Chapter Text
Sometimes Mim does get curious.
Curiosity kills the cat, or so they say, but Mim would rather die in the pursuit of knowledge than not have tried to pursue it at all. Kind of grim, but that's just who she is. That, or she just really, really, really wants to know who is under that mask.
Which is exactly the reason behind her curiosity. If anything, if she really does die, then that would be kind of Spiderwoman's fault, no? Spiderwoman, or White Spider, or Ghost Spider—whatever she's being called in the news.
Sighing, Mim presses on View's contact on her phone. It rings into voicemail again, which Mim is starting to find frustrating. Is this girl never on her phone or what? "Hi. I really need your part for our group report by tonight. Look, I hate working on this as much as you do, but I really don't want you to be the reason why our other groupmates will hate working on group stuff in the future. Even though it might be too late for that. Call me or text me when you get this."
Hours later, right as she laid in bed, Mim gets a few texts from View.
miss ghost (22:13) ViewGrpReport.docx
miss ghost (22:13) sorry for the late reply. just heard your voicemail
miss ghost (22:13) ill try not to disappear again but i cant make any promises
miss ghost (22:14) some family stuff is coming up and my aunt needs me
Instead of replying, Mim opts to call her instead.
"You got my part?" View asks.
"I did. Thanks, I know it's late," Mim says. "Got your other texts too. You know every one of us has some shit to deal with too, right? Just 'cause you're going through stuff doesn't mean you get to lag behind."
View sighs on the other line. Mim wonders if she crossed a line somehow.
"I know." Her voice sounds tired. Mim tries to ignore the twinge of guilt by swallowing thickly. "I've been missing a bunch of classes lately too. I don't know what I would do without your notes. I really appreciate it, and you. Thanks for being upfront about it."
"No worries," Mim shrugs, trying to sound casual about it. Her and View aren't that close, not like View and Tu are, but here she is, nagging View about their coursework like she hasn't been piled up by a bunch of things Mim doesn't know about. "Sorry if I, you know, overstepped. I didn't mean to. I'm just… yeah, it just gets frustrating."
"If you're frustrated, just say that."
"What?"
"I mean…" View trails, "you're entitled to your own emotions. You don't have to sugarcoat anything with me. If you're mad or frustrated at me, at anything related to me, or at anything else, then just… say it."
Mim's heart does a flip in her ribcage. This is dangerous territory. They are not having this conversation on the phone right when Mim is going to bed. She is not going to imagine View laying on her bed while talking to her either; she is probably sitting at her desk or something—okay, not imagining, no more.
"You're too much of a loser to be giving me this talk right now, Benyapa. Maybe when you're older and wiser. It's time for bed."
View makes a sound, kind of like a soft, quiet laugh, and says, "Sure, Mim. Good night."
The call ends, but Mim doesn't fall asleep until two more hours after.
If you asked Mim when she found out she had a crush on View, she wouldn't tell you. Not because she doesn't know, but because it's not something she wants anyone to know. There is the 'how' though, which Mim can admit without feeling any way about it.
View is usually nowhere to be seen or found, yet she is everywhere too. Almost as if her presence lingers in the spaces she used to be, like a trail of perfume you'd recognize because only she wears that scent and owns it. View is always brought up in conversations, more so conversations with the decathlon team because that is where they often coexist together outside of classes. Only, the members and their supervisor bring her up when they're looking for her, and Tu answers them by saying she knows nothing (she definitely knows something), and Mim has to answer the same thing except she really doesn't know.
Hmm, maybe Tu can tell her something.
"I don't know any more than you do," Tu says. Mim knows she is lying. She has that tilt in her voice where her nervousness kind of leaks through. "She doesn't tell me anything either, and she's bad at answering her phone. I have to leave her, like, five different voicemails sometimes, ten when it's really urgent."
Mim watches her throat bob before responding. "What urgent business are you talking about? How urgent?"
"Uh…" Tu's eyes dart around. "Just… whenever I need her, yeah. Like for her notes, or for answers to random things I find on the internet."
Mim's face twists. "Why would you ask her for notes? She's barely in class."
"But she has really solid notes though…"
"That's 'cause they're mine," Mim sighs. "You're gonna have to pay up, by the way. can't be lending out my notes to multiple people for free in this economy."
"It was fine with View, but not with me? Greedy."
Mim rolls her eyes. "That's different."
