Miraculous x Arachno: The Web of Lies

Chapter 6: Bittersweet Reunion, A Promise and Gathering Proof

Marinette POV

Mum and dad were already ticked off with Chat's comment while I tried to quell the rage inside me. Tikki attempted to calm me down so that I wouldn't attract any akumas. I sighed and sat down on my chair.

"If I knew who Chat Noir is, I'd take his miraculous and give it to Master Fu." I said.

"I agree. I haven't seen Plagg all week. However, the last time I saw him, he said that Adrien's been threatening to cut off his cheese supply. I'm getting worried about him." Tikki replied.

I nodded in agreement. Suddenly, I heard a tap on the window, causing Tikki to go and hide. I went over and saw Chat Noir on the balcony with a scowl on his face. Before I could reply, he grabbed my neck and slammed me against the wall.

"Lila told me that you and your friends were the ones who caused Lila's akumatisation." He growled.

"What are you talking about?" I croaked.

"I warned you what happens when you mess with her. I told you to take the high road and look where that got you. You may have your gang to hide behind, but they won't defend you from me, Mari-Trash." He replied as his claws slowly pierced into my neck, drawing blood.

Suddenly, a line of webbing splattered onto his face. As he tried to recover, Arachno snapped a kick across his jaw and sent him crashing into my room. He got up as Arachno stood in front of me with his lens squinting in anger.

"And who gave you the right to assault a defenseless individual as Marinette?" He growled.

"Marinette caused Lila to be akumatized. She should be punished for her actions!" Chat roared.

"Lila almost got me expelled last time! Expelled! That could have lead to me not having a job in the future! I could have been hurt!" I exclaim. 

"But you weren't hurt! Lila confessed that she was lying (with another lie that didn't cause herself any harm) and you're fine! Lila isn't the villain here, she's the victim!" Chat yells back.

"If you think Lila is the victim, then you're a lot dumber than you look. Can't you see that Lila is manipulating you!?" Arachno responded.

"I had enough! The moment you get akumatized, I'll make sure Adrien hears about this! He'll make sure your dream of being a fashion designer goes up in flames!" He said as he pushed past us and left my room.

As I broke down in tears, Arachno hugged me tightly, comforting me.

"I can't believe him. What does that bastard see in Lila Rossi?" He muttered.

After a few minutes of calming down, Arachno helped me clear up my room and dress the wounds on my neck. He was about to leave until he turned back and faced me.

"Can you promise me something?" He asked.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Promise me that you won't get akumatized. I don't want to fight you." He said.

Though his mask hid his expression, I could hear the plea in his voice. I didn't reply for a while, causing Arachno to hold my shoulders, gently forcing me to face him.

"Please." He said.

I sighed and responded.

"I promise."

He relaxed and left my room, waving goodbye at me. I sat down on my chair and felt my warm cheeks.

"I think I'm in love with Arachno. But, I'm also in love with Troy." I muttered.

God, why is my life so complicated?

Troy POV

As I arrived at Lila's apartment, I used my webbing to hang upside down and peered inside her room.

"What a mess. And here I thought my room was bad." I said as I reached for my utility belt and pulled out a spider drone that Uncle Peter made for me when I first became Shadow Spider.

I let the drone enter Lila's room while I perched on the roof and controlled the drone with my PDA. I noticed her laptop was still on and unlocked and decided to search through some of her files, only to find pictures of herself in different countries and multiple celebrities.

"I thought Jagged Stone is allergic to fur? Why the hell would he have a cat?" I muttered.

Suddenly, I noticed a file saying VICTIMS and decided to have a look at it. There I saw four newspapers containing information about students committing suicide due to being betrayed by their friends and family.

"Holly Gordon, Age: 14, cause of death: Suicide by hanging." 

"Jason McQueen, Age: 15, cause of death: Suicide by gunshot wound to the head."

"Annabel Watson, Age: 15, cause of death: Suicide by overdose of sleeping pills."

I kept reading through the files, horrified by what I saw. I felt my stomach and almost vomited inside my mask.

"Lila did this. She made up those lies and caused those people to kill themselves." I muttered.

Suddenly, I saw another newsletter with the name "Elena Wilder" on it. I clicked on it and saw the year of her death.

4th of June 2013

"Wait, I saw this back in middle school. Before I became Shadow Spider." I muttered as I looked at the cause of death.

Poisoned by drinking disinfectant.

"Oh God. And Lila did this." I muttered.

I noticed her phone and got my drone to pick it up. Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps via the drone's audio system and quickly recalled the drone before Lila could enter her room. I picked up her phone and tried to unlock it, with no success.

"Wait, what if I.." I muttered and entered  040613 

It worked. I searched through her phone and saw all the people she contacted, though the one that was used to contact Hawkmoth was deleted, much to my dismay. Suddenly, I saw some recordings and listened to them, only to hear that Lila admitting her involvement with the suicides, the slander and the fact that she even threatened to harm Nino's younger brother to convince Nino to side with her and break up with Alya.

That bitch. No wonder Nino looked like he was forced. Lila threatened to harm his brother and their family. I thought in shock.

I quickly downloaded all the newspapers, the recordings and the numbers used by Lila and pocketed my phone, web zipping away and making my way home.

  Lila POV

I noticed my phone was gone and cursed, knowing that if someone found out about my plans, I'll be exposed.

And I know exactly who it was