when life gives you a lemon...

'Good thing I've got one of my own to keep an eye out for me.'

Dark eyes squinted playfully at that. It wasn't the fact that she was calling him a weirdo, because that felt somewhat expected. It was the fact that she called him "her own" weirdo that kept the smirk on his face. Deep down, he understood he wasn't supposed to like that, he shouldn't like that...but there he was, definitely liking it.

Miguel was lacing their fingers together when she was grabbing his arm and turning his attention to the balloon game. Those carnival games were usually such a rip-off, but her giddiness could not be ignored. Approaching the booth, he glanced around at the array of stuffed animals before he was retrieving some cash from his wallet to pay the guy.

"Alright, then-" he regarded Lucy, his grin crooked. "Let's see what you've got." He, of course, was going to remain aside to watch her struggle with this first.

Stepping aside with his arms crossed over his chest, Miguel watched in sheer amusement as Lucy made an attempt at the game. Most people knew these types of things were rigged, but he was expecting her to simply flop and miss most, if not all, of the balloons. Instead, after switching her stance with the first miss, she was leaving him momentarily stunned.

Whoa, okay. He definitely hadn't been expecting that, and there was this new, appreciative, almost enamored glint in his eyes while he continued to watch her; his trademark smile widening across his face. There seemed to be more to little Lucy Marone than he originally thought. Then again, she was Chuck's baby sister, was she not?

When the fourth balloon had clearly been hit and not popped, his smile faltered a little. Guess she found one of the fake ones, and that simply wouldn't do.

"Nah, you're gonna try this again," he said to her. Cool and collected, he forced a smirk back on his face as he turned to the other guy; fishing out some more cash from his wallet. If the man counted, he might've realized he overpaid, because there was precisely $13, and the hand that Miguel was quietly gripping perhaps a little too hard would be a hint. "Maybe you should change out those balloons, yeah?" he asked, but it was more like a smooth demand. Then his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, "And I won't have to mention this little stand to Rafael."

Everyone here knew Rafe of Los 13. Everyone. Maybe it was a petty blow on Miguel's part to wield such a threat, but he didn't care. As the guy went wide-eyed for a brief moment, Rez took four more darts before the owner went to reset the balloons.

That grin was back as he walked over to Lucy to hand her the darts. Instead of stepping away, he moved a little behind her this time to rest his hand at her lower back.

When he had to play the Rafe card, he would. Miguel didn't do it a lot, but every so often it was fun to see how a person reacted to possibly being thrown into the crosshairs of Los 13. It was an unsettling feeling, he imagined, but it was difficult not to chuckle to himself at this man's reaction.

Fortunately, Mr. Balloons wasn't an idiot and did what was requested of him. It still meant Lucy had to have some skill, and from what he'd just seen, it was clear she did. Were he to be honest, it was a bit of a turn on. To tell her that, however, Rez knew he'd be giving her a secret weapon. She already teased him enough.

'See, I'd be better with knives.'

Yep, she was making it worse but he tried not to let on. Maybe it was what she said following that that sobered him up a bit more. Miguel was grinding his teeth a little, softly frowning at the realization of her father clearly being abusive. Was he still around? No, he couldn't be because Chuck wouldn't allow it.

He laughed at how amped up she seemed to be before he was drifting back another step in order to give her some room. Miguel paid no mind to the other main, solely training those dark eyes on Lucy as she hit two darts in a row, missing the third. There was a quick frown, and his attention flickered to the stand's operator in warning before he heard the third pop.

Immediately, his expression brightened, watching as she adorably chose her rightful prize. The other man was completely ignored now, and Miguel laughed again at the sight of the bear in the biker jacket. Good choice.

'Now I can take you home tonight, even if I can't take you home tonight.'

Oh. Ooooh, girl. That wide smile instantly returned to his face when he outright laughed. Were he anyone else, he might have even blushed at that little joke of hers. Instead, he was stepping up to her, both hands falling to her hips. "That...that was a very good line, baby girl," he mused, humor still glinting in his eyes as he leaned in just a little bit. Before he could allow himself to veer off into dangerous territory, though, he switched lanes. "I'm high maintenance. I need to be dined first, y'know?" Miguel chuckled again.