Ray doesn't give love out like it's a participation award. He makes you fight for it, makes you do anything to get it. It's part of what makes Mika try so hard.
And she knows that she can be annoying at times with her attempts. But everywhere she goes, since they were born in separate towns, it's always about Miles. Miles this, Miles that.
In a stupid, selfish way, she was hoping that maybe, just maybe Danger Force, and by extension Ray and Schwoz could be hers.
But that won't ever happen. So she takes every insult in stride, and learns not to snitch, not to speak over Ray, not to mess with Schwoz's equipment and to be smaller. To be... not herself.
And it sucks, she won't deny it. But sometimes Ray gives her a smile, and Chapa tells her a joke, and Bose gives her that goofy grin that never fails to make her feel butterflies and she's willing to put up with it a little longer.
At least, she used to. Now, sitting in the lab of the Man's Nest, she doesn't know if she can keep putting up with it.
Ray is yelling at her, something went wrong on the mission they were just on, and of course, it's somehow her fault. The others are stone faced, like they don't have anything to say, like they don't even care and all Mika wants to do is scream.
After a long long moment of silence, Ray asks her a question. "What the hell were you thinking Mika?" She looks up at him, through tearful eyes and responds.
"I just wanted you to be proud of me. For once." The room goes silent again and Ray looks at her like he can't believe what she just said. "What?" He asks and before she can stop herself, she's speaking.
"I do everything right. I never mess up. But you are never proud of me. Not once. I don't know if I can continue doing this Ray. Being apart of Danger Force. Pretending that I don't care. I just-I just wanted to feel like I'm something special."
Chapa steps forward and Ray lifts a hand to tell her to stay where she was. "What do you mean by that Kid?"
Mika snorts, blinking back tears. Of course, no one knows what she's talking about. God she's so dumb. "Doesn't matter. I'm going home. I'll see you all tomorrow." She walks out, ignoring the rushed yelling of her name and Bose's confused questions.
Someday, she'll make someone proud. And if it has to be herself, then so be it.