Tu makes a confused noise. "How is that different? We're friends, aren't we? Like, the three of us?" she tilts her head. "Or does View get some special treatment 'cause you're biased?"
"I don't like the implications of that."
"I'm not implicating anything."
"Goodbye, Tu." Mim walks away, clutching her textbooks closer to her chest to have some semblance of composure back. She is sure Tu wasn't implying anything at all, but sometimes Mim gets a little scared.
Mim likes to think her crush—they're in college for fuck's sake—on View isn't very noticeable. If View's behavior around her is anything to go by, then Mim would be right in thinking so. But sometimes Mim wonders if, with the amount of time she spends watching View, someone is watching her and realizing oh, Mim likes View, and not in the friend way.
Never in the friend way.
Highschool brought View onto Mim's path. It's not like Mim was purposely trying to watch View, but there was something about her that drew Mim in, and before Mim knew, her heart was already doing flips and races and skips in her ribcage at the mere sight of View in the hallways. She was always with Tu, and two other girls, Prim and Love, who ended up in another college as them.
It's hard not to notice View when she is as tall as she is, and also as bright as she is, and also as beautiful as she is, and also— Okay, no, that's enough. Daydreaming about View Benyapa is not helping Mim at all, especially when she has better things to do. Like unmasking Spiderwoman.
The opportunity presents itself like a gift dropping on her open, waiting palms. The news about a group of thieves in some nearby store spreads like wildfire all over every news outlet. Fortunately, Mim was just casually scrolling on her social media when she saw the news update (she has been waiting for something like this).
When Mim arrives at the scene, there's a flash of white and black and purple that whizzes past her, and the very person Mim has been waiting for arrives. The police is pushing the growing crowd back, telling them to back off to lessen the chances of injuries. There's police tape being rolled and stuck to poles, and Mim finds herself behind a line, watching Spiderwoman fight and catch the thieves.
She moves with a lot of grace, less like a dancer and more like someone who knows how to weave her way around scenes like her, like someone who has been doing this her whole life. Technically, she has, because Mim remembers the first few sightings of Spiderwoman early back in highschool. It's been a good few years since then, and she has only gotten better.
Mim's heart drops to her feet when Spiderwoman gets flipped over on her stomach, arm being pinned to her back. The opponent is kind of stupid, Mim thinks. Spiderwoman quickly reaches her free arm out and shoots a web to a nearby building. She seems to use her strength to pull herself up and free herself, flipping the guy over. Mim winces when the crowd's roaring grows louder.
The next moment goes by in a flash. One moment, there is someone yelling "look out!" followed by everyone's panicked screams, and the next, Mim is being pulled off the ground and is being put down on the different corner of the street. It's only when her feet touch the ground does she look at Spiderwoman.
"Hey, you okay?" she asks Mim, sounding genuinely concerned.
Something in Mim's stomach twists. "What the hell just happened?"
"You almost got shot, that's what," is the answer she gets from the heroine. Mim doesn't register the solid weight of an arm around her waist until it's gone. "Stay far away from the danger zone next time, yeah? Stay safe out here."
Slightly still dazed and reeling from the events, all Mim could force as a response is a quick nod. Spiderwoman seems to grin under her mask, which is stupid effort considering no one can see, but Mim senses it anyway. She gives Mim a quick salute before swinging away, seemingly returning to the scene for a second round of fighting. There's a lingering scent of something floral with a hint of warmth in the air.
It is only after a moment that Mim realizes there is no more screaming and yelling around her anymore. The street she got dropped off in is still bustling with people walking and food trucks being open for business—
Mim blinks. This is her street. Like her residential street. Where she lives. Her home.
Surely, it must be a coincidence. Strangely, Mim gets the sense it isn't.
"Hey View, you went ghost. Again. Look, I really need you to stop doing that 'cause it's worrying me now. Anyway, we have that presentation for the report after lunch today. Call me when you get this. And let me know if you're okay."
Mim taps on the end call button on her phone, and sighs deeply. The presentation isn't graded since it's more of a last minute notice, but it would be nice to have View there for the stunt she pulled while they were working on it together without her. Also for the nerves, because having View around for presentations makes Mim get through them better.
When Mim turns around, she almost cries out of relief when she sees Tu.
"Tu, hey, have you seen View?"
