Before I Forget

A Worthy Opponent

Sky was the winner of the semifinals.

Against all odds, she had kicked Miguel's ass and scored a victory, and Hawk couldn't have been more proud, but at the same time–

This means I'm gonna have to fight her in the finals. And I can't do that. I fucking can't.

Hawk's eyes followed Sky, as she walked through the doors to a hallway that led to the locker rooms. They had a small break before the finals, and Sky had said she needed to go to the bathroom and grab a Gatorade, leaving Hawk here alone with a million things he would have wanted to say to her, wondering if they'd have time for a chat before the finals.

His wandering thoughts were interrupted, as he noticed Miguel walking toward him. In a heartbeat, he forgot all about wanting to talk to Sky, all his worries about the coming finals, and the only thing he could think about was how his fist was going to meet Miguel's face–

He was fucking gonna kill Miguel for what he had done to Sky!

Rage twisted his features, as he slammed his hands against Miguel's chest and pushed him so that he almost fell down.

"Hawk, what the fuck–?"

"That's for Sky," he spat out, clenching his fists, ready to strike. "You fucking asshole."

"Hawk–"

"Do you even realize what you did?" he snarled, the acrid taste of anger making him lick his lips. "She almost got another episode!"

"Yeah, but she didn't. She won." Miguel replied, backing away from him, but Hawk followed, his fists still clenched so tight that the nails dug into his palms.

"I'll fucking kill you for this," he hissed, tasting the rage on his lips.

That made Miguel's eyes widen as if he only now realized how he felt. As if he only now realized what it had done to him to see Sky being hit like that, to see the pain in her eyes, the fear, the agony–

"Calm down! I knew she could take it!"

"How the fuck would you know that?"

Miguel swallowed, his eyes avoided Hawk's gaze. "Because... we've been training together. For some weeks now."

That felt like a punch to his gut. Like a fucking arrowhead through his sternum.

"What did you say?" he barely got the words out.

"You heard me," Miguel replied, very clearly. "Sky came to me and asked me to train with her, to hit her in that shoulder - every fucking day for two weeks. So yeah, I knew she could take it. It was a long shot to think I could beat her anyway."

Hawk felt like he couldn't breathe.

Sky had gone to Miguel?

For two fucking weeks? And every time Hawk had asked where she was and she had given some vague answer she'd been lying, because, in fact, she had been with Miguel, behind his back.

My girlfriend and my best friend?

Anger blinded Hawk's vision, red crept towards the center.

"Asshole!" he grunted, pushing Miguel again so that he had to take a step back to be able to stay on his feet. "I'll fucking kill you–!"

Miguel tried to answer something, but Hawk really didn't care to listen. His fists were clenched tight and no matter that Miguel was his friend - his best friend - he wanted nothing more than to punch him in his stupid face so that he would bleed, and he would hurt, for this betrayal and also for hurting Sky. He raised his fist, growling—