Hawk: Y r u mad at me?
Sky rolled her eyes and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. She wasn't going to bother to answer that one.
"Was it Eli?" Demetri asked. He was lying on his bed, holding an ice bag on his nose, looking miserable. Sky knew there was a bandage and some stitches on that nose under the bag of ice and she felt really bad for Demetri - nose injuries hurt like hell.
"You should really call him Hawk," Sky muttered a response. "It would mean the world to him."
"I seriously doubt that anything I do would mean the world to him anymore," Demetri replied sourly. "It's like he hates me, and I don't even know why."
"He doesn't hate you," Sky said, but turned her eyes away when Demetri tried to catch her glance. "It's just… I guess it's hard for him sometimes, that you remind him of all the things he was before. And he doesn't want to be that guy anymore."
"There was nothing wrong with the guy he was."
"I know," Sky let out a sigh. "That's the guy I fell in love with."
A short silence followed her confession. Sky, who was sitting on the floor next to Demetri's bed, drew her knees against her chest and rested her chin on top of them. Sadness and worry lingered on her and she couldn't shake them off.
"Did you tell your Mom?" she asked after a moment. "About what Kreese did?"
"No. I told her I fell down the stairs. It's believable enough, you know how great my balance is." Demetri replied. He let out a soft hiss as he removed the ice bag from his nose and tossed it to the nightstand revealing his Red and swollen nose. That sight made Sky wince.
"You should tell her the truth," she said sternly. "And you should call the police too."
"Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Sky asked, her face stern and her voice level.
"No, but–" Demetri paused as if to search for the right words. "But it would cause a lot of problems to your dojo, maybe close it down permanently."
Sky shrugged. It wasn't that she wanted to see Cobra Kai closed, far from it. It was still her home, her family, her everything. But she didn't like the direction things were going in - and she was beginning to realize there was a certain Mr. Kreese to blame for it.
"I'm hoping it would cause problems for John Kreese," she said silently, her fingers playing with some loose threads of the carpet. "It's him who is the problem, not Cobra Kai."
"I'm thinking about writing a Yelp review," Demetri said.
"I don't think you should do that," Sky said. "It's gonna get you in trouble, not Kreese."
"I don't know," Demetri said with a long sigh. "I really don't know. I just want things back the way they were."
"I know," Sky said silently, staring at her feet. "Me too."
Hawk didn't call or text her again all afternoon, which was both a relief and a cause of severe heartache. Sky was constantly checking her phone, but at the same time, she was still annoyed and mad at Hawk, not knowing what she would say if he actually called her.
Demetri had been hurt quite badly - sweet, innocent Demetri Who was the least violent person Sky could think of. Sure, he was annoying and Yeah, he had probably said a thing or two too much to Sensei Kreese - but it didn't make it alright for Kreese to punch him in the face. And it didn't make it okay for Hawk to be such a dick about it. The tone of his voice when he had called Demetri a pussy and a nerd still made Sky's heart twitch painfully.
She sat in the backyard garden holding a book in her hands, but it took some effort to stay focused and push the absence of Hawk's messages off her mind.
Reading had once been her favorite hobby. That had all changed, of course, when Kat had died and Sky's brain had been shattered into shrapnels. For a whole year, she hadn't read one book, her concentration just hadn't been good enough. Only recently had she started reading again.
Baby steps, she thought to herself, as she observed the volume in hand. The urban fantasy novel for young readers she had chosen was an easy read, and that was all she could manage for now. Shakespeare and Dante would still have to wait. She was just about to turn the page when her phone buzzed in her pocket, and quickly she fished it out.
Hawk: Is it because I called Demetri a nerd?
Sky: you're getting there
Hawk: what else?
Sky: gee I don't know
maybe the fact that u were happy that Kreese punched D in the face?
or that u completely dissed me today and just talked with that old creep?
No reply came after that, and it felt like a punch in the gut. Sky hated arguing with Hawk, hated it more than anything, but at the same time she knew she was right and he was wrong and that he was the one who needed to do some apologizing before things could be okay again.
