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

Chapter 29: Eli 2.0

Eli starts to walk back toward the main entrance way, leaving the two to say their goodbyes. Zelena grins at the gray haired man, gently touching the side of his face in hopes it'd ease the tears rising in his pride-ridden eyes. "I love you." She presses a kiss to his right cheek before tilting back onto the soles of her feet and tucking her hands into the pockets of her skirt.

"I love you too. And don't be too hard on that kid." His lips gently press to the teen's forehead before he steps back and out of her way.

She can feel Eli's curious eyes watching her as they slip into his mother's car that she let him borrow for the evening. But he says nothing about whatever is on his mind, following behind her and even saying goodbye to her uncle as they walk through the front door. As he had earlier, his hands make quick work of the front passenger door, opening it for her. She slips into the seat, tucking her legs into the space in front of her and smiles up at her friend. He closes the door and her eyes happen to end up across her uncle who is leaned up the threshold.

His eyebrow raises, having caught the small little thing the teen boy had done. Eli's back faces the man Zelena bats her hand in the air with burning cheeks. Apparently the crush (or quite possibly more than that) she'd harbored on her best friend wasn't a secret to anyone, especially not her uncle by the looks of his wiggling eyebrows. She laughs, not seeing the red Mohawked teen slide into the driver seat or even hear him until he inquires about the source of her laughter. "Just my uncle goofing off."

Eli waves to their elder only to return his right hand to the shift, putting the car into reverse while his left hand remains on the steering wheel. "So you went to the beach thinking there was a possibility it'd be George standing there, waiting for you?" He begins, keeping his eyes locked on the road though this twinge of pain beats in his heart. He can't decide the emotion sourcing it, but know for certain he doesn't enjoy the feeling particularly.

She notes the tightening of his fingers around the grey leather steering wheel that contradicts the softness of his tone. Still she answers honestly. "Yes." The ex-Cobra raises his eyebrow at her, ensuring she catches a glimpse of the darkened questioning expression across his face when he turns his head to her briefly for a momentary stare down. "What?" There's a familiar exasperation tinging her rhetorical asking that she'd used when Miguel continued to press on about dating Peter. "He's a good guy and-"

"And still a Cobra. Still learning from Kreese."

"I was going to say good looking but yes." It's meant to be a joke, but no smile adorns his lips in the passing moments she gives him to process her taunting words. "Eli-"

He abruptly interrupts her. Not with intent to, but because he'd finally mustered up the courage to say what's pulsating in his mind. "Robby is a Cobra too now. Why would you even meet up with him?"

She's bewildered for a moment at his brashness, the rough edge to his words. She reminds herself that she doesn't owe him any explanation. She doesn't owe anyone an explanation. Yet her gaze that drifted astray to her thumbs absently wrestling one another in her lap, lifts up to view his fairly emotional expression. His eyes meet hers briefly and the glimpse of his blue green eyes leaves her lips parted in surprise. She gawks for a moment at the conclusion of deep rooted fear pushing further the harshness of his suddenly stoic expression.

The way his name rolls off her tongue alleviates some of the overwhelming negativity powering his sudden unavailability. He shudders the second her fingers knowingly feather across the back of his right hand. They then proceed to interlace between his own, pulling his hand away from full functionality of the steering wheel. "If I saw Robby or Tory as genuine threats to my being, I wouldn't interact with them. They would never knowingly bring me harm."

"Except they did today, Zelena." He has a fair point. She thinks to herself, also recognizing the similarities between what he has once done to what Tory and Robby had done. They weren't that far apart. Robby had even intervened today like Hawk had at the LaRusso household. While she hadn't been lured to the LaRusso's on a false pretense, she had been cornered there by Cobras just as she had been today. She didn't know how to bring it to light that perhaps Hawk hated Robby so much because he saw himself in Sensei Lawrence's charming son. Because he was uncomfortable with seeing his actions in someone else's shoes. "He kicked you over the railing and you're still batting for him."

Lucky for the teen, the light had turned red and unlucky for her driver this evening, she had every intent to him to look at her. Not just glance. Her right hand waves, getting him to look at her incredulously. "Robby intended to kick Miguel over the railing- not that that's okay or makes it better but he didn't mean me harm. Secondly, as much as you hate it, I think you need to admit that the reason you despise him so much is because you're seeing him make mistakes similar to your own. And it hurts."

His eyes roll, but he doesn't say or do anything else to decline the gently spoken conclusion. His fingers clench around hers in an empathetic reaction and they remain securely grasping her hand like that. "It's been hurting for a while." Zelena nearly misses the admission from the driver who nonchalantly turns back to look at the road the moment he speaks, having caught right off the signal changing. "But you being gone- like actually gone and not present in anyone's life- was like someone drained the world of everything that is good, that is even just bearable. I was miserable. And everything ached everywhere. Every single piece of me just hurt all the time. Especially when I recalled the last time we'd actually spoken, I told you to leave and not come back. And then you were literally in a position of being gone and not coming back." He guiltily flutters his eyes to her and she runs her thumb across the back of his hand.

The car stops moving and even with their hands attached, Eli grabs the shift and puts the car in park. He then uses his left hand to turn the car off and pull the keys out. "I called you Angel the first time because that was what I'd always thought of you and Demetri used to jokingly or slightly bitterly mumble it when you're back was to us. It felt natural to say it but I was so angry at the fact you were trying to save me when I thought I couldn't be saved-didn't deserve to be." Zelena tugs her arm back slightly and he tilts his head in curiosity.

"E, no one saved you. I didn't save you. You saved yourself. YOU walked away. YOU helped us fight the Cobras. YOU told Tory to leave Sam's house. YOU showed up for practice and admitted to your mistakes. YOU'VE been taking the steps to be better. I was simply cheering you on. Maybe trying to guide you at times, but I didn't pull you out of there. You did." She leans across the center console quickly, sensing the surge of confidence built during her speech dwindling equally as fast. Her lips press against his right cheek in all the affection she doesn't know how to articulate. She pauses halfway through pulling away, captivated by the absolute awe painted in his features including the way his skin tinges pink, beginning from the base of his neck. It was spreading down and across his body, but luckily for him, she couldn't see. Especially not that well in the clash of night's dim lighting.

The pair continue their locked gaze, even inching closer as they do until a blinding light snaps them back into reality. A curse from outside the vehicle intrigues the pair who both look through the front windshield to find Miguel's hand awkwardly waving while Demetri rolls his eyes in annoyance. Eli and Zelena turn their heads back to one another, "He flashed us." Zelena sputters without actually hearing or considering her choice of words.

The red mohawked teen bursts into a fit of laughter, tilting his head back and laughing harder when his eyes glimpse the confusion across his best friend's features. Zelena pouts impishly, but tilts her body back into the seat and silently observes him further in awe. This is Eli. The hidden one all along. And man was she smitten with him.