MARINETTE

An hour earlier

I kept on insisting that Adrien could lean on me as we walk to the mine, but he would retaliate saying that he needed to walk normally in order for his wound to heal fast.

"Anyway, you stitched it up right?" He asked as we prepared to leave for the mine.

"What's your point in this?" I asked, skeptical.

"Just answer my question, Marinette."

I shake my head and comply with his request. "Yes, it was me."

"Then you shouldn't worry over me. Your sutures are one of the best out there."

And now that we are nearing our destination, he has never stopped to rest from walking or he might be just good in hiding his pain.

We agreed that I will be the one to carry our bag since it's the least that I can do.

"We're almost there," Nathalie pants out. She grabbed a stick and used it help her go uphill, digging hard on the ground each time we took a step forward.

I grab Adrien's arm and help him up.

"Thanks, but I can carry myself."

"At least try to ease a little bit of my guilt," I utter and play it off with a laugh.

He pauses in place, causing me to stop as well. He brings his head down to my level and peers into my eyes. With all seriousness he says, "You're just bringing guilt upon yourself."

I gape at him, not expecting him to say that. There are times when I forget that he holds a greater deal of courage. More than what I could ever muster for myself. He's a soldier after all, an officer even.

"T-Then let me be, Adrien," I find myself replying. "It's not like I can stop myself from feeling that way."

The look he gives me softens and I turn my face away, wanting to disregard the way he's looking at me.

"I-"

"Hey kids," Nathalie calls out, interrupting Adrien. I hide the sigh I let out of relief, thankful for the sudden diversion that could save me from a confrontation.

I know that there will really come a time when I would have to face the inevitable and tell Adrien how I truly feel.

And I give Adrien the freedom to choose what he really wants.

He claims that he loves me and it makes my heart ache knowing that he wants to continue living in a lie - me.

My chest tightens knowing that he'll have to make a choice. The problem I have with that is when I'll tell him. The perfect time to do so is not in my power anymore.

I'm scared that I'll never get to tell him at all.

"You might wanna take a look at this," Nathalie continues, distracting me from my thoughts. As we stand on top of high ground, she points toward the center. I gasp as I look at the direction where she's pointing at.

"God," Adrien mutters under his breath.

What lies right at the middle is a horrible sight.

"We're actually standing on top of what used to be the mine, and as you can see, the middle is where the explosion happened."

It was vast. The contrasting color of black from the brown ground we were standing on. The damage was so vast that I could not even pinpoint where it ends.

Rusty scrap metal and scaffolding are just everywhere on the ground. Those material things were the lucky ones to survive the explosion. I could spot around three bulldozers that look completely run-down with rust as a part of their features as well. Ash, dust, remnants of what was left deep inside that part of the mine can now be seen by anyone who stands right where I am. I swallow down a lump in my throat just thinking about the victims of the explosion. How they perished in the fire, all for only their ashes to remain on earth. They couldn't even get to say good-bye.

"Is this how my mother died?" I quietly ask Nathalie as her head hangs low, staring at the ground.

"The rebels started to feel that she was slowly changing sides," she starts. "They started to hate her. They felt that she was turning a blind-eye on them. It came to the point when they decided to just take her down." She looks at the damage of the explosion then turns to me. "What was the use of having a leader that would ultimately change when her side was losing?" She sighs then drops her head in shame. "But no...she was truly the leader that we needed. Eventually the project was decided on because we could not fight for our own people when they were going against your mother. Her last way in showing her loyalty and determination was to-"

I hold up a hand to stop her from continuing. I close my eyes in distress and finish in a quiet voice, "Was to go in the mine with them."

"Yes...and they did not know what was awaiting them that day."

I open my eyes and look towards the sky. My eyes rapidly blink to fight the tears threatening to come out of them. This heavy feeling I have is not for myself, rather it is for my dad. I've seen him in pain most of the time even if he tried to hide it from me. I just never understood his pain until now.

The way mother left is not fair for my dad.

