Before I Forget

Time Machine

Hawk had missed Miguel almost as much as he missed Sky.

He had missed everything about him. His laughter, his loyalty, the way they could just sit and watch a movie without talking about anything. But most of all, Hawk had missed doing Karate with Miguel. Cobra Kai without El Serpiente—

Well, it wasn't the same anymore. What had once felt like home, now felt like an obligation. After Aisha had moved away, Miguel had gotten injured and Sky had quit - Cobra Kai wasn't what it had been before, and Hawk missed it with painful longing. Not that he could admit it to anyone, but he missed the carefree, fun days, he missed the friendship, the feeling of brotherhood, of family, of being a part of something bigger than yourself.

But now that Miguel was back on his feet and going to school again, he would want to start doing Karate again too, right?

At least Hawk hoped he would.

He had met Miguel briefly in the morning, but they'd barely had time to exchange a couple of words before the bell rang and forced them to their classes. They had agreed to meet at lunch to talk more, and now Hawk was waiting for him at his table with the rest of the Cobras, a mix of nervousness and excitement making him restless. Miguel had said he wanted to talk about Cobra Kai, and that could mean one thing only - that he was considering coming back.

Hawk was ready to help Miguel in any way. That's what brothers did. Just like Miguel had been there for Hawk when he had flipped the script - now was the time for him to be there for Miguel, because this wasn't going to be easy for him. The beginning would no doubt be hard - Miguel was still out of shape, and Kreese was a tough Sensei - but Hawk had no doubts that Miguel would soon catch up. And he was going to be there for his friend every step of the way.

The Cobras at the table were laughing at something, but Hawk was barely listening. He had already finished his lunch, and his thoughts were still in Miguel when he suddenly saw something that knitted his stomach in a tight knot.

Sky and Cody.

It felt like a punch in the gut. Hawk's jaw clenched as he watched how Cody caught up with Sky who was walking out of the cafeteria. He laughed and said something, she turned to look, a radiant smile on her face, and as she touched Cody's arm, her fingers slid down his sleeve and brushed his hand.

Jealousy was a dagger through Hawk's heart. It brought a taste of venom onto his lips, and he could barely draw in a breath. He didn't want to see this, any of this, but was unable to look away.

Sky's eyes were wide and soft when she looked at Cody, her smile was the sweetest and the most painful thing Hawk had ever seen. He was choking, his chest was collapsing. He was dying here, watching Sky fall in love with someone else, and there was nothing he could do about it.

His fists had hammered Cody's face, he had kicked him in the gut, in the back, had kicked him in the head so that he had lost consciousness. He had grabbed Cody's hair and dragged him through the bloody floor of the bathroom and stuffed his bleeding face into the toilet. He had left that boy unconscious on the floor, so beaten up and battered that he had missed a whole week of school - and even that had not been enough to keep him away from Sky. If something, the beating had probably pushed them even closer together. There was something affectionate in Sky's eyes when she looked at him, something intimate in the way she leaned closer, as if she had already grown used to touching him.

Hawk knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it. The pain of losing her was sharp, it took his breath away.

As if feeling Hawk's eyes on her, Sky turned to look over her shoulder. Her eyes turned hard, cold, and she flashed him a defiant glance, jutting out her jaw, as if to say I do what I want. You can't stop me.