My friend and I are in a group chat with three Italian men (long story, but we met while travelling in Spain). Our conversations are mostly friendly and joking, and we usually text in English.

A couple of days ago, they exchanged the following messages in Italian:

M.: “S., are you still alive? (Ci sei ancora?)”

S.: “Certo che ci sono, ma tu rispondi solo alle fighe 😂”

When I translate S.’s reply into English, it sounds quite vulgar, but I’m not sure whether it comes across the same way in Italian. 

I’d really appreciate some insight from native Italian speakers. Thanks so much for your help!