In My Blood (Eli Moskowitz/Hawk FF) (Cobra Kai)

*Chapter 21: Roller Rink Woes (Part 2)

There it is.

"I don't, Hawk."

"Then tell me."

"I can't. I- I know that Sensei Lawrence fucked up and left and it got out of hand. I know me walking out of your bedroom hurt you. And I know that Kreese makes it seem like he has only good intentions for you. That he's a strong man who is going to win. But he's only out for destruction. Kreese is a tsunami. He leaves destruction in his path and drowns everyone around him. He's dangerous. Please, please don't get closer to him than you already are. Because he will suck you in and he will kill you." I plead, pulling up to his house.

Instead of getting out like I thought he would, Hawk remains in his seat. So I park my car, turning the lights off to avoid blinding anyone who might be in the living room, and turn the car off. I move to look wholly at him again. He turns his body to me. He believes me in some sense. "Why do you care what happens to me?"

"Because you idiot, I never stopped caring."Or stopped loving you. My subconscious reminds me. I stare at him for a second longer before using his own habit and focus on something behind him, so it still looked like I was staring at him. "And maybe you did or maybe you didn't, but just because you put distance between us never meant I stopped worrying. caring. thinking about or valuing you. And if you value me, you'll listen to me and believe me when I say Kreese is a bad man. He does not have your best intent in his heart. He's self centered and destructive. He knows no boundaries-"

"How do you know that?"

All in or you lose him. I shakily inhale, "Kreese, look, he's told me some things in the past and it has rubbed me the wrong way. I just genuinely do not trust him. He's bad news. And the more I've asked around, the more confirmation I've gotten that he's done dark stuff to his old students. I just want to keep you safe." My hand move to touch his, but he jerks it out of my grasp.

"What stuff?"

"What?"

"What stuff? You said dark stuff. I want to know exactly what."

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

I grow desperate, wanting to hold onto him, but knowing that I needed to let him go if he couldn't just believe me. I had never lied to him. Not once. And he didn't believe me now. "Please. Just trust me. I've never lied to you before. I've always been honest." I sniffle, seeing the resolve in his eyes. He's going to leave.

"But you can't tell me what's going on now." He humorlessly chuckles, shaking his head. His index finger points at me, "He said you would do this. Try to pull some bullshit to make me feel bad." He presses the red button on his buckle, releasing him from the seat. "Thanks for the ride." He tosses haphazardly over his shoulder as he opens his door.

My hand reaches out and suddenly wraps its fingers around his left palm. He sits on the edge of the seat, his legs planted on the floor outside, but he doesn't turn back around to face me. "Right now, you're safe because you're a favorite of his. You listen to him. Make him feel important. And if I tell you what happened and you make even the slightest out of character move or expression or say something unlike you, he will pick up on it. No matter how small. And that immediately makes you a target. His target." His fingers momentarily wrap around my hand too. Like they used to. I melt all over again and I release a happy sounding sob. He turns his head around, eyes locking onto mine and it's then I realize he'd grabbed my hand back, thinking I was going to tell him. A sad sob passes through my clenched teeth. The pain returns. "He made a promise to me. I know he won't break that promise. But I won't put you in harm's way, Eli. I won't make you his target when there's no one else to help fight him."