A/N: Snakebitten has reached around 9,000 views or more, so I'd like to say thanks to everybody who read and reviewed it so far. This is (pretty much) the second "Winter Break" chapter because the actual/original series sort of just skipped through the winter break.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cobra Kai or anything from third parties that I might reference.

Skeleton Bro Christmas

Today was Christmas.

And it was the first Christmas that Jason was actively looking forward to in a long time.

Especially because he actually had things to celebrate.

He had found new friends and a family in Cobra Kai that existed separately from his biological family. At least for the time being.

And, his relationship with Aisha was going well.

Even if they hadn't scheduled a first date yet. Which was something that Jason would more than likely have to do himself.

Jason had showered and gotten dressed before heading downstairs.

He'd taken his wallet, phone and keys along with the red leather jacket that Sensei had given him.

Jason poured himself a bowl of cereal and chased it with milk before he called Aisha.

He was going to have lunch and a big dinner later on so he didn't really feel cooking.

Jason keyed in Aisha's number on his phone and dialled it.

There was a brief pause before Aisha picked up.

"Hey, Jason! Merry Christmas!" Aisha sounded excited.

Jason smiled. "Hey, Aisha. Merry Christmas to you, too. How are things with you?"

"Pretty good. Things get pretty busy around Christmas, which is nice." Aisha replies.

Jason decides that now would be a good time to ask Aisha to go on a date with him. "So, would you want to go on a date with me sometime?"

"Sure!" Aisha answers.

Jason smiles. "Great. How does the day after tomorrow sound? I mean, we're going to be back in training tomorrow so I wasn't sure if tomorrow would have been a good time or not. That is…."

"The day after tomorrow is fine. Don't worry about it." Aisha says.

Jason lets out a sigh of relief. "So, it's a date?"

"It's a date." Aisha replies.

Jason had to resist the urge to let out a triumphant yell. "Awesome."

"See you tomorrow. I guess I'll talk to you later when I get the chance." Aisha says.

Jason nods. "Talk to you later."

They both hang up at the same time.

Jason turned on the TV and changed the channel until he happens upon a Christmas movie that isn't completely cheesy.

He watches TV until the early afternoon.

Jason eventually turns off the TV and locks up the house before getting into his car and driving off.

….

The drive from Encino to Reseda was relatively uneventful, on account of people not really doing that much driving because today was Christmas.

Jason parked the Dodge Viper near Miguel's apartment.

He gets out and walks over to Miguel's apartment before knocking on the door.

Jason waits for about a minute or so.

"Hey!" Miguel opens the door.

Jason gives Miguel a bro hug. "Hey! I hope you don't mind that I'm a little bit early."

"Don't worry about it." Miguel answers.

Jason walks into Miguel's apartment as Miguel closes the door behind them.

He's greeted by Carmen and Rosa, who both give him a big hug and welcome him into their home.

Jason smiles. "Thanks. Do you need any help in the kitchen, or…?"

"Don't worry about it." Carmen says.

Jason nods. "Okay. Merry Christmas, by the way."

"Merry Christmas." Carmen smiles.

Jason watches as Carmen and Rosa walk back into the kitchen before he follows Miguel into his room.

He looks at Miguel. "So, did you offer to help your mom and grandma out in the kitchen, or…?"

"I tried, but they kind of insisted on doing the cooking. Normally, my yaya cooks and I help out. But they wanted to make you feel welcome, so they decided to do the cooking without my help. If that makes sense." Miguel answers.

Jason nods. "I guess it does."

"Cool jacket. Sensei gave me one that's just like it." Miguel changes the subject.

Jason grins. "So, we're jacket bros now? As well as being skeleton bros?"

"We're jacket bros!" Miguel exclaims.

Jason laughs. "You know it!"

They both high five each other.

"So, what was spending time with Sensei like?" Miguel asks.

Jason shrugs. "It was pretty cool. We watched Iron Eagle and talked about some stuff."

"Like how your grandpa taught him everything he knows?" Miguel wonders aloud.

Jason nods. "Yeah. Sensei says that my grandpa almost killed him years ago."

"That's pretty heavy." Miguel lets out a deep breath.

Jason scratches his head. "Yeah. I don't know what would have happened if he was still around and we'd had the fight with Kyler and all them on Halloween."

"It probably wouldn't be pleasant." Miguel remarks.

Jason agrees. "It definitely wouldn't be pleasant."

"You're probably right. Anyway, how are things with you and Aisha? Have you set up a date yet, or…?" Miguel starts.

Jason smiles. "We're going on a date the day after tomorrow. I wasn't sure if scheduling a date tomorrow would work because I hadn't really planned anything. Yet. Plus, tomorrow is our first day back training so I wasn't sure if tomorrow would have been a good time."

"Oh." Miguel says.

Jason gives Miguel a light punch on the arm. "Don't worry about it. So, when are you going on a date with Sam?"

"Soon. Probably." Miguel looks a little embarrassed.

