Familia ✧ MILES MORALES ❨o.h.❩

7 - Crash But Don't Burn

WHEN LUNA GOT HOME THAT DAY, EXCITEMENT FLOODED THROUGH HER WHEN SHE SAW THE VOLKSWAGEN MINIBUS PARKED BY THE CURB.

Most people wouldn't think anything of it, but to Luna, it meant the arrival of someone near and dear to her heart. The car was a soft white color, but the Cuban flag was painted on the sides and hood, and the top was deep navy blue. The headlights had glittery silver eyelashes on them, and the brand logo had been taken off and replaced with the Autobots symbol. It was a unique car, that much was certain, but it made Luna excited, since the appearance of the vehicle meant her aunt was in town.

Luna rushed up to the door to her house, then unlocked it and threw it open. Her face lit up when she saw the blonde woman in the kitchen, and she smiled before saying, "Tía!"

The woman looked up, a similar smile on her face, and without hesitation Luna ran across the room and crashed into her in a huge hug.

Mónica Alocer, Salomé's younger sister, had always been the black sheep of the family. She had never married, never had any children, and didn't have a steady, paying job. Mónica was an artist, and a damn good one at that, and she often expressed that there was nothing else in the world she would rather do. Luna's grandparents had always pushed Mónica to settle down and actually do something with her life, but Mónica had insisted that doing what she loved to do was doing something. Tall, graceful, and with hair that alternated from blonde to brunette on a monthly basis, Mónica was truly a free spirit and very unconventional — a bohemian, as Luna's father had put it. But, while Luna, Rubi, and their mother adored the woman, Jazmín, Mateo, and their father frequently found her to be annoying, and sometimes ostracized her at family gatherings.

"My little mariposa," Mónica hummed, squeezing her niece in a tight embrace. "Te extrañé mucho, how are you?"

Luna looked up at her aunt and grinned. "Better, now that you're here."

Mónica laughed softly, putting her arm around Luna's shoulders and guiding her to the couch. "Really? Was it that bad of a first day?"

Luna shook her head as she and her aunt sat down. "No, not really," Luna said, now speaking entirely in Spanish. "I mean, minus the blonde asshole, the day's been fine."

"You remember what I told you?" Mónica asked. "Hit him and run if he won't leave you alone, it'll teach him to actually listen."

"I wish it was that easy," Luna said with a sigh. "But he is the most ignorant, stubborn, hardheaded person I've ever met. He won't leave me alone no matter what me or any of my friends tell him."

"Why don't you ask Miles to take care of him?" Mónica suggested. "A couple of good punches would teach him."

Luna laughed softly. "You can't solve every problem with your fists, tía." Then she shook her head. "But I can't ask Miles for help. He's a pacifist, fighting isn't something he's comfortable with."

Mónica shrugged. "Well, then I guess you're stuck for now."

Luna sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah, I guess I am."

There was a moment of the before Mónica pinched the fabric of Luna's jacket. "You're all dressed up today. That's very unusual for you."

Luna groaned, leaning forward and facepalming herself as she switched back to English. "God, don't remind me. I've never been catcalled so many times in my entire life."

"It wasn't your idea, then?" Mónica asked, also speaking English.

"No, it was Tessa's," Luna replied, shaking her head. "She said that since it was the first day I had to look my best."