Tu pauses. Dread starts to seep in Mim's blood and sink into her bones. "Saw her in the morning," Tu replies, sounding way off, "but I haven't seen her since."
Despite the uneasy feeling in Mim's stomach, she nods. "Can you call her and tell her to call me back? She isn't replying."
"Sure," Tu says, "I don't know for sure if she'll pick up, but I'll try."
"Thanks."
Tu texts her after lunch, saying View isn't picking up any of her calls. Sighing, Mim resigns to her fate and decides to just pay View a visit later after classes.
"View isn't here?" Ren, a groupmate of theirs, asks.
Mim shakes her head. "Can't get a hold of her."
"Man, how is she even passing? She barely goes here," another groupmate comments. "Why did she even enroll when she knew she was gonna be so busy? Her spot could've gone to someone who deserved it."
Mim rolls her eyes. "She is as deserving as anyone, if not more because she's smart, to get a spot here," she sighs. "It's not fun for me too, but she already did her part. Let it go. This isn't graded anyway, and the professor is lenient. We'll be fine."
"Aren't you angry at all?" Ren asks her. The air around them seems to be sucked out, like if a pin dropped, you'd hear it. As Mim scans everyone else's faces, it's clear to her that they have been talking amongst each other about this.
"I am," Mim says plainly. "I'm frustrated. I told her. Which is why it's a waste of time to be talking about it now, okay? And just because she's my friend doesn't mean I'm letting her off the hook."
"You sure about that? 'Cause it seems like you are," someone else snaps.
Mim slides them a look. "You don't even know me," she says. "And you're all getting your panties twisted over something trivial like this. It's fine. We'll do the report as is, then I'll talk to her. So, drop it, you hear me?"
She takes a deep breath, sighs, and continues, "it's just a stupid group report. You're still getting your A's or whatever because our work is good. Chill the fuck out."
She pushes the classroom door open and leaves the rest of her groupmates standing outside. Stupid View and her habit of going missing in action for no reason. Stupid View and her ghosting habits. Stupid View for leaving her behind to deal with these idiots. Stupid View for not being here when Mim needs her.
It's not like View owes it to her, but it would be really nice. To have View beside her, to actually talk to View on a regular basis like Tu does, to actually live up to the 'friend' label Mim gives her.
They're barely even friends, is Mim's point, which is probably why it's so pathetically laughable that Mim calls her that.
After getting Tu to cough up View's address (not really, she just texted her) after classes, Mim knocks on the door softly. "View? Are you home?"
She tries not to lose more of her patience as she knocks and calls for View again. She tries, and tries, and keeps trying, until the door finally swings open. "Hey, I've been waiting for like— oh." The woman who answers the door is very obviously not View, but someone who looks like her. "Sorry for disturbing," Mim says.
"Not at all," the woman says. "Come in. You must be View's friend."
Mim bites her tongue to stop herself from correcting her. She manages a quick nod as she follows the woman inside.
"I'm her aunt," said woman says, "my name's May."
Mim tries for a small smile. "I'm Mim." She looks around. "Is View home?"
May nods and points to the only closed door in the apartment. "She's in her room."
Mim excuses herself and knocks on View's door. When she gets no response, she looks back at May, who quietly encourages her to open the door. Mim is a simple person, so she does. Even if it feels like entering forbidden property.
The first thing that greets Mim when she opens the door is View's scent. It wraps around her as if pulling her into the room. The next thing Mim sees is— "holy shit, View, are you okay?" Mim blurts in a panic.
View looks up from where she's sitting in front of the mirror, shirt hiked up to show her side, which has a deep, red irritated cut and terribly done stitches. There's a bunch of medical stuff, like alcohol and gauze and, oh god, is that a needle. View's face goes pale, and Mim almost passes out.
"What the fuck happened?" Mim asks as she kneels beside View to take a closer look at her wound. There's an annoying tremble in her hands and fingers that she can't stop, and she can vaguely sense the emptiness in her ribcage. Her heart is somewhere at her feet.
"I just got caught up in the danger zones nearby," View responds. She hisses as she dabs alcohol on her wound. "You should've seen the other guy."
"What the hell are you talking about," Mim mumbles. Liars, all of them. She reaches for the tweezers in View's hand and snatches it when View tries to move it away from her. Mim gives her a look, and all View does is raise a brow in response. There is something seriously wrong with this girl if she's trying to make a serious situation lighthearted and challenging Mim as if there isn't sweat beading around her temple from trying to treat her own wounds. "I'll do it, View. Just breathe and relax."
