snaps back. "But I can't help to feel angry and frustrated with everything that's been going on!"

"Nino-" Adrien starts but I immediately interrupt him.

"Then feel that way!" I exclaim. "Be angry and frustrated like you said you are and allow me to feel your pain!"

"And how would that help?!" Nino shouts back.

"Because I can help you!" I declare. Nino quiets himself down as I let out a deep breath. "I mean...I need to help you."

"Like as if that could happen," Nino utters dejectedly. "The mine incident 13 years ago that started this whole dispute is not something one can help with."

"Well was the closing of it something that could have really been stopped?"

"It's something that could have been avoided, the further excavation of the mine was not needed," Adrien points out. "It shouldn't have been done in the first place."

"I think what we can all agree on is that the mine closed and the government that time discontinued the excavation since a rebellion started brewing with their work conditions," Nath adds to the conversation.

"What?!" Nino spits out, enraged. "That did not happen!" He continues in a provoking manner.

Nath and I look at each other in confusion with Nino's sudden outburst. Adrien senses our confusion and lays a hand Nino's shoulder, indicating that he'll do the speaking for now.

"Are you telling us that you both don't know?" He asks slowly but I could sense that he was also being wary and trying to hide the fact that he too was furious.

I...I just don't know why they both are that furious.

"What do you mean?" Nath asks in a quiet voice, it's clear that he is getting scared. I too am also feeling the same as well.

"The mine did not close because of a rebellion," Nino speaks up now in a softer voice, eyeing only Nath and I.

"The mine closed because of a blast that killed thousands of the workers, and that is the reason why the rebellion started," Adrien finishes.

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

"He's pleading right now to see you," Nath comes up to me for the nth time. After hearing something tragic that's been kept hidden from me, I cut short meeting after giving Adrien and Nino the chance to finish the story they know about the events that happened. And after that, I immediately left the room.

"And I said that I don't want to see him. Tell him to leave," I demand Nath as I walk further away from the door that brought me to the rooftop of the base.

"Tell us everything that happened. There are no cameras or microphones that could record you, so you need to tell us the truth," I inform them in a quiet voice after hearing what Adrien said. My chest clenches in pain and the tension feels heavy in the room. I want to go out. But I know I shouldn't; not yet. I need to know everything.

And they did tell me what I needed to hear. It became too much for me to handle after a lot of the information started piling up.

"It was a detonation of an explosive charge that happened earlier than what was planned."

"The head corporation wanted the further excavation done a day before schedule and informed a group of their on-site engineers to take charge of disseminating the information."

"But given the few hours for them to disseminate the information and thousands of marginalized workers who don't even have access to basic necessities, not all knew and continued to work without any preparation of what was to come."

"And in the very first place, they should have realized that there was no need for a further excavation project. That corporation just exploited its workers out of greed!"

"Whoa, it's been a long time since I've seen the view from up high." My thoughts get interrupted as I hear a voice from a man that said those words in utter amazement. I hear the door close behind him.

I turn to him behind me and seethes, "How the hell did you get here?"

"I may or may not have punched Nurse Nathanaël in the nose causing him to black out," He informs me, wincing a bit in case I ever attack or anything of that sort.

"Jesus, Adrien! He's not as strong as you!" I exclaim and walk past him, straight to the door to check on Nath.

"Hey, where are you going?" He immediately grabs my arm to stop me. I try to yank my arm from his hold but he kept a firm yet not painful grip on me.

"I'm going to check if he's oka-"

"I didn't punch him for nothing, Marinette," He cuts me off while he looks at me. "You just stormed off after listening to me and Nino. I had to check on you somehow, so I cornered Nurse Nath."

"...you got past Gorilla?" I warily ask him.

"Nino is helping me in that area, though I don't know how he's doing it." He lets out a deep breath. "I'll let go of your arm but please don't run away. I want us to talk." He peers into my eyes and I decide to let out a sigh in defeat.

"Fine," I utter, "let me go now."

He lets me go and I walk back to where I was looking at the view. After a while, he follows to where I am and stands beside me.

The sun is beginning to set.

"I'm being serious," I start, breaking the oddly peaceful silence between us, "why are you here...with me?"

"I'm tired of staying mad at everything," He answers, "I'm worried about you."

I face him in an instant and remember the words he said to me last night.

And it was a mistake of mine to fall so carelessly in love with you.

I look at the ground and wrap my arms around myself. Maybe this could help with the throbbing pain in my chest again.

"This is where people smoke, and this is where I want to think deeply on certain things," I tell him, disregarding the very fact that he's worried over me.

"And what have you got from your time of thinking?" He asks, taking a step closer to me.

"Nothing," I declare exasperatedly. "I'm scared that if I think too hard, I'll be trapped in a web of lies again."

"I'm sorry, Marinette. You speak in just one perspective you were taught to only look at. Without even knowing the people involved, how could you have ever understood the needed action that should have been done? I feel like I've failed you somehow." I feel Adrien's eyes on me and I decide to meet his with mine. "And now, I don't know how to bring you back up," he finishes.

I decide to close the gap between us and wrap the fingers of my left hand around his right pinky. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to know your personal perspective then."

"What about it?"

"I want to know why you decided to join the mutiny," I answer him in a voice almost like a whisper.

"Since you asked for it...I won't tell you much for now, but I lost a relative in the explosion," He tells in a soft voice, "He was part of the group of engineers who were in-charge of disseminating the information."

I frown. "Is that why you decided to be part of the mutiny? You wanted to do what that relative of yours couldn't do..."

He nods. "It's all because of that guy." He lets out a sigh, "Do you understand me now? And where I come from?"

"I'm still trying," I answer truthfully. I let go of him and wrap my arms around myself again out of worry. "It's hard when I don't even know which side to be a part of." I stare at the view in front of us. I could only see half of the sun left.

"What happens if...you don't need to be part of any?"

I incredulously look back at him and he takes it as his cue to continue.

"These weeks of isolation have given me a lot of time to reflect on...a lot." Adrien breaks eye contact and watches the sun setting. "One side is fueled with revenge while the other is filled with people-pleasers. But don't you think that finding a middle-ground is possible? Just like how the sun is meeting the sea now. Who would ever thought that two very opposite elements of nature when combined by a line of horizon could create such a magnificent view. Don't you think we, as a people, are capable of that too?"

"I have to know the people, first. I-" I stop mid-sentence and realize that this is what I've been missing all along. "I need to go," I whisper to myself.

"What did you say, Marinette?"

I turn to Adrien and grab a hold of his arms. "I need to go," I announce with more conviction.

"Go? Go where?" He asks, clearly confused.

"Adrien, I have to go see the people there at where the mine is. I need to personally be there for them!" I let go of him and head towards the door but I'm directly held back by Adrien.

"Woah, are you planning on going by yourself? Marinette, give a bit of time to think this through-"

"If not me, then who else?" I retaliate. "Adrien," I plead as I search his eyes, "I need to do something."

"Then I won't let you do it alone," He tells me. He cups my cheek with his hand and whispers, "Let me go with you."

I peer into his eyes and nod my head. "Then...I place my trust on you, Adrien."

"When do we leave?"

I look back at the view, and once I see the sun completely disappear in the horizon I turn back to him. With a look of determination I answer his question in a single word, "Tonight."

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Damn...back to writing, I guess? Hahaha

I hope you liked the chapter! I'm working on the next one right now actually hahaha

btw, the chapter was not edited so please forgive me if there are mistakes that you picked up.

Stay at home, my luvies, and please stay safe. Let's continue praying for our frontliners, that the spreading of the virus will cease, and that those who have the virus will be cured <3

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