"Smile, dude!"

Miguel had only a second to not blink at the sudden flash going off in his eyes as Hawk hopped in front of him to snap a quick picture with his cellphone. "Uh, what was that for?" Miguel asked, arching an eyebrow while they resumed walking the busy evening street.

"Memories," answered Eli with a small grin, tucking his phone in his pocket. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna out your location to everyone. I'm not a snitch. But come on, we're in Mexico City, la capital de México! We should be out there exploring this place, seeing everything we can, and filling up our storage space with pics!"

Leave it to Hawk to get hit by the wanderlust and want to go off adventuring. But his excitement was still contagious. It stirred something inside Miguel. It had him almost forgetting that they weren't actually on vacation right now. Damn, that sounded nice though. After everything that had been happening over the past year, it sounded really fucking nice.

"How many spots have you hit up already?" asked Hawk, eyebrows rising on his forehead.

Kicking a pebble off the sidewalk with the toe of his shoe, Miguel felt his cheeks heat up. He thought back to the map he'd left inside his bag back at the hostel. What, was he going to confess to Hawk the only places he'd been to were his father's old apartment complex, two coffee shops, an Oxxo's, and a mall? Not exactly tourist hotspots.

Then again, it wasn't like he had any reason to be embarrassed. He wasn't really a tourist. He wasn't here to tour the city. It wasn't like he'd come here for the purpose of sightseeing.

"Not too many places," answered Miguel vaguely, rolling one of his shoulders. "To be honest, when I first got here, I just kinda laid low and chilled for a while. Had to unwind, y'know?"

His cheeks were burning on fire now. The heat traveled all the way up to the tips of his ears. Why was he lying to his best friend about this? He had no legitimate excuse. Hawk wouldn't give a shit if he was out here to find his dad. He'd probably go out of his way to help him track the guy down. He'd be nothing but a help to him if Miguel would let him.

But there was something about the excitement on Hawk's face. Like right now. The pure thrill Eli seemed to have in helping him find himself. "Well, what are you waiting for now, dude?" he asked. "Let's kick this into gear! Let's go explore, find something to do."

For some reason Miguel couldn't pinpoint, even though he knew he was supposed to be here for a specific reason, he was attracted to Hawk's suggestion. Exploring the city, getting lost, actually finding himself through it? Yeah. Yeah….

"Like what?" he inquired, staring at Hawk.

"I dunno. Visit some tourist traps, historical sites, or some shit like that," said Hawk with a shrug. "I've got a whole bunch of savings in my custodial account. We're talking about shit I've been setting aside since my Bar Mitzvah. And it's not like my parents are gonna freeze my account and cut me off. So, my treat, man. It doesn't have to be anything big. But let's have some fun. How about we catch a wrestling match? Mitch and Chris said wrestling's huge here in Mexico."

Miguel smiled, chuckling. This was starting to sound better and better. When was the last time he'd had some real fun? Before the karate war escalated? Before Kreese showed up in Cobra Kai and ruined all their lives? He couldn't even remember anymore.

"I didn't know you'd become a fan of wrestling," remarked Miguel. "Who knows, that could be pretty fun, actually. And you wouldn't exactly need to be fluent in Spanish to see which guy is winning."

His grin perked up Hawk, and his friend ran with it, more pep to his step now. "Hey, since we're both karate champs, maybe we should try to kick ass at something new. I bet you'd crush in professional wrestling. Think about it. You already got the perfect name: El Serpiente!"

Now that was a theatrical image, and Miguel couldn't help but laugh again picturing it in his head. Bumping elbows with Hawk, he told him, "Only if I have my tag-team partner with me, El Halcón."

He watched Hawk's grin reach his eyes. It was the happiest Miguel could recall seeing him in a long time.

"Yeah, let's do it!" exclaimed Hawk, eyes going wild. "You and me, we'll enter a wrestling league together. We'll get some permanent visas, we'll make some cash in our fights, and set up whole new lives here. I've even been acing Spanish on Duolingo, and I can pick up even more as we go along. They say full emersion's the best way to learn. But, yeah, let's do it. Just leave all that shit in the Valley behind us.…"

Miguel's steps started slowing the longer Hawk went on. He couldn't help but question whether Eli's wild fantasy had, at some point there, veered off into an actually serious suggestion. He'd seemed a little too into the idea. While it was fun to daydream about something fantastical like that, and although it was refreshing just getting away from everything for a while, Miguel hadn't run away with the intention of staying here forever. He'd had a mission when he left. But now he had to wonder about Hawk.

Trying to bring Hawk back to reality, Miguel asked, "So, how long did you tell your parents you'd be down here for?"

The question dampened Eli's grin. Miguel was sorry to see it happen. Hawk made a vague I dunno sound, scrunching his shoulders and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his joggers.

"Your parents do know you took a bus down to Mexico, right?" checked Miguel, eyebrows pinching to the bridge of his nose in concern. He wouldn't have exactly put it past Hawk to do something like that. Because, well, if he could do it….

"Of course they do!" Hawk blurted out, sounding annoyed now. "They'd lose their shit if I just ran away without telling them." The crease between Miguel's brows deepened, puzzled if that had been some vague dig at what he'd done or not, but then Hawk looked down at his shoes, shoulders slumping. His voice dropped as he elaborated, "They're back to worrying about me, all the time. Like they used to do before I learned karate. I can't deal with them breathing down my neck anymore. So I told them you were taking a summer break here in Mexico City, and I'd come back with you."

Whenever that is, was the unspoken truth hovering over them.

Miguel must have still had concern etched clear across his face because Hawk was forcing a smirk up the corner of his mouth. He reached out and playfully punched Miguel on his shoulder. "Don't worry, man. I've been texting them, letting them know I'm not dead. But there's no rush, for real."

With a soft sigh, Miguel nodded. "Alright."

"Speaking of proof of living, how about a picture for your Instagram?" suggested Hawk, a more genuine smile returning as he pulled his phone back out.

"Of us?" asked Miguel, coming to a stop where they were standing next to a big, yellow-bricked building.

"I told you, my parents already know I'm alive," said Hawk dismissively, taking a couple of steps backward, waiting until some other pedestrians passed by before holding up his phone. "And look behind you, there's no identifying markers here. So why don't you post something other than bugs and rocks? Besides, you should let the guys back home know you're in one piece."

And his mother and Yaya.

Yeah, for their sakes.

Smoothing his shirt, Miguel stood up straight against the building behind him. He managed the shadow of a smile when the flash of Hawk's camera went off. "How's it look," he asked?

"Like a prison photo," joked Hawk, not losing his genuine grin. "Hold on, I'll send it to you."

One ping later, and it surprised Miguel to see how lost he looked in the picture. He didn't feel like he was in one piece, at all. And he doubted seeing it would assuage any of his mother's fears. But it was better than nothing. He owed her something at least, didn't he?

Opening the Instagram app, he peaked up at Hawk and remarked, "You're right, it does look like a prison photo. You know they're gonna use this as evidence of my last-known footage, right?"

"Heh, yeah, probably," laughed Hawk.

Miguel didn't know what to type under the photo. Should he go ahead and tell his followers he was here with Hawk now? That things had gone in an entirely different direction than he'd thought when he first set out for Mexico City? That he felt more lost now than ever before?

Uploading the image, Miguel decided to add nothing at all.

Sticking his cell back in his jeans pocket, he and Hawk then continued walking the city streets together.