MARTIAL HEARTS - Eli Moskowitz

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

1etherealuniverse™

Athena stood next to a nervous Eli on the mat, waiting for Sensei Lawerence to start the lesson. "okay, everybody fall in." Johnny said, walking out of the office.

"Where's everyone?" He exclaimed with his arms out, looking around the dojo, having half the students they had last time. "Crater face? Nose ring? Slingshot?"

"They quit, sensei." Miguel said with a disappointed tone. "are you serious?" Johnny dropped his arms to his sides as he looked around the room one more time.

"I mean, good." he corrected himself. "That was a test. I wanted to see who the quitters are. not you guys. you're in it to win it, right?" Athena crossed her arms, looking through his facade.

"You could be at home playing your icomputers, Playing your video games, eating candy. Instead, you're here, doing push ups, learning how to fight." Johnny continued, looking around the room, his gaze stopped at Eli. "Lip. Look. even lip's tougher than those guys."

His comment made Eli's breath hitch, Athena let out a huff of air at the nickname as she made eye contact with the mat. "He's no quitter." Eli looked at Athena, remembering what she had told him the day before, making him look back at the sensei.

"could you please not call me that?" Eli stuttered to Johnny, making Athena look at him proudly, knowing that he had stepped out of his comfort zone to say that. "Excuse me, what?" Johnny asked.

"Could you please not call me that." He repeated, with determination slightly hinting at his tone. "uhm, I'll warm them up, sensei." Miguel offered, trying to cut the tension.

"No, lip has something he wants to say." Johnny said as he took small and slow strides towards the boy. "Sorry, speak up, lip. or is your tongue messed up too?" He taunted as he stood in front of Eli.

Athena bit her lip, not allowing herself to speak, the last thing she would want is to ruin Cobra Kai for her younger brother. "Are you one of those challenged kids?" Johnny asked him.

"Uhm, the doctor said I could be on the spectrum." Eli answered quietly. "I don't know what that is, but get off it pronto. All right?" Johnny said, Apollo stifled a snicker at his comment, earning a punch to his bicep from his sister.

"If you don't want me to call you 'lip', don't have a weird lip. can't you get surgery?" Johnny said. "I was born with a cleft lip. this is the scar from the surgery." Eli informed him, shifting his gaze from him to miscellaneous items scattered across the dojo.

"You mean it was worse before that? Or did the doctor just screw it up? because if this is the after photo, that sucks man, you should sue." Johnny rambled on, causing Eli to panic after every word.