Familia ✧ MILES MORALES ❨o.h.❩

17 - Teach Me

LUNA WOUND UP SPENDING THE REST OF THE DAY WITH MIDAS. She knew by the end of the day that she had completely misjudged him as a person. He was a very good man - kind, considerate, and genuinely caring. True, he was in an extremely powerful gang and smoked and carried around a custom golden gun that had a skull over the barrel, but Luna realized that it was just the persona he had to put on - the same persona she herself often wore on jobs. She couldn't fault him for that. 

Now, it was getting close to sundown, and Luna and Midas were heading back to his motorcycle so he could take her home. They were quiet as they walked, but smiles were on both of their faces as they shyly avoided eye contact. Every time Luna would look at Midas, when he noticed her she looked away, and whenever Midas would look at Luna, when she noticed him he looked away. Luna felt heat rise in her cheeks each time she caught him staring, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning like an idiot. 

"Alright," Midas said once they reached his bike. "Time to take you back."

Luna nodded. "Yeah, about that." Midas raised an eyebrow, and she glanced down before saying, "With everything that's happened to me recently, I've realized that I need to learn how to defend myself beyond knives and my fists. And my dad tells me you're really good with guns. So I was wondering if you..." Luna inhaled sharply. "If you could maybe... teach me?" 

Midas crossed his arms. "You mean you want me to teach you how to use a gun?" 

Luna nodded. "Yeah. I think it would help me out a lot." 

Midas shrugged, then said (much to Luna's surprise), "Supongo que podría enseñarte algunas cosas." 

Luna stared, open-mouthed. "Wait, you speak Spanish?" 

Midas nodded. "Fluently." When Luna continued to stare in shock, he gave her a look and said, "What, you think the white boy can't take a Spanish class?" 

Luna blinked; she had no idea Midas spoke Spanish or even knew half of what she was saying when she spoke it. "So you mean you've understood everything I've said?" 

Midas nodded again. "I understand everything you and your gang say. But don't worry, I keep all your conversations confidential. Not even my dad knows what you guys talk about in the Big House." He mounted the bike, then jerked his head, motioning for her to get on. "Come on, I don't have all night." 

Luna snapped herself out of her shock and got on the bike, wrapping her arms around Midas' chest. Then, once he sped away from Coney Island, she hugged him tighter and rested her cheek on his back, trying to sort out everything she was feeling. 

Luna didn't always trust very easily - especially people from other gangs. She was pretty good at sensing people's vibes, and if she detected even a hint of bad vibes from someone, it took a lot for them to gain her trust. She had felt that way about Midas at first, but after spending the day with him, she realized she trusted him wholeheartedly. He was someone worthy of her trust, since he had helped her out of her nearly month-long depression and was able to snap her out of the episode she'd had in the crowd. She knew she was wrong to judge him, and that she could trust him with things she knew she couldn't trust with many other people. 

As the bike slowed to a stop, Luna saw that they weren't at her house, but at a very pristine and fancy-looking building. Frowning, she looked at Midas and asked, "What are we doing here?" 

Midas shrugged. "This is my dad's shooting range." When Luna's frown deepened, he explained, "You said you wanted me to teach you how to shoot. So here we are." 

Luna glanced at the building. "This is your dad's shooting range?" 

Midas gave her a look as he dismounted from the bike. "Looks can be deceiving. You should know that better than anyone."