Right there, holding the phone in his trembling fingers and reading the Yelp review, Hawk knew exactly what he had to do.

He had to teach that nerd a lesson. A lesson he wouldn't forget. A lesson that would show him his place and end his stupid smart mouthing once and for all.

It was as if something had been broken in Hawk's chest when he read the cruel words Demetri had written. Something Hawk had kept there, inside his ribcage, safe and hidden from the world and from himself too - the last remnants of their friendship and of the time he had been a pathetic pussy like Demetri.

Now it was gone. Broken, shattered, destroyed. There was nothing left of that friendship but bitter hate and regret. It had all exploded into a cloud of fire and brimstone like a fucking a-bomb destroying everything on its way, and now it filled Hawk's mind so that it was all he could think about. The world was suddenly as red as his hair, as red as the blood he wanted to draw.

The rage had a sweet, strong taste and he drank it in, let it fill him from head to toe, as he walked into the mall, followed by his new friends.

These friends respected him, they thought he was tough. They would do what he told them to do, they would obey him unlike that fucking Demetri who could never do as he was told.

Hawk had told him not to do anything stupid and yet here they were. So whose fault was it?

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Hawk remembered the promise he had made to Sky - the promise of not being mean to Demetri - but he shoved it away. He wasn't being mean, he was being fucking reasonable. It was Demetri who had started all this.

Besides, Sky wasn't even here. She had flown to Italy with her dad and didn't know anything about Demetri's betrayal, about the Yelp review, about the anger that made Hawk choke and see red and his nails dig into his palms.

Sky was somewhere far, far away over the clouds in a plane, and he was here alone with his anger and with the power it brought him. His promise to Sky meant nothing now, it was mere buzzing of flies in his ears.

Sky was sweet and caring and a little soft. It wasn't her fault she was like that, and Hawk couldn't deny he loved her soft side. But it was just like Sensei Kreese said - Sky needed someone to be tough for her. She wouldn't be able to kick Demetri's ass, not in a million years - so he had to be the one to do it.

Sky would understand when he showed her what Demetri had written about Cobra Kai.

She would back up Hawk's decision to beat the crap out of Demetri.

Right?

And if she didn't... well then, too bad. Demetri was the one who had turned this into a war, but Hawk was more than happy to be a soldier. He would defend their dojo until his last breath, and if Sky couldn't see it that way it was her loss. Then they would fight about it and then they would make up and there would be some awesome make up sex, and when he would make her come time after time, she would forget why she'd been mad at him in the first place.

If Sky even found out about what went down today. He sure as Hell wasn't going to tell her - what she didn't know couldn't hurt her - and even if Demetri was a fucking pussy, Hawk suspected he wouldn't go crying about this to Sky.

And even if she found out somehow, Hawk was pretty sure Sky wouldn't dump him for this. The way Sky had moaned under him in the bed the day before when they had fucked the last time, had told Hawk just how much she needed him, that she fucking loved him. Maybe she would be pissed, but that's all - she would never dump him. She needed his dick inside of her too much to do that.

That thought brought a cocky grin to Hawk's lips. He liked thinking about the fact that he was good in bed. It made him feel tough, confident, invincible. All things he was going to need today as he walked into the comic shop and spotted Demetri between the shelves holding the newest issue of Dungeon Lord in his hands like the pathetic nerd he was.

For a fleeting moment, Hawk saw himself there by Demetri's side as he had been, thin and lanky, wearing an ugly shirt and ill-fitting jeans, excitedly checking out the cover of the issue, listening to Demetri's prattling about what he thought would happen in it. They would both buy their own copies and read them together here at the mall, Demetri commenting on every page, every square, Eli silently agreeing to what he said and once in a while making a comment of his own. And then they would get something to eat and read the comics again, and it would feel like home.

That painful image made his face twist in anger. He swallowed through his thick throat, but the bitter taste was stuck on his lips and it wouldn't go away no matter what he did.

For a heartbeat, he hesitated, took in a shaky breath, and glanced at Assface and Douchebag who stood behind him. He could still walk out of here, they all could. Demetri would never know what had almost happened, nor would Sky.

No, it's too fucking late for that.

Demetri had destroyed their friendship by staying a nerd and a pussy, no matter how hard Hawk had tried to push him into doing himself a favor by joining Cobra Kai. Demetri had never been there for him since he had begun to change. He wouldn't even call him Hawk, always insisting on Eli even if he knew how much the new name meant for him. And Fucking Hell it was Demetri who had started this war by writing that stupid Yelp review, and now he was going to pay for that and all the shit he had done.

Hawk clenched his fists and walked to the boy who wasn't his brother anymore.

"Still can't wait to read that new issue, huh?"

When Demetri looked up and Hawk saw the fear in his eyes, he let out a low chuckle.

Oh, he was going to enjoy this.

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