Forbidden Things || Cobra Kai

39 Into a Raging Fire

Rage was not seeing red like it was described to be.

It was hot, inside and out, and coursed through Hawk's body like it was oxygen being carried through his bloodstream. Somehow, the anger and frustration he felt was something the rest of his body needed to feel; it couldn't be contained in his heart alone. It refused to stay in one place and fed itself into every muscle he had, fueling his adrenaline as he ran through the mall.

He couldn't think of anything but that dumb review Demetri had written about Cobra Kai, where he did nothing but talk lowly of them and their dojo. It was a load of bullshit and it couldn't be ignored. As far as Hawk was concerned, this was an attack on him, his teammates, and their senseis, and that couldn't go unpunished.

It was how he found himself running after the nerd. Instead of agreeing to take down the review, Demetri was running like a coward. Hawk didn't know where he thought he was going, but they weren't going to let him get far. Cornering him in the food court, the Cobras neared, a mean look on Hawk's face.

The rage was everywhere, burning from his heart to his fingertips. As he got closer, another coal was thrown into the furnace that was his chest, and Hawk never looked away from his prey. Their eyes met and he saw the raw fear in the gray eyes he'd grown up beside for the last ten years.

"It didn't have to be like this. You could have joined Cobra Kai if you weren't such a pussy," he spat. He weaved through the tables and chairs like a true snake, but he hardly noticed what his actions must have looked like.

Demetri stared at him, backing up without noticing Assface and Douchebag behind him. "At least I'm not an asshole!"

"You're dead meat," he told him, voice low and menacing.

As he stepped closer, fists at the ready, he thought about how it would feel to punch him.

Then, suddenly, Sam used Douchebag to swing herself around and kick Assface, causing him to let Demetri go. The Cobras spread out as she landed on her feet, then pulled Demetri behind her and took a defensive position. They stared each other down, but Hawk wasn't scared of her. She tried to intimidate, but he wasn't going to back down. Never again.

Robby approached coolly, level-headed but still wearing a stupid smirk. His smack talk still sucked, but it was the last thing on Hawk's mind.

This was all of Miyagi-Do, he knew their little dojo was nothing more than a couple of students, but one was missing...

He took a quick glance around, wondering if she was going to reveal herself from the shadows like the others had. His chest started to tighten, the fire losing oxygen and beginning to flicker. It only lasted a moment, though. His jaw tightened as he didn't spot her pink hair anywhere in the crowd, and some sort of relief washed over him.

The tightness loosened and the fire ignited again, brightened as he stared down Sam and Robby, aka the girl who broke Miguel's heart and the boy who was too full of himself. And Demetri, the traitor.

Five against two and a half felt like a great fight. There was no way they could lose.

At least it had seemed that way.

~

The rage that had fueled him made it hard for Hawk to remember the fight, or maybe it was the kick to the head. Regardless, he was laying in bed with an ice pack on his eye, his body sore and achy. His parents weren't home, but he already had a story put together on what he would tell his mother when she got home and saw his black eye. He knew she'd worry, but he knew just what to say so that she wouldn't.

He used his good eye to look at his phone, using one hand to text but it was slow going. He was frustrated; with the slow texting, with Miyagi-Do, with himself and the other Cobras. The rage still lay in wait, smoldering and smoking from his chest.