A/N: ELI WITH THE SUN TATTOO
ELI WITH THE SUN TATTOO
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"Miguel?" My voice cracked.
Miguel was sitting on a ledge in front of my apartment. When he saw me, he stood up quickly.
I continued to look at him in silence. A smile slowly grew on his face, before he began walking over to me. "Y/n, I have so much to tell you..." He kept talking, but I didn't process any of his words.
After a few seconds, I began walking towards him too, dropping my bag to the ground. My pace quickened with each step.
I wasn't smiling, however. It felt as though a swarm of bees were buzzing in my chest.
Miguel held out his arms for a hug when we reached each other, but I didn't embrace him. Instead, I raised my hand and slapped his cheek.
His head jerked to the side, one of his hands raising up to the spot I just struck. He looked back at me, confusion imprinted in his face.
I raised my hands and pushed him back, making him stumble. "How could you?" I asked, pushing him back again. "Do you know how worried I was? How worried we all were?" My voice raised slightly.
"I felt like such a dick! I felt like the worst friend in existence, but hearing that you leave the country alone with no idea where you're going?!" I kept pushing him back. Miguel listened quietly.
"It's you! You're insane, Miguel!" I continued. "I missed you! I needed you-" I began slowing down, my vision blurry with tears.
Miguel took this opportunity and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him. I cried into his shoulder.
It felt good to be by him again, but my blood was still boiling within. After a few seconds, I pushed him away from me again, still crying.
"I'm still mad at you..." I spoke, pointing at him. "Y/n, I will do anything to make it up to you." Miguel took a step closer. "How about we start by talking?"
I stared at him for a moment, before nodding my head. I followed Miguel through his apartment and into his room.
I stood in the middle of his room, my arms crossed in front of my chest, while Miguel took a seat on his bed. We stared at each other in silence.
"You can sit down too, y/n-" Miguel started, gesturing to a spot on his bed.
"I'm alright here," I interrupted firmly.
Miguel sighed. "Listen, I know-"
"Let me start," I interrupted him again. "When you left, I was beating myself up inside. Day in, day out. I felt so bad about the way we left things, that I didn't know what to do with myself. I spent my days alone to punish myself for the way I treated you. I didn't think I deserved to have any other friends if I drove away my best friend the way I did!" My voice raised with every sentence.
"I wanted to apologize first thing, but now you're back and you act like nothing happened? Like you just got back from a weekend trip?!"
"Y/n, please, listen", Miguel started. "I know what I did was wrong. I know I shouldn't have done it. But by the time I realized it, it was too late. I felt guilty about the way we left things too, you know!" He paused.
"What I did when I was in your room that night... I don't know what came over me, but it meant nothing. I want you as my best friend. I need you as my best friend!"
Miguel was standing in front of me now. "I will do anything, for you to forgive me," he repeated. "I'll buy you lunch at Sally's as many times as you want for the next month. Or I'll stand still and let you kick the shit out of me. Or I'll..." he stopped, running out of ideas.
"Just, please, y/n. I'm sorry."
I looked at him, thinking about his words. I stood silently for a moment, before taking a few steps forward and wrapping my arms around him in embrace. He hugged me back, releasing a long, relieved sigh.
"I forgive you," I told him. "As long as you bring me to Mexico with you next time," I added jokingly.
Miguel chuckled, before looking down to the ground. "I, uh, won't be going back to Mexico any time soon..."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why? What happened? Are you alright?" I asked, quickly looking over his body for any injuries.
"I'm fine, it's just..." he paused.
We both sat in his bed, as he explained to me his whole Mexico adventure.
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I slept at Eli's house last night. Since we're on summer break now, we'll probably be doing this more often.
We laid in his bed, his arms wrapped around me. My finger lightly traced the sun tattoo on his chest. The one he got for me.
We were talking about random things, when we somehow got into a rather long game of Would You Rather.
I held up my phone with one hand, a list of questions on the screen.
"Here's one... Would you rather have skin that changes color based on your emotions or tattoos appear all over your body depicting what you did yesterday?" I asked.
He squinted his eyes for a moment, thinking, before a smirk grew on his face. He looked down at me. "If I were to do the tattoo thing, everyone would know what we do when we're alone..." he begun leaning closer. I laughed, before our lips connected.
"See? That moment could be tattooed on my butt tomorrow," he said. I raised an eyebrow. "Who's gonna be seeing your butt? Is there someone I should be worried about?" I smirked.
"Trust me, I'll choose you over anyone, anytime."
I laughed again as I felt my heart warm up. I felt my phone vibrate in my hand, so I looked back at it. It was a text from Sam LaRusso, in a group chat with her, Yasmine, Moon, and me.
Sam: Brunch today? Need to
get out of the house
Eli looked down and saw the message as well. I sighed, looking over the words.
"You should do it," Eli spoke.
I shook my head slowly. "I don't know, Eli..."
"Y/n, you deserve a break. Go have fun."
