~✯~

                      /An unspoken betrayal\

"I know a lot about you, Bantum... does she?"

"I don't know. Leave me alone to spend my final hour in peace. It's the least you can do."

Laughter. "It's amusing, really. You've always tried to pass off as some sort of misunderstood teenager. But really, you're-"

"Please."

Silence engulfed the air, and that was everything Andres could ever wish to suffocate on right now. He looked into the grandmaster's eyes, who was grinning widely as if this whole situation was hilarious. He was trying to make Andres unbearably angry, and unfortunately,  it was working.

"Look. You got what you wanted. Why must you drag whatever is behind me and shove it back in my face? Especially if nobody is even listening?" Andres scowled, desperately trying to keep his temper.

The grandmaster laughed. "Are you sure about that?" He folded his arms behind his back, grinning wider. He faced the blank wall behind Andres, and suddenly a glass window appeared out of thin air, and on the other side was Marinette, still tied up but listening intently. She almost looked like she was already dead- a cold, blank gaze. How could she really feel alive anyways, after all of this? It was silent.

"So.. Bantum. You want to tell Marinette a few things about yourself before you.. well, go off to die?" The grandmaster couldn't control his laughter. It was all a joke to him, wasn't it?

Andres didn't answer. He was, expectedly, punched across the face as a result.

"That wasn't a question."

"I don't care. I'm going to die anyways." Andres spat defiantly. The grandmaster was still not deterred.

This time, he stepped through a sliding door that lead toward Marinette. A lump began to form in Andres's throat. He kicked Marinette in the gut, and she winced in pain. If that wasn't enough to persuade him to continue talking- he wasn't done. As Andres watched helplessly, he unsheathed a dagger from his waistband, and slid it across the bridge of her nose, causing blood to trickle down her cheek. She sobbed in pain, unable to move or speak as she had been bound and gagged. He paused momentarily to look at Andres.

"Well?"

Andres's head was spinning. This was it. It wasn't a secret anymore. He locked eyes with her, and her blue orbs begged him to do something.

Swallowing, he looked at his shoes, which now suddenly seemed very interesting. "I'm... uh, actually thirty-four." He avoided the grandmaster's gaze. He knew that wasn't it. That wasn't what he wanted. But he was so reluctant in saying it, that the words wouldn't even form.

The grandmaster howled with laugher, and Marinette looked visibly confused.

"Not that, my friend!" The word stung at Andres's face. They were anything but friends. If he had the chance, he would kill him on the spot. "You know what I mean."

He did. He sure did.

He couldn't procrastinate (like me trying to update my story, lmao) any longer, because grandmaster had placed the knife on her nose yet again, ready to remove yet another layer of her fragile skin. He yelled desperately, "Okay! Okay." He took a deep breath. "Marinette.. look at me." Andres said, turning his body to face her.

They locked eyes, and the grandmaster's grin only grew further. "What I'm about to tell you.. you have to promise not to hate me, ok?"

She didn't respond, as she wasn't physically able, but he reluctantly, and very painfully continued.

"I... I...." he tried forcing the words out, but he couldn't. This is how Chat Noir must have felt when he had to kidnap her himself. Except this time, it was ten times worse. The grandmaster seemed to dissolve away, leaving only Andres, Marinette and his soaring heartbeat.

Swallowing away both his pride and whatever had kept these secrets bottled up inside him, he forced the words out..

"I.. I was the one who ordered to have you kidnapped."

Silence once again devoured everyone in the room, and the only sound was the grandmaster laughing so loudly that the echoes bounced off the walls as if mocking Andres. He continued. He couldn't just leave it at that. "Your father.. he was months short on his dues. I couldn't bare to kill him, so.. I had to take what he valued most. You." Marinette's eyes widened, and a look of betrayal crossed her features. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

The glass disappeared moments after, as did the grandmaster, leaving him to his thoughts alone. This was how he was going to die- covered with unbearable guilt and regret. The grandmaster has gotten what he wanted. He wouldn't settle for physically killing Andres; he had to deteriorate him emotionally as well. He had succeeded.

The truth was, Andres was an adult. He had a family. But he had caught the eye of the gang led by Euramacus, the grandmaster. He threatened him, telling him that if he did not work for him he would have his entire family excecuted in cold blood before his eyes. Naturally he took the offer, torn away from his family and ultimately faking his own death. His child was only 6 years old at the time. He hadn't seen his wife or son since- but it was a sacrifice that he never regretted. At least they would live a happy, carefree life. Even if he had to sacrifice his own.

So he had to do it. He had to kidnap Marinette. Every mission he took, action he performed, it was all a result of blackmail. But of course, he didn't have time to tell Marinette that.

In his head, he counted the minutes he had before he'd be taken to the execution room. Four. If Chat hadn't pulled through now, he probably never would. It was clearly too late.

=====================

"Euramachus! M-master, I have important news!"

"Really? You only just left intensive care hours ago. Are you sure you're not seeing things again? I mean, you did fall three stories. A blow like that could definitely shake around that brain of yours- especially after landing on a spike. Ouch." The grandmaster rolled his eyes, clearly unamused.

"Yes-s. I promise. But this is im-mportant!" A golden flash gleamed off the pupils of the man, who was grinning widely. He could easily pass off as crazy, the way his hair was knotted messily in his view, his teeth turning a dark yellow as it had been weeks since he had tended to them. It was hard to believe him- or better yet, understand a word that left his mouth.

"What is it this time?"

"My memory, m-master! It has returned! I know who attacked me, now!"

"Oh, please! We've been over this, you fool! You simply lost your footing on the building.. and bam! That's it. There's no "supernatural" force behind this! It's gotten to your head, my assassin."

"B-but, master-"

"No buts. Return to your dormitory. I'm tired of this stuttering nonsense. You clearly need to rest up." He was about to turn to leave, but the man stopped him.

"Master! Li-isten to me! I'm not c-crazy!" He demanded, a scowl crossing his features as he shook his head. "I can remember now.."

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to draw back the memory that seemed galaxies out of his reach. However, eventually he managed to do so.

He snapped back into reality all so suddenly. "Chat Noir! Chat noir attacked me!" His fingers dug into his hair in concentration while he squeezed his eyes shut. "I was placing bombs on 34th street's buildings, and he stopped me and i-intervened! He tried to kill me! You do understand, master? He is a traitor! We m-must kill him. You see? You see?!?" He yelled all in one breath.

The grandmaster first held a look of disbelief- but then again, it did make perfect sense. After all that had happened, he had his suspicions. It was clear now what he had to do. He nodded.

"Very well, Fang. Do not tell anyone about this. Let's see if what you say is really true."