"Oh, no." Demetri whined, a desperate look falling onto his long face.

Hawk's jaw clenched tight at the sight of his sworn enemy. In a heartbeat all the things Demetri had said about Eli in his stupid speech at Moon's party, flashed through his mind, bringing an acidic taste of anger into his mouth. He would never forgive Demetri for that fucking speech - or the kick that had landed him into the trophy case, making him look like a fool.

His abdomen went tight as if remembering the pain that kick had caused.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He growled, throwing the box of chocolates onto Sky's bed, not giving it another thought.

Demetri retreated into the hallway, the frightened rabbit that he was, as if leaving the room could provide him any safety. Hawk let out a mocking snort as he followed

"I asked you a question," he snarled. "What the fuck do you think you're doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Demetri replied, still backing away from Hawk. "What are you doing here?"

So, Sky hadn't told her friends that they were getting back together. That hurt, it stung like a dagger in Hawk's heart. Maybe she wasn't serious about it, then? Maybe she was just high on drugs and had let him kiss her for that reason only, and nothing else?

Maybe she planned to hook up with Demetri instead.

That thought made Hawk see red like nothing else. He tasted bile at the back of his throat.

"None of your fucking business, you fucking nerd." He walked closer, and Demetri's back hit the opposite wall of the hallway, making it impossible for him to get away. Hawk glanced at the fresh bouquet of pink carnations in Demetri's hands, and his heart ached with jealousy, knowing to whom they were meant. "What, you thought that I was out of the way and you could have her now? Huh? Is that it?"

"Jesus," Demetri rolled his eyes. "That's not what I want! I am her friend. A friend. Though that concept might be unknown to you."

Hawk's throat bobbed. Demetri's words hit home a bit too hard. No matter how much he tried to deny the truth, Hawk was painfully aware of the fact that he didn't have friends, not anymore. Not since Demetri had turned into a traitor and an enemy, Aisha had quit Cobra Kai and moved away, and Miguel had fallen into a coma. The jerks he hung out with nowadays, Rickenberger and Assface mostly, were idiots. He only spent time with them because they thought he was a badass and followed his lead.

That could hardly be called a friendship, though. He was smart enough to know the difference.

"Shut up, smartass," he snarled at his former brother. "And get the fuck out of here before I make you."

"You'd seriously start a fight? In here?" Demetri spread his arms. "In a hospital? After everything that's happened—?"

"Yeah, after the fucking speech you gave. Did you really think you'd get away with all that shit?"

"Okay, yeah, maybe I went a bit too far with that, but you did pour a beer on my head—."

"You deserved that."

"— and I am sorry about that speech. But Eli, come on—"

That was the last straw. Eli. After everything that had happened, Demetri still wouldn't call Hawk by his name.

"Hawk."

"What?" Demetri's brows furrowed.

"It's Hawk. Not Eli."

Everything in Hawk was tense, aching for violence, aching for his justified revenge. He stood close enough to Demetri to see his own narrow-eyed reflection in the other boy's eyes, and that sight made Hawk feel like he was 10 feet tall. He wasn't the one being pushed around anymore. He wasn't the one getting bullied. He wasn't the one who'd be kicked into a trophy case this time, it wouldn't be him who fucking bled on the floor.

"Think your pussy Miyagi-Do moves will save you this time?" Hawk asked, tilting up his chin, and clenching his fists.

Demetri swallowed, but took a defensive position, bringing his arms up, fists protecting his face. So, no running away this time. It was going to be a fight. Not that Hawk minded, he had wanted to kick Demetri's ass since that stupid mall fight in the summer, and now, finally, he would get his revenge.

His fist clenched tight, Hawk was just about to throw the first punch, when someone grabbed his arm and pulled it back.

"Stop it! Right now!"

Hawk swirled to look over his shoulder. There was Nicholas standing behind him, holding his arm in an iron grip, and he was furious. Demetri used the moment to retreat further, to flee behind a catering trolley that held some trays and plates with lunch food. A plate clattered to the floor, forks, and knives scattered everywhere.

"Let go of me–!" Hawk growled, trying to free his arm, but Nicholas was surprisingly strong, and his grip held.

"Not before you calm down."

Hawk took a deep breath, let it out slowly, but the anger was still within him, it burned like a fire inside of his chest, and he wanted to see Demetri bleed. That thought made everything else seem meaningless. He didn't even remember his promise to Sky, it meant nothing now. He hated Demetri with every fiber of his being - Demetri, who had once been his best friend, but who was now on a mission to ruin his life.

"Get out of here, Demetri," Nicholas said, still holding Hawk behind. Demetri gave a sharp nod, awkwardly placed the flower bouquet on the catering trolley next to the lunch trays, and then quickly fled toward the lifts.

Only when he was out of sight, did Nicholas let Hawk go. Hawk shrugged his hands off him, fighting the urge to punch him instead of Demetri.

"You're out of here too," Nicholas said, anger dripping from his voice.

"You had no business interfering!"