Yasmine and Moon texted back and said they would go. I have been quiet with them, but I don't want them to think that I hate them or something...
I decided I'd go. I texted them back, telling them that I'd meet them at the restaurant.
I put my phone down. Eli and I sat in silence for a moment, still laying against each other. "I guess I should get ready..." I said.
Eli pulled me in closer, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I love you," he told me. I looked up at him, before connecting our lips. "I love you too."
And at that, I began getting ready. I changed my clothes, freshened up, and did a few other needed things. Then I drove to the breakfast cafe they decided to meet at.
It wasn't very full inside. I spotted the rest of the girls at a table by the window.
Moon and Yasmine smiled when I walked over. Sam saw me and smiled too. "Y/n, we've missed you!" Moon exclaimed, holding out her hand to me.
I put my hand into hers as I sat, smiling back at all of them. "I've missed you all too."
"Glad to see you, Y/n," Yasmine smiled. "We were just talking about what Sam should say to her boyfriend."
I looked to my right and at Sam, a questioning look on my face. "Yeah... we kind of had an argument." Sam looked down.
"Oh, well... what do you guys have so far?" I asked. Sam directed her phone towards me.
We should talk tonight, it read.
Three little dots appeared at the bottom left of the screen. "Miguel is typing back," I pointed. Sam looked back at the phone, while Yasmine and Moon leaned in slightly.
"'Can't wait to see you tonight. How are you?'" Sam read off the text out loud, before showing the screen to the other two girls. Yasmine chuckled. "Desperate... but cute. He knows he's in deep shit."
"I just... feel like things have been off lately," Sam said. "There's so much I wanna say. Maybe I should just... lay it all out?"
"No!" Yasmine said quickly, grabbing Sam's phone from her hand. "No, less is more."
"I'm with Yas." Moon joined in. "It's better to have these conversations in person."
I nodded my head. "I agree too. And you know Miguel... he won't take it well if it's over text." Yasmine handed the phone back to Sam. "Mhm. Keep it short."
Sam read Yasmine's text out loud. "'I'm okay.'" There was a silence. "Should I add a smiley face or something?"
"No!"
"Definitely."
Yasmine and Moon spoke at the same time, before turning their heads towards each other. Sam sighed, before sending the text as-is.
"Good! Now do not send anything else." Yasmine raised an eyebrow, making sure Sam heard her. Sam nodded in response.
"Anyways," Moon started, "Y/n! Where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Oh, I've just been..." I paused. I can't really tell them that I was purposefully avoiding them... so what do I say?
"busy with a lot," I finished my sentence. Yasmine looked at me suspiciously while Moon just smiled. "Well, we're glad your back now."
"Thanks Moon." I smiled back.
We went on with our brunch. We talked, ate, and laughed together. When we were done, Moon suggested we go to this other place she likes.
That's where we are now. It ended up being some kind of relaxation spa. They gave us black bathing suits to wear and bright orange and blue tie-dye robes to put on over them.
The building was full of plants, natural tones, relaxing music, and Buddha statues.
"Moon, this place is so... you," Sam spoke, looking around. Moon smiled excitedly. "Isn't it?" she exclaimed. The smile on her face was beautiful, bright and contagious. I found myself smiling when she did.
"When all the karate drama first started and everyone started fighting all the time, there was a lot of negative energy," Moon began explaining. "This place helped cut through the noise. Which is why I brought you guys here. You gotta find yourselves. Figure out who you really are."
Moon looked towards Sam, before looking at me. Thank you, I mouthed. Moon bowed her head politely. "They also do facials. So..." Yasmine added in.
"That's true," Moon chuckled. "But first, follow me." Moon grabbed Sam and I's hands. I held out my other hand towards Yasmine. She looked down at it for a moment, before accepting the gesture and putting her hand into mine.
Moon led us all into a dimly lit room. In the middle, sat a large, white capsule. "What is this, exactly?" I asked, pointing to the thing.
"This is a self-actualization pod," Moon answered.
"So like a sensory deprivation tank?" Sam asked.
"Oh, no, no, no. No. They don't call them that anymore. It's not about deprivation," Moon told us. "It's about connection with your innermost self."
My innermost self? I'm not sure if I'd like to see that...
"Thanks, but I'm gonna pass. I already have nightmares about drowning in shallow bodies of water..." Sam spoke.
Everyone looked at Sam now, with slightly worried looked on our faces. "Wow. That's... dark," Yasmine said.
"Sam, ever since the tournament, you've been off balance." Moon looked at Sam, then at me. "So have you, y/n. It's clear there's been some tension. The only thing you're gonna find in this pod is yourself. That's not so scary, right?"
I guess we'll see... I thought.
"Here, Y/n, I'll help you in. Yas, help Sam?" Yasmine nodded and walked towards her and Sam's pods, Sam following behind.
Moon grabbed my hand and pulled me gently towards the pod. "Here, just step in, then sit down." Moon continued to hold my hand as I got in. I did as instructed. "When I close this door, just lay down and float. You'll feel yourself drifting and then... you'll find yourself."