With a frown, she picked up her book and continued reading. The night was hot but the wind that carried the scent of the ocean dried the sweat off her skin. The heavy, rich smell of the rose garden filled the air. Darkness was alive with the sounds of cicadas and other little creatures, and Sky let herself fall into those sounds and be engulfed in the book. Soon she wasn't in California anymore. There were demons in the night of New York, there were hot, mystery dudes wearing black clothes and the sassy redheaded girl was clearly falling in love with the bad boy. Sky turned page after page, devouring the story, and it made her forget all about Demetri and Sensei Kreese and Hawk and their stupid fight–
"Sky, Eli is here to see you," Dad's voice said and Sky fell off New York and stumbled back into their backyard. "Do you want to talk to him?"
She had told Dad about their argument - but not about Kreese punching Demetri. She didn't feel like that was her story to share.
Sky let out a long sigh and closed the book.
"I guess," she said. "Tell him I'm here."
The first thing Sky noticed when Hawk walked into the yard was the hair. It wasn't blue anymore. It was bright red and styled into angry spikes that made Hawk look a foot taller. And it wasn't just the hair - it was as if his posture had changed with the hair, the way he stood in front of her was tense and wiry, his chin was stuck up. There was something different about him now, something alien, raw, and violent - and had Sky not known him, she would've thought he was dangerous.
"You like it?" he smirked, noticing how her eyes widened as she glanced up.
Sky drew her eyes off the mohawk and crossed her arms over her chest. The raspy sound of his voice made things real again. It was still Hawk who stood in front of her. And she was still angry with him.
"That all you got to say?"
"No," he replied, and with one swift move he pulled off his T-shirt. "I wanted to show you this."
There was a fresh tattoo on his chest. The skin was still raw and red around the simple, black lines, indicating it was inked recently. It was just one word, etched on his skin in simple writing.
"You tattooed my name on your chest?" Sky could barely speak. Her eyes were still on the tattoo, on the simple design that had just her name and three little stars twinkling around it.
He made a sharp nod. Sky looked up and noticed the nervousness under his cool surface, noticed the shadows in his eyes, the clenching of his jaw.
"You shouldn't have," she said silently. "Tattoos last forever."
"I know," he breathed. "That's how much I love you."
It wasn't an apology, not even close, but it was something more, so much more that it took Sky's breath away and her eyes teared up. He had her name tattooed on his chest and it would be there forever and ever, until the day he'd die. That was reckless and stupid and his mom would probably ground him for life when she found out, but still–
It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for Sky, and her heart was ticking so fast in her chest that she felt it in her throat.
"I love you too," she sighed, and closed the distance between their bodies, letting herself fall into his arms, against the soft skin of his chest, the lean muscle under it. He wrapped his arms around her - those strong, wiry arms that Sky adored - and as he buried his face into her hair he let out a long, trembling sigh.
"I hope you didn't do that, just to make me forgive you," Sky said, leaning her head against his shoulder. She was gently tracing the black lines of her name with her index finger.
"Nah, I'd been planning it for some time."
"Your Mom's gonna kill you."
She breathed in his scent of salt and steel. His heartbeat under her hand was fast and heavy.
"I'll probably have to mow the lawn and clean the bathrooms for another three months or something," he chuckled. "But it's worth it."
"You are an idiot."
"So you keep telling me," Hawk breathed, and brought his hands to her face, tilted it up gently. His long fingers brushed her cheeks, the calloused palms felt rough against her skin but Sky loved it, She loved it all so much it took her breath away. His closeness worked like a drug every Damn time, and when his scent filled her nostrils, her lungs, she could only think about wanting more.
Besides, he was distractingly shirtless. Sky let her hand slide down, her fingertips brushing the smooth hard muscles of his abdomen, and she felt how he shivered under her touch.
"It's because you keep doing stupid things," she said, slightly out of breath.
She suspected Hawk could see the effect he had on her - the restless ticking of her heartbeat in her veins, the shallow rising and falling of her chest. Her hand stopped on the waistband of his sweatpants.
"I'm sorry I upset you," he said, still holding her face in his gentle hands. "I didn't mean to do that."