Jason looks over at Miguel. "So, you've never been on a date with anyone before?"

"No. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Miguel shakes his head.

Jason thinks about it. "That kind of depends."

"On what?" Miguel asks.

Jason shrugs. "Oh, I don't know. On whether or not you make a good impression. Or not."

"But I've already made a good… Oh. Well. Um…" Miguel looks a little embarrassed.

Jason smiles. "Don't worry about it. The most that's going to happen is a kiss."

"Right." Miguel looks relieved.

Jason changes the subject. "You want to get lunch?"

"Sure. I'll just need to tell my mom and Yaya." Miguel replies.

Jason nods. "That sounds like a good idea."

Miguel walks out of his room with Jason following close behind him.

"Jason and I are going to go grab lunch and maybe go for a drive or something. If that's okay with you, I mean?" Miguel gets Carmen and Rosa's attention.

Carmen nods. "That's okay. Your yaya and I will probably have lunch ourselves. We could use a break from all the preparation for tonight."

"I'll see you later, then." Miguel gives Carmen a hug before saying goodbye to Rosa.

Jason gives them a wave. "See you later."

They walk out of Miguel's apartment after closing the door behind them and walk towards Jason's Dodge Viper.

Miguel gets into the passenger's seat at the front and Jason gets in the driver's seat.

Jason starts the car and they drive off.

"Mind if I turn on the radio?" Miguel asks.

Jason nods. "Sure."

Miguel turns on the radio.

They both nod their heads to the music as they drive off.

….

Jason had to get gas, so he stopped at a gas station before pulling up to the diner that Sensei had taken him to the day before.

He parks a short distance from the diner.

Miguel and Jason walk into the diner and sit down at an empty table.

A waitress brings them menus and walks off.

Jason wasn't sure if she recognised him because he was in the diner with Sensei yesterday.

Miguel's phone rang.

"That might be my mom. Or Sam. Do you mind if I take this?" Miguel asks.

Jason shrugs. "I don't mind."

"Thanks. Really." Miguel says.

He answers his phone. "Oh! Hi, Sam! I'm just hanging out with Jason. And, we're kind of about to get lunch. Merry Christmas, by the way."

"Tell Jason I said "hi." So, how's your Christmas going?" Sam asks.

Jason watches as Miguel leans back into his chair.

Miguel keeps talking. "Christmas is going pretty good. I'm just spending it with my family. And Jason."

"That's good. I guess I'll talk to you later, then?" Sam says.

Miguel nods. "Yeah."

"Great. Have fun hanging out with Jason!" Sam and Miguel both hang up at the same time.

Jason looks over at Miguel. "You remember the first time we sparred back when Sensei first opened Cobra Kai?"

"Yeah?" Miguel looks a little confused.

Jason continued. "What if we had another sparring match? For fun?"

"Like the end of Rocky 3?" Miguel is a little incredulous.

Jason rolls his eyes. "Of course, it sounds like a stupid idea if you say it like that."

"Say it like what?" Miguel asks.

Jason grins. "Well, you said it like you think it's a bad idea. Obviously."

"Oh. We could still spar, though." Miguel points out.

Jason thinks about it. "You're right. Everybody's been un-flinched, so Sensei will finally let us spar. So, it could happen."

"Yeah. But I'd probably win." Miguel remarks.

Jason gives him a look. "Really? I quite literally knocked the air out of you with one punch!"

"That was then. It'd probably be different now." Miguel says.

The waitress who gave them menus comes back to their table when she thinks that they're ready to order.

Miguel and Jason both order cheeseburgers, fries and sodas.

They keep talking until their food arrives.

….

Jason drives to the strip mall where the Cobra Kai dojo is and parks his Dodge Viper outside the mini mart that's near the dojo.

Miguel and Jason get out of the car and walk into the mini mart.

Jason goes to grab two sodas before paying for them.

He walks outside the mini mart with Miguel and they both sit down across from Jason's car.

"You remember the first time we met Sensei?" Miguel asks.

Jason nods. "Yep. Kyler had poured Pepto Bismol over you and Brucks basically shoved you into Sensei's car. Which was when he got involved."

"You squared up to them first. And then you watched as Sensei kicked their asses." Miguel says.

Jason rolls his eyes. "Dude. He had it pretty under control. Besides, it's not as if I was completely helpless either."

"Fair enough." Miguel concedes that point.

Jason takes a few sips of his soda. "Don't worry about it."

"But we have changed a lot since then, right?" Miguel asks.

There's a pause as Miguel drinks some of his soda.

Jason nods. "We have. And it's all thanks to Cobra Kai. Well, and Sensei."

"I'm not sure where I'd be without Sensei." Miguel confesses.

Jason thought about it. "Yeah. I don't know where I'd be without Sensei either."

There's another pause as they finish their sodas and throw the containers out.

Miguel and Jason walk back to the Dodge Viper.

"So, do you have anything planned for New Year's?" Miguel asks.

Jason shrugs. "Not really. I might try and spend it with Aisha and her folks but I don't know."