I tighten the hood around my head covering my hair and face Adrien who has been silent ever since.

"Adrien," I softly call out.

He faces me and a small smile plays about his lips. Immediately it falters and turns into a frown.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm just thinking about my father," he confesses. "What he was doing, his very last thoughts - anything before he died."

"I bet he was thinking of you," I tell him, taking a step closer.

He lets out a dry laugh. "I'd like to believe that."

"I think there's nothing wrong with that."

"Marinette." He blinks then reaches out a hand at me but he stops halfway, purses his lips and clenches his hand to form a fist.

"Adrien..."

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Forget it," he breathes out, turning away. "There's no use in trying."

"Adrien," I call out to him again, raising my voice. My hands start to sweat and blood rushes to my cheeks.

He starts to slowly trudge away and unconsciously I take a few steps closer to him.

No, I'm not going to lose him again like this. This is the chance that fate has given me and I shouldn't miss it.

If there will be no perfect time at all for me to say it, then I'd rather choose to let it all out now.

"Adrien," I start again and gain more courage to continue, "I lov-"

"HEY! Stay where you are!" A loud voice of a man commands out of the blue completely cutting me off. Adrien immediately turns to the direction of where the voice came from. His eyes widen out of fear then he runs to me.

"Get behind me!" He pulls my arm and moves in front for me to stand behind him.

"Nathalie!" I call out and grab her arm to bring her with me. She stays silent while looking at what's in front of us in fear.

Adrien spreads his arms in a way to protect Nathalie and I behind him. I peek over his shoulder and find around two cars parked on the ground below us. The doors are left open as five men each have a gun pointed at us.

Adrien takes a step back and we follow. My foot slides on a small stone and I grab ahold of Adrien's shirt from behind to stop myself from falling. Nathalie also grabs my arm with her quick reflexes. I look behind me and the remainings of the mine explosion await me, knowing that it's going to be a long and painful fall if ever we choose to go that route.

But it's either that or surrendering ourselves to those men.

"Who are you?" The same man asks. My grip on Adrien's shirt tightens.

"We'll tell you if you lower down your weapons," Adrien shouts back.

"We follow no one except the voices of those who died cruelly."

Nathalie gasps beside me. "They're rebels," she announces quietly.

"Marinette," Adrien whispers while keeping his eyes on those men. "Give me the bag. Now." He lowers his right arm as I take off the bag and open it. His hand goes straight into the bag, searching for something only he knows.

"Nathalie," he continues, "stay here-"

"Don't hurt these two!" She suddenly shouts, pushing Adrien away and running to the armed men.

"Nathalie!" I shout in panic and without thinking, run after her.

Adrien curses out loud as he continues to fiddle with the bag. "Marinette, no!"

One armed man goes straight to Nathalie and points his gun directly at her forehead. Boldly, she rests her forehead right at the gun. "Shoot me, if you want," I hear her say with conviction. "Just don't hurt them."

"No! Don't shoot!" Just as I was about to grab her, another armed man grabs me by the waist and slams me down on the ground. The cloth around my head falls loose, exposing my hair for the men to see.

"The proditor," the same man seethes in recognition and brings the gun to my head. The other armed men focus their attention and point their guns at me as well. I breathe heavily while eyeing the gun right at me. I grit my teeth and gather as much saliva I can to spit right at the man.

He flinches as spit falls right at his face. He curses under his breath and jams the gun right at my head. I could feel the pressure of the barrel digging into my skin.

I hear a grunt and a body falling by my side. Through the corner of my eye, I see Nathalie laying unconscious near me as the man that held her at gunpoint starts to walk to me. Then suddenly we hear a loud bang and the man lets out a cry in pain as he falls to the ground. He holds onto his right thigh as it bleeds profusely.

The other men turn around and come face-to-face with Adrien who is holding a gun as well. He scowls at them while slowly moving forward.

