No Mercy

143

The weekend went by ever so slowly for Demetri and Eli. The two of them have not seen or even so much as texted each other since the night Cobra Kai shaved Eli's mohawk off. Demetri was conflicted with overwhelming thoughts. He had kissed his best friend many times before but this time he did so while officially dating someone else. Demetri had cheated on his girlfriend with Eli. He was only trying to comfort his best friend but he knew that deep down inside he did enjoy the intimate interaction between them. It was wrong and he knew it. Yet, it felt so right to do.

As for Eli, he's been miserable over the two day break. Eli had reverted back to his previous coping mechanisms which was self inflicted pain. He lost himself. Without his mohawk he was absolutely nothing. He deserved this. He knew it.

***

Miyagi Do has been training rigorously even during the weekend in preparations for the All Valley. Today was the day they had announced the new rules, protocols and divisions for the karate tournament. It was a shock to all dojos but there were katas to be presented which Sensei Lawrence found ridiculous. To make matters worse now there were gender divisions which was a major problem for Miyagi Do considering their only male to somewhat master their techniques was Demetri. Demetri against Robby Keene? It sounded like a sick joke but it was bound to happen now. Mr. LaRusso had given Demetri various pep talks however none of them prepared him mentally or physically for the situation.

During the meetings with both dojos, Eli was nowhere to be seen. He was one of Eagle Fang's strongest soldiers aside from Miguel. That's when an idea popped into Demetri's mind. Miyagi Do needed him on their side. It was the only way to beat Cobra Kai.

***

Eli had been avoiding everyone at school so much as skipping classes that his friends or enemies were in. He didn't want people to see him without his signature hawk. Plus, everyone in school knew why he lost the infamous hairdo. They all stared at him, whispering amongst themselves as he passed by. Cobras chuckling when he was seen. It was really embarrassing and he honestly couldn't take it. Once school was finally over he darted to his house avoiding any person that looked his way.

Demetri on the other hand was searching for Eli everywhere. This gave him horrible reminders of when Eli didn't show up to school when his transformation happened. He hoped this time he wasn't going to change drastically into everything he isn't. Only way to find out was to search for him and he knew where Eli would hide when he was upset. It was their lair, the basement of Eli's house. They always spent time their together when they needed a distraction.

Without hesitation he marches to Eli's house as soon as he was able to shove his belongings into his locker. It was only a matter of minutes before Demetri stood at Eli's front porch. He knocked and knocked and knocked, yet nobody answered. It was absolutely frustrating. Phone calls and texts were obviously not an option and so Demetri had to do what he would normally not agree with. It was an invasion of privacy and it was partially against the law however he did have the parental consent of Ms. Moskowitz. This was important and he needed to speak with Eli.

The solemn teen was back to playing Dungeon Lord like the old days, only this time it wasn't to seek enjoyment but rather to distract himself from the real world. Dungeon lord always had a strong effect on Eli but now it was just a mere numbing medication for his cruel reality. Eyes were fixated on the screen, that is until he heard a loud slam and marching feet. Those feet sounded familiar, almost like he could recognize the way they dragged against the wooden floor upstairs, shuffling lazily down the steps. He snapped his head around to see the one and only Demetri.

"Where the hell have you been?!" He barged in without a second thought.

"Demetri?" Eli's left brow rose quizzically. "How'd you even get in here?"