The fluorescent black lights had bathed them all in cool blues, pinks, and purples. It had been a desperate attempt at a strategic advantage on the Miyagi-Dos' part as they'd ambushed them in the laser tag arena. But that hadn't stopped Hawk from winning the fight, from catching his enemy in his grasp. And that was where he had him now, totally at his mercy.
Hawk leveraged his weight, holding Demetri down with his left hand and twisting his friend's right arm back with his other. And when he blinked he could see the image in his head as clear as day. It was just like before. Back at school on that first morning. He'd seen it himself. He'd been there, on the second story, he'd seen what had happened on that balcony.
Pressed against the floor under him, Demetri begged, "No! Please, stop!"
Hawk narrowed his eyes, his shoulders rising and falling with his quickening breaths. He'd seen it. Miguel had Robby under him, too. He'd had his arm pulled out, ready to snap it in half. He'd had Robby at his mercy. They'd all lost their fights, but not Miguel. No, Miguel was going to redeem Cobra Kai, because he was the best of them. As soon as he finished the fight with Robby.
"Eli, stop!" whimpered Demetri, pulling Hawk back to the present. "Stop! It's me!"
It was Demetri. His friend. For a long time, his only friend.
Not his friend anymore, though. He'd turned on him when he dissed Cobra Kai on Yelp, when he'd dragged the whole dojo just because he couldn't cut it. Then he'd exposed his most shameful secret to all their peers, he'd turned all their laughing jeers on him because he still thought of him as Eli, the bedwetting crybaby.
Those things Hawk might have been able to forgive with enough time. But Demetri's betrayal cut so much deeper, it was so much more insidious than the holier-than-thou pussy bullshit of a coward who attacked then ran. He was the enemy. He was Robby's friend. He was Miyagi-Do. And Miyagi-Dos exploited mercy. The Miyagi-Dos had hurt Miguel.
Diaz was one of our own. What they did to him, they did to all of us. And it will not go unanswered.
Sensei Kreese's words rang in Hawk's ears, louder than the blood that was pumping through them at that moment. This was what he'd wanted. This was what he'd been training for. A chance to get even, a chance to make things right, a chance to undo everything….
Behind him, he could hear a sea of cheers. Through this deep brain fog, he recognized Tory's voice, Mitch's, all the other Cobras clamoring for him to do what needed to be done. What Miyagi-Do had done to Miguel, they'd done to all of them. His friends wanted revenge, too. They needed the same closure he did. He could give it to them now. He could be their champion.
"Do it!"
Yes, he should do it.
"Finish him!"
Finish the fight.
"He deserves it!"
Demetri did deserve it.
"Do it, Hawk!"
They were right. Sensei Kreese was right. He needed to do this. Demetri deserved this. All of Miyagi-Do deserved this. What happened to Miguel was all their faults.
"No!" Demetri cried out, almost like he had read his mind. And he continued to plead, "It's fine! I'll go! I'll go!"
What was Demetri trying to tell him, Hawk wondered? That he would leave if he'd just release his arm?
It was a lie. A filthy lie! Robby had probably told Miguel the same thing. Had he also appealed so pathetically to Miguel's sense of mercy like Demetri was doing now? That mercy Sensei Lawrence had wormed into Miguel's head?
If he let go of his arm, Demetri would do the same thing Robby did. Right? Demetri would attack him. Right? Right. Then he'd be in the same position Miguel was in. Because that was what Miyagi-Dos did. That was what the enemy did. They took advantage of mercy just so they could turn around repay it by kicking someone off a balcony.
All Miguel had to do was break Robby's arm. Just one quick snap. It would've taken less than a second. Then none of this would be happening. Miguel wouldn't have been hurt, he wouldn't be separated from the rest of them, away from him.
Inside his chest, Hawk's heart clenched. If only he could have a do-over. If only he could have told Miguel what would happen if he listened to Sensei Lawrence's bullshit advice. If only he could have foreseen the price he'd pay for letting Robby go, there was no way Miguel would've made that mistake.
Hawk tightened his hold on Demetri's arm.
If only he could have stopped Robby himself. If only he could have gotten between Robby and Miguel in time. If only he could've gotten hold of Robby's arm. If only he could've gotten him in the position he currently had Demetri in now. He wouldn't have hesitated, not for a second.
"Hawk, finish him!"
Hawk scowled. It didn't matter that the person he had in his death-grip was Demetri and not Robby. It made no difference. All Miyagi-Dos were equally guilty, as far as he was concerned. The police might have grabbed Robby first before he could get his hands on him and get him back for what he did to Miguel. So he would make Demetri pay instead. Same difference….
He would not be weak. He would not be soft. He would not make the same mistake Miguel did.
His poor friend.
So much more than his friend. He was the one who gave him the power to stand up for himself. Hawk wasn't powerless anymore, he was badass, he was untouchable, he was Cobra Kai's new champion, all thanks to Miguel. He wasn't the meek little Eli that Demetri was wasting his breath begging mercy from. How could he not use that power now to repay Miguel?
But where had that power been for Hawk when he saw Miguel fall and hit those stairs? Why hadn't he been able to help Miguel when he'd lied in a coma for two weeks? Why couldn't he do anything when the doctors said he might never walk again? Why couldn't he even help him smile when he visited him in the hospital? Of what use was all this power if he couldn't even help his friend smile?
He would do anything to see Miguel smile again. He'd break the arms of every single Miyagi-Do if he had to. That was a small price to pay, wasn't it?
He loved Miguel so much he'd do anything for him.
Anything….
It would be like Miguel never fell at all….
Gritting his teeth, Hawk gripped Demetri's arm tighter and twisted it back with a single harsh jerk. The resulting snap zapped through his ears like an electrical current, as did Demetri's resulting scream.
"Damn it!" cried out Demetri, curling into himself, cradling his broken arm close to him.
Standing on his feet and taking a step back, Hawk was drawn to the present when his teammates crowded around and congratulated him.
"Nice," said Tory, patting his arm.
"Good shit, man," Mitch cheered, giving him a quick bro-hug.
All of them seemed satisfied. They'd finally gotten what they wanted. Cobra Kai had gotten even for their fallen soldier.
But as the Cobras left, vacating the laser tag arena, Hawk lingered behind for a few seconds. And his previous smile started to melt the longer he stared at Demetri, lying there on the filthy floor, wincing and sobbing.
And for a brief moment, he second-guessed himself.
Something heavy stirred inside him, standing there in the aftermath of battle. A little voice that said even though he was leaving Miyagi-Do defeated and broken, it changed absolutely nothing.
Did watching Chris groan as he picked himself up help Miguel learn how to walk again? Did hearing Sam cry from wherever she hid herself make up for the fact Miguel couldn't be with his friends at Cobra Kai? Did hurting Demetri, his lifelong friend, undo all the hurt Miguel had suffered because of Robby's actions?
Would Miguel be happy now after what Hawk had done for him? Would he thank Hawk after finding out he'd made Miyagi-Do finally answer for their crime? Would he smile again after learning about this?
Hawk swallowed the thickness lodged in his throat and tried to take comfort in the advice of Sensei Kreese as it came to the forefront of his memory.
A true cobra feels no sympathy for its meals….
Wrapping that cold comfort around him, Hawk turned around and followed his friends out. He would confront his lingering weakness and feel better about it later. Right? And even if he didn't, so what? His feelings didn't matter. Only revenge did. Getting even with Miyagi-Do. And they got what they deserved for what they did to Miguel.