"Oh, really? If you seriously think that what you were doing was in Sky's best interest, think again." Nicholas growled his voice low, his posture tense. "This is no place to start fights. You need to leave, now."

Fine, whatever. Hawk glanced in the direction where Demetri had gone. If he was being thrown out of here anyway, he might as well follow and finish the fight.

But Nicholas grabbed his sleeve. "Not so fast."

"I thought you told me to get out."

"I'll walk with you."

Hawk stuffed his hands into his pockets. There was a sharp reply at the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it, kept trying to keep it down. Throwing all his anger on Nicholas' face would get him in a shitload of trouble with Sky - even more than he already was - so for once he held his tongue and just followed Nicholas.

"What, you think I'll attack him the minute you turn your back?" He muttered as they reached the lifts.

"Well, I don't know. Will you?"

Hawk shrugged. He kept his eyes on his sneakers while they waited for the lift to come. "I was just protecting Sky. That nerd wants to get into her pants."

"Ah. And I thought that was what you wanted." Nicholas' voice was dripping venom.

"It's different." Hawk muttered, his cheeks heating with anger and embarrassment. "I love her. Demetri is just desperate to—"

He was going to say 'get laid' but managed to swallow the rest of that sentence. Nicholas probably wouldn't appreciate him saying such things about Sky.

"I seriously doubt that," Nicholas stated, sounding rather irritated, as they stepped into the lift and he pressed the button of the lobby floor. The doors closed with a soft hiss. "Besides, you should give Sky some credit. I'm convinced she has no other love interests than you."

"It's not her I don't trust. It's that fucking nerd–"

"Language, Eli."

"Sorry," he muttered, his eyes still on his sneakers, his hands still in his pockets.

They passed the rest of their time in the lift in silence, and when the door opened Nicholas was the first to step out. Hawk followed reluctantly. He wanted to find Demetri, and finish the fight that had been put off for too long already. He wanted to beat the crap out of that hypocrite asshole. He wanted to make him bleed, to make him hurt - like he had made Hawk bleed and hurt. It wasn't revenge, it was only justice. It was finishing the fight, not starting it.

But also... now that the burning rage was slowly wearing off, Hawk began to realize how massively he might have just fucked up. If Sky found out about what had happened–

Hawk didn't even want to finish that thought. It made him sick to his stomach. Sky wouldn't understand - she wouldn't see it had been all Demetri's fault. She would think the flowers he had brought her were pretty, and she would take Demetri's side, as always.

They had reached the lobby now, and Nicholas stopped before the front doors to check that Demetri was nowhere to be seen, but Hawk kept his eyes down. He kept swallowing, but the bitter taste of defeat and anger lingered on his tongue, no matter what he did.

A desperate urge to rush back to the lifts and find the cafeteria, suddenly filled him, making him almost nauseous. He needed to find Sky, he needed to fix this. He needed to just sit with her in the cafeteria, holding her hand over the table, and buy her whatever she wanted, a whole fucking chocolate cake and a giant latte, whatever the fuck she needed to keep that smile on her face. But everything was ruined now and that agony weighed heavily on his sagging shoulders.

"Will you... will you tell her?" he asked, as Nicholas led the way and they walked out of the front doors.

Nicholas let out a long sigh and turned to look at him. There was no more anger in his eyes. "I will tell her what I see fit. And you will go home."

Hawk swallowed, his throat bobbed.

"But... She's waiting for me. The coffee date—"

"Yes. And she will no doubt be very disappointed." Nicholas said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "But I didn't cause this. You did."

Hawk turned his eyes down. His inhales were shaky, he felt suddenly cold now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He could feel all his hopes getting crushed, the weight on his chest was agonizing.

"Listen to me now, Eli," Nicholas said after a short, awkward silence. "I know you're a good kid, and I know you love my daughter. I really hope you can make things work, for both your sakes. But if you keep pulling stupid, aggressive stunts like this one, then you're digging your own grave. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. If you don't learn how to control that anger, things will end badly for you."

Hawk drew his eyes up from his sneakers and forced himself to look Nicholas in the eye, even if it felt uncomfortable. "I am learning. My Sensi says–"

"That would be Mr. Kreese?"

"Yeah," Hawk nodded. "He says I need to use my anger. To channel it and turn it into my strength."

Nicholas' shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath. He looked at Hawk, his green eyes shadowed and sad, and Hawk hated that he looked so disappointed. He wanted Nicholas to be proud of him, he needed him to understand.

"I would tell you to stay away from John Kreese, but I doubt you'll take that advice," Nicholas said.

"He's a good sensei. He makes me stronger."

"Perhaps. But at what cost?" Nicholas sighed, and laid a hand on Hawk's shoulder. "You must know he is not a good man. Can't you see, Eli? All this fighting will only destroy you in the end."

For a moment Hawk felt like he would crumble. Why would Nicholas talk to him like this, like he cared? He didn't deserve it. He didn't want it.

Without another word, he shrugged Nicholas' hand off his shoulder and left. He didn't look back as he walked away, not even when Nicholas called after him, calling him by his name.

Eli.

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