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"Maribelle, I told you, I'm fine!"

"Oh, hush."

Maribelle impatiently bats your hand out of the way and cups your chin in her gloved hand, tilting your head up so she can get a better look at you. You stiffen automatically at the contact and glance away with a soft grumble of complaint. This is very different from when you’re being treated by Lissa or Libra…though not necessarily in a bad way. You can smell her perfume from how close she's standing, something sweet and vaguely floral. Unlike you, Maribelle didn't look like she'd just returned from a battle at all - she was completely spotless, no blood, mud or anything of the sort on her. Even those painstakingly styled ringlets were all in place and look as immaculate as they had done this morning. Vaguely, you wondered how on earth she did that.

Your thoughts are derailed, however, when Maribelle suddenly turns a bottle upside down, a little of its contents staining a wad of cotton, and then she dabs some stinging ointment onto one of the nastier cuts on your forehead. Despite your injuries, you let out an indignant squawk of pain.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"Oh, stop your theatrics, it’s not that bad." she says impatiently, clicking her tongue as she grabs the back of your neck to stop you from wriggling out of her reach.

"It stings! Why can't you just use your staff and heal me that way?"

Maribelle tsks and rolls her eyes, but you can't help but notice the way she's only pursing her lips slightly, so you knew that she wasn't truly mad. (Not that Maribelle was exactly subtle when it came to how she was feeling. When she was angry, she would make sure that it was well known.)

"The wounds require disinfecting before they can be closed up. Surely even you know something so simple?"

"You don't have to say it like that," you grumble, pretending not to notice the heat creeping up your neck.

“Just stop twitching like an unridden horse and let me finish. It’ll be over before you know it.”

You nod reluctantly and Maribelle loosens her grip, though you weren’t totally sure if you were feeling unenthusiastic about having more stinging stuff poured on your open wounds or because you want to be around her a bit longer…though it’s probably a confusing mixture of both.

I guess that makes me kind of a masochist, you thought, a sarcastic smile on your face. Yet you couldn’t really bring yourself to mind it too much.

“Besides, what sort of ingrate would I be if I simply left you to your own devices?” Maribelle adds loftily as she moves back out of your personal space glides back and forth in the healer’s tent, amusement written across her porcelain features, “I have not forgotten how you came about getting those injuries.”

You blink, startled at the confession, which Maribelle takes as a good distraction and she abruptly moves forward, dabbing cotton to a deep laceration on your arm. You suck in a breath through your teeth – it stings, but not as much as it did the first time.

“Well, I had to do something,” you shrug, looking away and biting your lip, “You could have…something might…”

You really hadn’t thought much about it at the time – you simply acted. A sniper was waiting with a bow, hidden out of Chrom or your resident tactician’s view, and Maribelle’s horse was in range. You ran ahead, yelling, managing to block the arrow in time. The celebration hadn’t lasted long, however, not with so many enemies closing in. Breaking ranks had caused you some pain, but if you had to go back and do the same thing over, you would have done. Without a second thought. You weren’t sure if that made you brave or just reckless.

“Indeed, I cannot say I look back on that moment fondly,” Maribelle responds with a little shudder, but her eyes flicker in your direction. “And I won’t have you bearing any scars from something like that, either. You’ll stay here until I’m satisfied your injuries are completely gone. Is that understood?”

Her tone brooks no argument and you can feel a heat crawling up your neck as she approaches with a bowl of warm water and some clean strips of cloth for bandages. You really hope you’re not smiling like a total idiot.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say.”

You let out a soft gasp as she suddenly leans in towards you, her breath warm on your cheek, one silky ringlet brushing your shoulder.

“After all…allies should look out for one another, isn’t that so?”

“Yes?” you breath, because she’s so close, her mouth only a few centimeters away from yours and your heart is pounding hard in your ears.

She smiles and pulls back, a coy smile on her face. You sit there in stunned silence as she goes about disinfecting the rest of your cuts, humming quietly under her breath. You watch her out of the corner of your eyes, wondering if she was just teasing you, if she knows that you…if she knows how you feel about her.

After some time passes, she seems happy with her work and stands before you, hands on her hips, one last coil of bandage held between her fingers.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” she smirks at you as you shoot her a look beneath your hair. “I think that’s everything…”

And maybe it was exhaustion, maybe it was because she made you flustered or you were just a little curious about what she might do, but the line popped out of your mouth before you could stop yourself.

“Aren’t you going to kiss it better?”

And to your surprise (and glee), Maribelle obliges.