The men exchange looks and the man who I spat at cocks his head. "No way," he utters in disbelief. He starts to laugh sardonically. "I can't believe it! It's Agreste!"

Adrien continues pointing his gun at the man and chooses to stay quiet, clenching his teeth.

I slowly try to move backward and look around, trying to find a way to escape but the men around me could notice my every move.

"I could not recognize you because of the hair!" The man continues his mockery. "And you were behind the hiding of the proditor this whole time...I can't believe it. Wait until boss hears about this." Suddenly the man pushes the gun away from Adrien then kicks him to the ground.

"Adrien!" I shout and reach out for him but two men hold me back, grabbing on tightly around my arms.

I see the man kick Adrien at the stomach again and he lands hard on his head due to the impact. Adrien grunts wrapping an arm around his stomach while his other arm helps him lean forward.

"Take the proditor and the unconscious  one to the cars," the man instructs the others as he watches Adrien helplessly try to stand. "I think someone else wants to handle Agreste," he continues.

The two men forcefully pull me up on my feet and start to drag me to one of the cars. One man carries Nathalie's body and helps his comrade to the other car.

"Let me go!" I scream at the top of my lungs, fighting my way out of their hold.  The men, being as strong as they are, continue to drag me to the car.

I see Adrien struggle to shout as he reaches out for me. The man kicks him back to the ground.

"No!" I cry out loud in anguish. "NO!"

Another car arrives and a new man comes out from the passenger side. The man who was hurting Adrien steps aside and smiles at the new man. He emphatically gestures toward Adrien and the new man takes that as a sign to continue the job.

"ADRIEN!" I shout as I see him get hurt again. "Let me go! LET ME-" The men place a piece of cloth around my mouth and I could not talk anymore. I continue to shout but all that are coming out are just incoherent words. They tie my wrists together as well as my feet before forcing me into the trunk of the car. Tears escape my face as I continue to shout.

And before I could do anything else, a bag is placed on my head - enveloping me in darkness.

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

I don't know where they took me. I don't know where they dragged me to. All I know is that I'm indoors...I must be in a room of some sort.

It is when they remove the bag covering my head that I find myself in an old room. I pant while I take in my surroundings and notice the flickering lights above me while the white paint on the walls have started to peel. The one who took off the bag leaves the room, slamming the door on his way out.

"Marinette," a soft familiar voice calls out to me from across the room and I face front to see Adrien sitting at the other corner of the room with his hands and feet tied. "Are you okay?" He asks in haste.

I could only shout incoherently as there was still a piece of cloth tightly tied around my mouth.

"Shh," Adrien immediately shushes, "My leg's okay, I'm okay," he assures me. "Nathalie is in another room. She's awake, as well."

I let out a sigh in relief then continue to study Adrien. My brows furrow in worry and he notices.

"I told you that I'm okay. I'm strong, don't forget that," he says. "I'm more worried over you...I-"

The door suddenly slams open and Adrien's words die in his mouth as he stares at the person at the door, his mouth agape.

"G-General," he stutters and watches him stride directly to me.

The new person kneels in front of me and I freeze out of shock.

"My niece," he cries, prying off the cloth around my mouth before cupping my cheeks, cradling them in his hands gently.

"Uncle," I whisper, peering into his eyes that were welling up with tears.

"I thought you were dead...and now you're here." He moves his hands down to my arms and grab onto them tightly. "You shouldn't be here. They can kill you, Marinette!"

I stoically stare at my uncle until I face away and ask him in a shaky voice, "Why did you keep everything about my mother away from me?"

He lets go of my arms, staring right at me as he breathes heavily. I won't let him stay silent anymore. I want to know everything.

"Answer me," I say through gritted teeth.

"I did it..." he starts slowly, "to protect you."

"What?" I seethe out.

"If you knew who your mother was earlier, you would follow what she did when she was alive. I was sure of that," he answers. "Before your father died, he made me promise that I'll protect you. That's why I assigned you to my garrison and made you join the mutiny."