"And what about Demetri?" Sky forced herself to ask. The desire to kiss Hawk was nearly driving her mad - but there were still things they needed to talk about before there could be any kissing.
"I'm sorry he can't keep his smart mouth shut. It always gets him into trouble."
Sky made a face. That wasn't an apology, but she was pretty sure that was all she would get from Hawk. She wasn't quite sure what the issue between him and Demetri was, but she knew they'd been growing apart recently. She didn't like it - Demetri was her friend and she had loved it when Demetri was hanging out with them. Demetri was fun and smart and caring and awkward, which were all things Sky really liked in a friend, and she hated it that Hawk was being so mean to him.
But if Hawk didn't want to be friends with him anymore, there really wasn't anything Sky could do about it. It wasn't like she could force them to play together as if they were preschoolers.
So she chose her words carefully when she spoke.
"Demetri is my friend," she said silently. "I would appreciate it if you weren't so mean to him."
Hawk swallowed. His throat moved under the skin, and Sky noticed how his jaw clenched. For a moment she was sure he'd start arguing, telling her he didn't want her being friends with such a pussy or some other aggressive shit, but he didn't. He took in a long breath and let it out slowly, his shoulders rising and falling with his breathing. His hands moved to her shoulders, she felt the warmth of his palms against her sweaty skin.
"Okay," he said softly, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll try."
"You promise?" she breathed, meeting the gaze of his sky-blue eyes.
"I promise," his voice was soft and low and just a bit raspy. "Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"
Sky thought about Kreese, and she knew she should say something about him. She should warn Hawk, she should tell him that Dad had a bad feeling about Kreese and that so did she, she should tell him that that man meant trouble and that Sky hoped Hawk would have nothing to do with him.
But it all felt too much to bring up now. It had been hard enough to talk about Demetri - Kreese would be another matter entirely - something so big and heavy that Sky feared it would start another argument, which was something she really couldn't take tonight.
"No," she said, leaning towards him so that she felt the warmth of his beautiful, shirtless body against her own. "I don't wanna talk anymore."
Hawk's eyes turned dark and he swallowed.
"Good, because I'm fucking dying to kiss you."
Her only reply was to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer. A soft groan left Hawk's lips just before their mouths crashed together. He kissed her heavily, as if he was hungry for her, his tongue stroking deep into her mouth and sending shivers through Sky's body. His lips were so hot on hers, so fucking perfect, and just like every time, kissing him made her feel like her feet weren't even touching the ground. It turned her knees wobbly, her heartbeat fast like the wings of a hummingbird.
Her hands moved to his shoulders, glided downward to feel his impressive biceps, the hard muscle under the smooth skin, and she couldn't help a moan that escaped her lips. He was kissing her like he could never get enough of her, a hand cupping the back of her head, another gripping the curve of her hip, and Sky was burning under that touch.
Burning like a torch, but she knew this fire wouldn't consume her, it would never turn her into ashes. It was a force of nature, self-regenerating like the sun, like the forces that made the Earth spin and the continents collide. It was an eternal flame, it was an explosion of raw, primal need in her veins, and she knew she would burn like this for the rest of her life.
He broke the kiss and let out a soft, dry moan that was born deep inside of his chest. His breathing came in fast, shallow exhales and Sky saw the echo of her own need in his dark eyes.
"Wanna go somewhere?" he breathed, his fingers brushing through her curls.
"Oh, I know exactly where I wanna go with you," Sky said and flashed him a wicked grin.
"Yeah? Where?"
"You're taking me out," she announced. "To have ice cream. And then you'll escort me back home like a true gentleman. You think you can manage that?"
A dry laugh left Hawk's lips that curled into a crooked smile. His hands lingered on her hips for a couple of heartbeats more, but then he let go and broke the contact of their bodies. He picked up his shirt that had fallen to the ground when he had ripped it off, and pulled it back on, covering his gorgeous naked upper body and also the spot where her name was inked into his skin as a gesture of love that would last forever.
"Fine, princess," he said and offered her his arm. "Whatever you wish."
Sorry for any typos or mistakes, I'm updating on my phone again.