A Masked Game

Level 20: The Lair of the Beast

Flashback Cutscene: Akuma

The night of Ivan's bachelor party...

"Falsifier, I am giving you the ability to separate what is real from what is lies. All I ask in return is for Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."

Adrien felt the Akuma smoothly coating him; a warm blanket of immortality and power overtaking his body as he gave in to the powers of the Akuma. The voice of his father rang in his ears, the demands to grab ultimate power and bring his mother back to life. The bubbling magic of the purple butterfly inverting his wedding tuxedo from black to pure white, his face transforming into a black half mask.

"Adrien, please, I didn't mean for this to get this far. I'm sorry." Marinette's voice was hoarse and emotional, yet he couldn't think of anything more than the pain settling in his chest. "I should have been honest from the beginning."

"Sorry?!" he spat out. "Sorry for what Marinette? Leading me on or breaking my heart?" He stepped forward. Closer and closer. Until they were level. His hand reached up to stroke a stray hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear and running his fingers over the flower hair band she was wearing.

"I didn't mean it. I should have stopped the wedding sooner."

He dragged a gloved finger down her cheek, before cupping her chin and tilting her face up to meet his eyes. She flinched. Her eyes closed and head tilted aggressively away. His anger boiled at the movement, reaching out to her and grabbing her once more.

"Look at me," he hissed. "Look at me and explain why you love him more than me?"

Marinette sniffed, her whole body crumbling under his grip. "You're hurting me!"

"Not as much as you hurt me! Now tell me... why him?"

He glared into her sparkling blue eyes, the glistening a tell tale sign of crocodile tears.

"Adrien, please. This is not you."

"No, it's not! I'm bigger and stronger than that weakling ever was. I'm a real man now, Marinette, isn't that what you want?"

Wrapping an arm around her waist, Marinette was pulled into his body. His nose went down to the base of her neck and caused her to whimper in fear. He dragged it along her skin, before pressing a quick kiss just under her lobe.

"Tell me, Marinette, was he better than me? Did he do things to you which I couldn't? Or is it because I'm only half real." He whispered in her ear before quickly spinning her around, grabbing her and pulling her back into his chest.

One hand slid around her waist as the other one cupped under her chin. The congregation stared back at them, Tom and Sabine clutched tightly together on one side of the front row, as Monarch stood proudly on the other.

"Tell them all, Marinette, tell them why you want to call off the wedding? Tell them who you are calling the wedding off for!"

She whimpered again, her body frozen to the spot with no will to move as he began to stroke over her body. He bent his head lower, dropping kiss after kiss along her bare neckline.

"Did he do this to you, Marinette? Did he do the things to you that I do? Or was he better? Come on, Princess, speak now or forever hold... your... peace!"

Grabbing her neck again, he forced her head to the side and kissed her roughly on the mouth, forcing himself on her and taking everything without consent. She started to cry, the taste of salty tears running down and into their mouths as he continued to claim her.

She broke away, her glistening eyes blinking quickly to remove the condensed moisture.

"N-nothing h-h-happened Adrien, I swear. Just come back to me please, we can talk about it. It's not about you, or anyone else. I've lied to you, Adrien, and I can't start this marriage on a lie."