Adrien, with a look of determination to stop uncle from talking starts to slowly move closer to him.

"You being part of the government was beyond my control, so I worked harder to keep you by my side," uncle continues, his voice turning more desperate with each word. "Everything I've done was for you. All of them! I've done what was needed to protect you!"

"Stop it!" I exclaim in anger. He flinches and Adrien stops moving with my sudden outburst. I glare at the man in front of me as I continue. "If my own mother could not even protect me, then how much more for a man who is not related to me by blood but is just a close friend of my dead father!"

"Marinette," he whispers, his voice laced with pain.

"You," I sneer, "who I call 'uncle', are the very man who took away my freedom. You led me to this path of resentment and indifference. I'll show you that I'll be a better person than my mother and you," I finish and turn my head away from looking at him.

I could sense it. It's a punch in the gut.

The pain radiating off of him. It's the same pain I feel in my chest. But there is this part of me that's happy. I stood up for myself.

Uncle lets out a shaky breath and immediately collects himself. He clenches his jaw then lets out a growl. "If that's what you want, so be it." He stands and strides out of the room.

He leaves Adrien and I alone in the room. A tear escapes my eye and I sniff, trying to hold in the others.

"Mari," Adrien softly coos. He moves closer to me.

"Stop," I mutter. "Stay right there, please." Thankfully, Adrien complies with my request. I push myself further against the wall and open my eyes to look at him. "I don't want to talk about it."

He lets out a sigh in woe while looking at me. He clears his throat. "Then sleep if you can. I'll take the first shift-"

"No," I mutter.

"You look beyond exhausted, you need to rest your body."

"I said no."

He lets out a heavy sigh. "This is not the time to start a fit."

"I'm scared of losing you if I close my eyes," I confess in a voice just above a whisper.

He gapes at me then his gaze softens, now looking at me with sad eyes. He licks his lips then shakes his head. "You won't lose me."

"How would you know?"

He goes silent. Of course, he wouldn't know. We both don't know.

But here is what I know.

I love Adrien, very much.

I wanted to tell him when we were at the mine, but I lost the chance. Yet here we are, so close yet so far due to the physical restraints. Though, it's enough for me to tell him.

I sharply intake my breath and exhale heavily. My chest tightens and clenches in pain. Is this because I love him too much that it hurts?

"Adrien...I'm sorry," I say softly before letting out a sob. He quietly watches me as I bring my hands to where my heart lies, holding that part as I try to ease the pain I'm feeling.

"I'm sorry for entering your life and using you...tormenting you," I continue despite my sobs. "And thank you...for being so kind to me. You're a great man, Adrien, and I took you for granted." I look at him, my eyes filled with sadness and pain.

"You don't need to tell me any of these things while we're here." He tries to play it off but I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. Then one stray tear falls down his cheek.

"I want to. If I don't say anything now, then when?"

He chooses to stay silent. I take it as my signal to continue.

"I've been waiting for the right time to tell you these things, but every time I prolonged it you were the one who felt most of the pain. That's why I'm not stopping myself now. You showed me a love so freeing. It felt too good to be true to be the person your heart chose," I continue, my voice shaking as my tears continue to fall on my face.

He scoffs but brings his hands to his eyes to wipe his tears away. "Marinette, you don't have to say that."

"Adrien...I love you," I breathe out instantly. He freezes in place and looks right into my eyes out of shock.

"W-What?" He cries in disbelief. He's softly sobbing by now and I can't help to do so as well.

"In a torn-down place like this where our lives are at stake, I'm saying that I love you, Adrien. And I won't stop." I shake my head and smile at him through my tears. "I don't want to stop."

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

Hi! I am very sorry for taking time to write this chapter :(( honestly, I was really stuck when writing this particular chapter. And I'm really hoping that it turned out well.

Chapter was not edited and my sleepy-ass self wanted it to be finished. Pls forgive me if there are any mistakes.

Who's excited for the next chapter, though? Hahaha i am😂

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