Chapter Text
She had finally asked during a sleepover - it had been a rough day before that, but now the four of them were scattered around her room with piles of blankets and pillows. Miles and Bose had both drifted off to sleep already, leaving her alone with Chapa's insomnia and straightforward bluntness. Which was exactly what she wanted.
"…hey- Chapa?"
"Mhm?"
"Can I ask a question that's, like- kind of a dumb question, but also kinda not- it mostly just depends on the-"
Chapa cut her off with a sigh. "Just ask the question, Mika."
Mika paused, resisting the urge to shrink back at Chapa's flat tone. Because- Chapa was exhausted, and Mika knew that going into this conversation. That was half the point; the hope that Chapa was tired enough right now to answer without asking any follow-up questions.
"Okay. Um-" She swallowed, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "You guys, um- you like me, right?"
A pause. A long moment of no reaction whatsoever, and Mika's heart was sinking so fast that she could practically feel the breath slipping out of her lungs-
"Wait-" Chapa snapped her gaze over to stare at her, suddenly scrambling up into a sitting position. "Wait, hang on, was that the question?"
…okay, maybe she underestimated just how sleep-deprived her friend was right now.
"Obviously?"
"No, not obviously; I thought that was like, leading into the actual question- you guys like me, right? Would you still like me if I told you I accidentally killed someone? Or- something like that, I don't know, but-" Chapa faltered for a split second, still staring at her. "Mika. Do you- actually think we don't like you?"
"No! No, of course not." A pause, just for a moment- and then her mouth was moving again of its own volition, words spilling out purely on nervous instinct. "I mean- I wasn't sure, exactly, but- you know, not much point in asking a question if you already know the answer, or- or if you think you know the answer, so- you know. Just, um-" She could feel her voice trailing off into something uncharacteristically quiet, unsure. "…just checking."
Chapa didn't say anything for a moment. When she finally did, her voice had a tension to it. Like she was trying hard to keep it even. "Why?"
Mika blinked. "What?"
"Why are you asking, Mika?"
She swallowed. And she briefly considered trying to backtrack somehow, trying to brush the whole thing aside in the hopes that Chapa would somehow forget about it in the morning.
But she didn't. Because- maybe she wasn't great at knowing what people wanted her to say, who they wanted her to be, at being that, at having friends at all- but if there was one thing she knew she was good at, it was facing problems head on and doing something about them.
So.
"Because-" Steadying breath, come on, breathe- "…I don't know, you've all just- been really annoyed at me lately, and- I don't know, I just…got worried. I guess."
"And you thought-" Chapa cut herself off with a sharp exhale. "Okay. So did you just somehow miss the part where Bose has been hanging onto your every word tonight? And the part where Miles almost fell out the window trying to make sure he got to be on your team for that trivia game you wanted to play?"
"You didn’t even like that game- "
"I liked seeing Miles almost falling out the window."
"…okay, yeah, that was kinda funny, but-"
"Mika." The sudden intensity in Chapa's voice gave her pause. "You're our friend. Of course we-" She stopped, clearly realizing how loud her voice had gotten when Bose stirred slightly from his spot curled up in Mika's chair.
Then she glanced back at her. "…of course we like you." Much softer, that time. "Literally everyone likes you."
She smiled faintly. "Oh, so you speak for everyone now?" She tried for a gently teasing tone; it came out a bit shakier than she would have liked.
"Right now? Yeah. Everyone who doesn't want to get flame-broiled alive within the next five minutes."
The matter-of-fact protectiveness startled a slight giggle out of her, and the fond grin she got in response eased something buried deep in her - some part of her that she hadn't even realized was bracing for indifference.
"Thanks." She murmured. "And- sorry if I was getting on your nerves earlier, with the whole thing about-"
"Of course you were getting on my nerves earlier." Chapa interrupted, voice regaining its fierce edge. "And so was Bose. And so was Miles. And- I mean, goes without saying that Ray was getting on my nerves. And I'm pretty sure I was returning the favor." And suddenly there was something achingly genuine in her gaze, forceful and sincere. "We're all annoying. If you stopped driving me insane, I'd miss it. Plus, I'd probably think you'd been cursed or cloned or something-"
"Is that your idea of reassurance?" Mika giggled- mostly in an attempt to hide the fact that it was absolutely working and she was on the verge of tearing up from relief.
Chapa ignored her. "-so I'd try to break the curse, or beat up your clone until she told me where you were. And we'd get you back. Because- that's what we do, right? We're a team."
Mika nodded, smile tugging at her face.
Chapa ducked her head to the side, faking a cough at the ground. "...and-also-we're-your-friends-and-we-love-you-and-stuff-" She muttered through the cough.
"…what was that last part?" Mika grinned.
"Nothing. Don't know what you're talking about. I have a cough." She fake-coughed again. "It's probably bronchitis, you know."
And as she grinned wider at Chapa's deadpan dramatics, she could feel all her anxious tension melting into something unbelievably soft. Soft and safe.
She hummed, nodding in mock-seriousness. "Might want to see a doctor about that."
"It's incurable." Chapa was clearly putting effort into keeping a straight face now. "I'll be dead within the week."
"Mhm. That's unfortunate. Because we love you, too. And we'd miss you if you died of bronchitis."
Chapa rolled her eyes, but Mika still definitely caught her smile before she ducked her head away, moving back to leaning against her pillow. "Yeah, yeah. Go to sleep."
Mika laughed slightly, reaching for her own pillow. She could practically feel how uncontrollably bright her own smile still was. "You go to sleep."
"I am!"
"Good." The word came out as a yawn.
Chapa grumbled incoherently, face already pressed into her pillow. "You're the worst."
"You love me." She mumbled, only half-teasing as she burrowed back into her blankets; expecting more incoherent grumbling in response, but-
"Obviously." She muttered. "Now- shut up. Sleep."
And, letting herself settle softly into the sense of being surrounded by a calm and steady affection- Mika did exactly that.