I nodded in understanding. Moon smiled down at me once again. "Good luck, Y/n. I hope this helps you find your way." And at that, Moon carefully shut the door.
I laid down, the cold temperature of the water causing small bumps to rise on my arms. The pod was pitch black inside.
Soon enough... and to my surprise...
My vision started.
I found myself in the middle of a blue mat. They looked like the mats from the All Valley. I was wearing my red Eagle Fang gi.
There was a shining light above me, while the rest of the room was covered in darkness.
I heard something behind me, so I turned around quickly. All I saw was darkness. I heard another noise, so I turned again. That's when someone stepped out of the darkness.
It was Tory.
She wore her Cobra Kai gi and an evil smile on her face. I clenched my fists and began breathing heavier.
Then Tory lunged at me, throwing a punch. I blocked it quickly. But almost as soon as I blocked it, she kicked me backwards.
"Point, Nichols," a voice echoed.
Tory was already coming at me again before I had a chance to prepare. She threw a kick, but I blocked it. Then I tried to kick her, but she blocked and pushed my leg away. Then she sent a roundhouse kick straight into my stomach.
"Point, 2-0, Nichols," the voice said again.
I walked backwards as she walked towards me. I kept trying to keep distance between us, when I felt hands on my back.
The hands pushed me forward and yelled, "Get back in there!" I fell on my hands and knees, before looking back to see Henry's smirking face behind me.
My head whipped back towards Tory, who, before I could process it, kicked me hard in the face. My head jerked to the side and my hand raised to cup the injured area.
"Point, Nichols. Winner!"
The sound of a large, cheering crowd came from the darkness. I could feel pain radiating through the spot Tory just kicked.
"You could have been great," a voice said. I looked up to see Terry Silver standing in front of me, looking down at me.
"You lost, Y/n," another voice said. It was Mr. LaRusso. Next to him, stood Sensei, who began talking as well. "It's all your fault. We shut down, and Cobra Kai won. All because of you."
I could feel tears start to drip from my eyes as I shook my head. "You can fix this, Miss Y/l/n," Silver spoke again. "Come join us."
Terry leaned down and held out a hand towards me. I shook my head again and pushed myself away from him, still on the ground.
"Just leave, Y/n," said another person. I looked to my right to see the other Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang students. "We don't want you here anymore," said Demitri.
"We're all gonna keep getting bullied, all because you blew it," said Bert.
Tears were pouring out of my eyes now. I couldn't find my voice to say anything back to them. So I sat on the ground, leaning on my hands behind me, shaking my head as I tried to say something.
Then I heard footsteps sound through the air. They were fast, like someone was running. They got louder and louder. I looked around quickly, trying to identify where they were coming from.
Suddenly, out of the darkness comes Eli, running towards me. I don't think I can listen to Eli being disappointed in me...
I tried getting away, but Eli was too fast. Before I knew it, he was on his knees next to me. One of his hands ran through my hair gently. I looked away from him, squeezing my eyes shut tight.
Two of his fingers found their way under my chin, before directing my gaze towards him. Our eyes met; his grey, shining eyes pierced into my own.
"Y/n, you listen to me," he spoke softly. "None of this is your fault. None of it."
I furrowed my eyebrows at his words. "I love you, Y/n. And I know I always will." Eli leaned in and connected our lips. Tears still fell from my eyes as I kissed him back.
"I like him," a final voice spoke.
I looked in the direction, and saw my mom. She looked beautiful as ever, her kind eyes looking down at me.
"I like him a lot," she added, walking closer. She held out her hands to me, and I put mine in hers. She helped me up onto my feet.
"Y/n, my love, you're safe. You're strong," she continued. "I am so proud of what you've accomplished. So proud."
"Thanks mom," I cried quietly. Those were the first words I had been able to speak.
"This is not the end, Y/n. You've got your whole life ahead of you. It's waiting," she said. "So don't give up."
I replayed her words over and over in my mind, her sweet voice causing a warm feeling inside. "I won't", I stated.
My mom smiled kindly, her face filled with beauty. She kissed my forehead gently, before wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back, not wanting to ever let go.
I didn't notice all the people around me start to fade away. The noise stopped, and it went quiet. I just continued to hug my mom.
Then Moon opened the door to my pod.
I woke from the vision with a small start. My eyes wide, looking around. I was back in reality.
A few quiet tears fell out my eyes without me realizing. "Y/n, are you alright?" Moon asked. I took a few deep breaths before nodding my head.
Moon grabbed my hand and helped me out of my pod, before handing me my robe. "I had the most incredible vision! I was a drop of dew glistening in the moonlight," Moon said, looking off into the distance. Then she smiled widely and looked back at me, waiting to hear about mine.
"Mine was... perfect." I pulled Moon in and gave her a hug, which she gladly accepted.
"Thank you so much, Moon," I spoke quietly.
"Anytime," she responded.
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