Mim is by no means a medical expert. In fact, she has no medical experience at all. The most she has ever done is use the blood pressure machines her parents bought from the pharmacy on them, and make sure they're taking their medicine on time. Okay, maybe she has some medical experience, but not nearly enough to treat stuff like this anyway.
"I heard your voicemail," View says after a moment. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the presentation. How'd you guys do?"
Mim glances at her and sighs, focusing back on the wound. God, she needs to stitch this shit in a bit. She might really throw up. "It was okay," it kind of wasn't, "it would've been better if you were there. I can't stand those idiots."
View chuckles, and quickly regrets it based on the wince that follows after.
"Don't laugh," Mim nags. "I didn't say anything funny anyway."
"No? I think you're funny."
Mim pauses. Her heart skips a beat. Not the time. "Your sense of humor must be more twisted than mine."
"Or I'm just very appreciative of my friend," View says gently.
Mim hates it. Hates the way her face is heating up at that. Hates the gentleness behind View's tone. Hates the way it's so easy for View to be forgiven in her heart because of how much Mim likes her. It's ridiculous, Mim hates it. So much.
"I'm barely a friend," Mim sighs. "I barely know you, or anything that is happening in your life." Mim sighs again, leans back, looks around the room and meets View's gaze. "I hate that I had to come to your house to find out about something like this. I know you have your phone on you all the time too, because you keep waiting for texts about that internship you were mentioning a few weeks back."
View watches her for a few moments. Her eyes are a beautiful brown that seems to be an endless pool of emotions that Mim doesn't know how to name. Mim hates her for being so beautiful. Mim hates that she likes her so fucking much.
"I'm sorry," View speaks. "I'm sorry that I don't tell you anything. I know how frustrating it is to be kept in the dark. I want to make it up to you."
She sounds so genuine and earnest and sincere that Mim doesn't know what to do with herself. The frustration and anger and argument she had with their old groupmates are dulled to almost nothing in the background. They seem like emotions and events that happened in a past life. It's hard to imagine that she is in View's room like this, talking to her like this, and being so, so close to her like this.
Mim takes a deep breath. The cool air rips through her body and settles into her lungs. "You can start by telling me what really happened to you."
View chokes a little, clearly not expecting that. "I—"
"Because I don't buy it, not one bit," Mim interrupts. "You can't have gotten hurt as a bystander. Spiderwoman wouldn't have let that happen."
View flinches. Mim watches her for a beat, then finishes up cleaning View's wound. "She saved me once, you know? It happened so fast. I almost got shot, she said. I didn't even know. I didn't see it coming at all." Mim places the gauze on View's wound, reaches for the bandage and wraps it around her. She leans back on her heels and talks. "So tell me. What really happened, View?"
View opens and closes her mouth for a few seconds. Almost like she's thinking a lot, going through what she should say and what she shouldn't say. After a long moment, View says, "I can't tell you."
What a joke.
"Right," Mim sucks in a breath. "I should've known."
"Look, don't take it the wrong way, Mim. I trust you, I swear, but I just… can't tell you," View frantically explains. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." It's not. Everyone keeps lying and hiding things from her and Mim is so, so sick of it. "Your wound is cleaned now. Just be careful when you move and, yeah. Stay safe, View."
So, maybe Mim is a little petty, but she has been ignoring View's texts and calls and voicemails for the past week now. She isn't View's friend anyway, so it's fine. It should be fine. Only, Mim is a little guilty and very worried about her wound.
View calls her name as she walks past her and Tu, her voice leaking in with the music coming out of her headphones. Which is impressive, considering the noise cancellation on this thing is actually pretty good.
Mim continues to walk past her anyway, not wanting to pay View any mind. She should get over this crush quick, and maybe then that rejection can hurt less. Because that is what it was, right, a rejection? View wanted to make it up to her, be an actual friend for once, Mim set the terms and got nothing. That's how it happened, truthfully and objectively. Totally nothing subjective about it at all.
This is good. Some distance would be good. Not getting involved in (or trying to) View's business is good. This stupid crush on her can finally end and Mim can start moving on and going on about her life like she first imagined, before knowing View.
God, whatever. Today has been super weird. There's that weird feeling that Mim is forgetting something and she can't shake it off for some reason.