When Miles decides to quit Danger Force Bose proposes matching tattoos as a final act.//
When they're sixteen and lazing about in Chapa's bedroom is when Miles brings it up. "I think I'm going to quit Danger Force," he says it casually but Bose has known him long enough to know the tensing around his mouth means he's preparing for a fight.
No one reacts for a minute before Chapa speaks up, "Okay," she says hollowly. Miles frowns at her and then at Bose for their nonreactions. "Is that it? Do you even care I'm leaving?" he snaps.
Bose blinks at him incredulously while Chapa snaps back, "Of course, we care! But we knew it was coming," Bose doesn't chime in but Chapa is right, a year or two ago when they started making plans for the future of Danger Force Miles stopped joining in.
When Bose would propose moving to a new city to fight together or Mika would enthusiastically talk about them all going to college together while Chapa told them both to stop being so idealistic and that Ray would never let them leave Swellview Miles wouldn't say anything.
He'd decided to quit long before he told them. Miles lets his jaw hang open for a moment before snapping it closed with a nod of his head, "Okay, good."
Chapa snorts at him while moving her ice pack from her bruised ribs to her sprained ankle, Bose knows it's only a matter of time before she quits too. Suddenly he sits up, jostling Mika from where she'd been using him as a pillow.
"We should do something before you leave Danger Force, something permanent," his friends eye him a bit skeptically but let him gather his thoughts and speak his mind in a way no one else really does, "I think we should get matching tattoos."
He waits, sure one of his friends will protest, whether it be from most of their fear of needles or how a tattoo could make it easier for people to identify them but no one does. Slowly Miles nods, "Yeah, yeah I think that's a good idea." Chapa shrugs but nods but Mika frowns for a moment.
Bose lets her decide on her own time even though he wants to beg her to do it with them, he's not going to pressure her.
After a few minutes pass she sighs, "Yeah okay," she says, "But Ray and our parents can not find out, they'd kill us!" Everyone shudders a bit while imagining it and agrees.
It takes concerningly little time to find someone willing to tattoo them without checking for IDs but their town has always been a bit overridden with crime. Chapa goes first, willingly going alone so her friends don't back out at the site of the needle.
When she leaves to the back Miles, Mika, and Bose lounge on the couches up front. No one says anything for a moment so Bose decides to bite the bullet and ask, "Why quit now?" he feels like it's a fair question, he'd always assumed they'd fight together at least until the end of high school but Miles face twists in displeasure all the same.
"I don't really know to describe it," he eventually confesses, "It's like every time I put on that suit more of me chips away, I don't know how much longer I can go before I'm more AWOL than Miles." Bose nods while Mika frowns in concern, "That's really unhealthy," she states making Miles roll his eyes.
"Yeah duh, hence the quitting." Bose laughs as his friends develop into their usual bickering even though he can't shake the feeling of this truly being the beginning of the end.
Chapa comes out and grins sharply as she narrows in on Bose, despite it being his idea for the tattoos he gulps as he feels his palms start to sweat. Chapa grabs him by the hand and drags him to the back, ignoring his pleas for one of the twins to go first.
He frowns anxiously as he's led into the room and Chapa finally takes pity on him and gives his hand a reassuring squeeze, "It doesn't hurt that bad, I promise." Bose chuckles weakly and asks her, "Where did you get yours anyways? I'm going to get mine above my ankle," Chapa nods at his answer before slightly lifting up her shirt, on her ribs is a simple but elegant design with just the letters DF.