"Cool. I don't really have anything planned for New Year's either. But that could probably change." Miguel replies.

Jason unlocks his car and gets in, followed by Miguel.

He turns on the radio before driving off.

They still had time before dinner, so they drove around for a little bit before driving back to Miguel's apartment.

….

Jason parked the Dodge Viper outside of Miguel's apartment.

He got out of the car along with Miguel before locking it.

Miguel went to knock on the door of his apartment.

There was a brief moment before Rosa opened the door.

She lets Miguel and Jason walk through the door before closing it behind her.

The smell of cooking food wafted through the apartment.

Jason and Miguel could smell the aroma of cooking food from where they were.

Miguel walked into his room.

Jason hadn't really had an experience of what a "normal" Christmas was like, so he lingered in the hallway for a little bit before walking to Miguel's room.

"I'm guessing you've never really celebrated Christmas, huh?" Miguel wonders aloud.

Jason nods. "Yeah. This is the first proper Christmas I've had in a long time."

"Oh. I would probably be right in saying that Christmas has always been a rough time for you. And…" Miguel starts.

Jason anticipates what Miguel was going to say. "You've taken Christmas for granted?"

"Kind of. I've always had people to spend Christmas with and I've never really known a time where I didn't celebrate it. My mom and my yaya always went the extra mile around this time of year no matter what." Miguel answers.

Jason hadn't really noticed the Christmas decorations around Miguel's apartment until that point.

He nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for being so welcoming, by the way."

"No problem. Besides, you're always going to be welcome here." Miguel says.

Jason smiles. "Thanks. That really means a lot."

They kept talking until dinner was ready.

….

Jason and Miguel sat down at a table with empty plates and food on it.

They passed their plates to Carmen and Rosa, who put food on their plates and passed the now full plates back to them before putting food on their own plates.

Jason was about to start eating when he noticed Miguel, Carmen and Rosa all looking at him.

"Would you mind saying grace?" Carmen asked.

Jason nodded before bowing his head and closing his eyes.

Miguel, Carmen and Rosa all bow their heads and close their eyes as well.

Jason thought about what he was going to say before saying it. "Um… Dear Lord, thank you for the food that we're about to eat. And thank you for my being able to have people to share it with. I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to say, so Amen."

He opens his eyes and looks up.

"I guess we should start, right?" Miguel asks.

Everybody around the table agrees with the suggestion.

Jason couldn't remember the last time he'd had a really good homecooked meal. Sure, he could cook, but he couldn't make food this good even if he really tried.

He had to remember not to talk with his mouth full. "Thanks for the food! It's really good."

"You're welcome. There's one thing I've been meaning to ask." Rosa says, in accented English.

Jason nodded. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Do you have any family?" Rosa asks.

Jason shrugs. "Well, kind of. I haven't really kept in contact with my grandparents. My dad is in prison and my mom abandoned me when I was eight, so…."

A silence descended on the table.

"You're always going to be welcome here." Carmen interjects, breaking the silence.

Jason smiles. "Thanks. That really means a lot."

Miguel and Rosa both agree that Miguel would always be welcome at their apartment even though they don't verbalise it.

They eat and talk.

Jason and Miguel each take second helpings before Carmen and Rosa put whatever food is left over into Tupperware containers.

Dessert was just as good as the meal they'd just eaten, if not better.

Everybody has a few helpings of dessert before Carmen and Rosa put what's left into another Tupperware container.

Jason wasn't sure if he would stay longer. "Thanks for the meal. I guess I'll head home, or…"

"Well, you could help me give this food to Sensei. I'm not sure if he's eaten anything all day." Miguel suggests.

Jason nods. "I guess that could work. Tell your mom and your Yaya thanks for the meal and the warm welcome."

"I'll do that." Miguel says.

They exit Miguel's apartment with the different Tupperware and make the short walk over to Sensei's apartment.

Miguel knocks on the door of Sensei's apartment and stands back.

There's a brief pause as Sensei opens the door.

Jason gives him a wave. "Hey. We were just going to drop you off some food because we weren't sure if you'd eaten anything."

"Oh. Well, thanks." Sensei takes the Tupperware containers from Miguel.

Miguel smiles. "It's no problem, Sensei. Really."

"So, I'll see you two at training tomorrow?" It was a question that didn't need to be asked.

Jason and Miguel look at each other and nod.

Miguel speaks up. "Sure. I wouldn't miss it. Especially not when there's a full dojo."

"Good. You two have a good night." Sensei walks back into his apartment and closes the door behind him.

Jason walks to his car. "I'm probably going to just head home. Tell your mom and Yaya that I said thanks for the meal and everything if I haven't done that already."

"I'll do that. See you tomorrow, Jason." Miguel walks back to his apartment.

Jason gets into his car and drives away after turning the radio on.

Today was the first good Christmas that he'd had in a long time.

And there were multiple reasons for it.

He was looking forward to getting back training tomorrow and his date with Aisha the following day.

Things were definitely looking up.