I Spent a Day With ... Fanfiction One-shots

War Tactics

So that was Peter. The 16-year-old child prodigy. Standing amongst soldiers who ranked from private to general, and still able to hold himself confidently, not fazed at all by the busy bustling of the barracks.

"You should go and introduce yourself, " General Levi announced. "Rather than stand there like an awestruck puppy."

I ignored his second comment. I didn't expect kind words from him or any of the other soldiers. They'd all treated me, and the other girls in the WAC, as inferiors ever since we transferred to their unit.

"Yes sir," I replied, regardless of my disdain to submitting to such a chauvinist, but I wasn't about to give him or any other member of the unit a reason to report me as unfit. They would have revelled in the chance.

Peter was overseeing some coordinates as I made my way over him. How and why they needed the advice of a 16-year-old was still a mystery to me, but it was a mystery I was determined to unravel as I escorted him during his stay.

Yes, that was my duty, to escort and tend to a 16-year-old civilian while he stayed at our barracks. Not really a soldier-worthy duty, but what more could I expect from such a male-dominated, backwards thinking regiment. At least Peter was still somewhat of a child and I wasn't expecting any confrontation from him.

"Good afternoon," I said, extending my hand towards Peter. "My name is Marilyn."

"Good afternoon. A pleasure to meet you," he replied. His handshake was as firm as his words were gentlemanly.

"I'll be your escort for the days you are with us," I said.

"Yes, I was informed. I had told them I do not need an escort, however, if these are the rules then I must abide." Peter bowed his head in acceptance. Such a humble, yet noble gesture, which seemed to belong more to a Lord presenting his opinion before the queen than a boy speaking frankly with his designated minder.

"Well, I'll try not to feel like a babysitter," I said echoing my thoughts.

Peter flicked a stray lock of hair and looked back at me. His eyes squinted momentarily sending a chill ran down my spine, as I struggled to decipher the meaning of his look. If I hadn't already been aware of his age, I could have easily confused him with a much older person due to his aura, which felt way beyond his years.

"How old are you?" he eventually said. His tone, more of an authority figure than a curious teenager.

"Not that ... you shouldn't ask such a question, but ... I'm 19," I stammered.

"Well," he said, a soft smile spread evenly on his lips. "I would hate for you to think that I need a babysitter."

"No, of course not," I said and diverted my gaze back to the screen he had been watching before I approached him. My cheeks stung with the rush of blood that I was sure made me look like the timid girl the male soldiers had opposed joining their ranks. And if I were honest with myself, at that point I surely felt like a timid girl who had no business being in the realms of the other soldiers. Was I still really so young? How on earth could a 16-year-old boy cause me to blush?

"I hope I haven't offended you," Peter asked, leaning forward to get a better view of my face.

"No," I said, troubled by a new realisation. "I'm sure you wouldn't be here advising experienced soldiers if anybody thought you were in need of a babysitter."

And the weight of my predicament settled in. Peter was only a child, but from my brief interaction with him, I could see he was anything but childlike. He had advised on the Dambusters raids which resulted in the destruction of at least a dozen German war factories. He had also advised Allied forces prior to their invasion of Italian mainlands. He was 16, but he was certainly no child, and I realised then that I wasn't escorting him because he needed a babysitter.