— chapter eight, dual wielding!
BOWIE WAS MORE than surprised to wake up one morning to a text from Demetri on his phone, asking if he wanted to join him and some others at the park today. As well as they got along with Demetri, and even Hawk, they had never hung out with them outside of school. The only people Bowie ever tended to interact with outside of school were the people at his karate dojo and, of course, Robby.
The boy was somewhat nervous, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he approached Demetri, along with Miguel and Aisha, sitting on a bench in the park. Hawk was there, too; a little further away on the grass, practising kicks against, who Bowie assumed to be, another Cobra Kai student.
"Bowie, hey!" Demetri spied the curly haired boy, gesturing for him to hurry over. "Please tell Miguel that he'll feel better after he eats something. It's scientifically proven!"
Miguel, who was looking pretty forlorn, smiled at Bowie smally before brushing Demetri off.
"I told you, I'm not hungry."
"I still think you're overreacting," Demetri commented, sighing in defeat.
"I'm not overreacting, dude!" Miguel insisted, lowering his tone when he noticed Bowie's confused expression, and moving over to allow him to sit between him and Demetri, which he accepted graciously.
"I saw Sam having a guy over for family dinner the other night, and she still won't invite me over to meet her dad."
Bowie's eyebrows shot up, remembering how Robby had told them he was having dinner with the LaRusso's a few nights ago, but he chose not to comment, instead letting Demetri continue to argue over them. They also pieced together that Miguel and Sam must be dating, which made sense from what they'd seen of them around school.
"Alright, so you saw her eating dinner with some chode. It's probably just her brother or something," Hawk chimed in after taking out the considerably smaller child he was fighting with a roundhouse kick. It still baffled Bowie how much the once quiet and anxious boy had changed over the last few months, and he even had to stifle a laugh at Hawk's insulting description of Robby, who he didn't even know, and who clearly none of them had figured out that Bowie knew.
"No, dude. Brothers don't look at their sisters like that," Miguel argued with Hawk, who walked over to the bench and gave Bowie a fist bump; a gesture that made Bowie and Demetri raise their eyebrows at each other.
"Depends what part of the country you're in," Demetri deadpanned at Miguel's comment, causing Bowie to chuckle.
Miguel shook his head: "Look, I just don't want what happened to Sensei to happen to me."
"What happened to, uhm, your Sensei?" the curly haired boy cut in, confused as he watched Aisha, Demetri and Hawk all nod along understandingly.
"He got his heart broke pretty bad after the girl he was in love with was stolen by LaRusso," Hawk answered, and Bowie added the knowledge to the mental puzzle they were constructing in their head which seemed to grow more confusing each day. Was that the reason Johnny Lawrence had a rivalry with LaRusso? Did Robby know that?
"Alright, so you go over to this kid and beat his ass so he doesn't have the chance," Hawk unhelpfully suggested.
"Do you even know this guy?" Bowie turned around and questioned, internally kicking himself for his instinct to defend Robby kicking in.
"Yeah, don't listen to Eli," Demetri shook his head.
"It's Hawk," the boy corrected with a scowl, to which Demetri rolled his eyes and dismissed him passive aggressively.
"The fact is, Sam's given you no reason not to trust her."
Miguel toyed with the idea for a moment before sighing.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Bowie cocked a playful eyebrow in Demetri's direction: "Since when did you get so wise?"
Demetri seemed to blush a little at this, but before he could come up with a witty remark, Aisha, who had been scrolling on her phone and paying very little attention to Miguel's dilemma, cut him off.
"That little bitch!"
"What?" Miguel asked, sounding more tired than interested.
Aisha tilted her phone towards the boys to show them a Facebook post.
"You know that video I posted of me breaking that board? Look what Yasmine commented."
Bowie rolled his eyes at the mean comment Yasmine typed under Aisha's post, hearing Hawk scoff behind him, Demetri sigh and Miguel breathe a gentle "Oh, shit."
"I gotta do something," Aisha insisted, clicking over to Yasmine's profile.
"Alright, how about we kidnap her, and have my boy Rico tattoo 'bitch' on her face?" Hawk unhelpfully suggested once again, causing all four of his friends to twist around and look at him in disgust.
"Please, do not fucking do that," Bowie requested as Demetri scoffed.
"Calm down, Hawk," Demetri scowled as Miguel shook his head disappointedly.
"Alright, I hear how you're saying it, and I don't like it," the blue haired boy argued back but he let the subject drop as Aisha waved her hand in front of his face.
"Wait, wait, wait. I've got a better idea. Look."
"Yasmine's throwing a birthday party at the canyon later?" Miguel read outloud.
"Not if we strike first," Aisha smirked, and the three Cobra Kai members, quickly chased up by the small child Hawk was fighting earlier, were quick to jump up from the bench, firing questions and ideas at each other about invites and alcohol and all sorts.
Demetri and Bowie followed a little further behind, clearly less committed to the idea but still seemingly comfortable following along.
"You down to come to a party then, huh?" Demetri asked them, swaying a little as he walked, his hands tucked in the pocket of his jeans.
"Sure," Bowie responded. "You better stick with me though because I am not one for socialising at parties."
"Oh, of course," Demetri nodded with a grin. "I need somebody to laugh at drunk people with now that Eli has become one of the drunkards. You should see his fake ID, it's atrocious."
Right on cue, Hawk called back to the two of them along the path: "When we get into the store, it's Walter Hawkman, and I'm twenty five."
"Oh, god," Bowie laughed, his brown eyes wide and amused, and Demetri returned his smile.
"You see what I've gotten myself into?"
"I feel for you, man," Bowie grinned, enjoying the change of company more than he expected to.
☼
The group arrived at the store twenty minutes later, and whilst Miguel stood outside trying to call his girlfriend, the others filled their arms with drinks and snacks. Bowie had been to parties before, sure, but never one where he hadn't just been tagging along with Robby, and never one where he had liked anybody present that wasn't his best friend.
"Alright, be sure to stock up good," Aisha grinned, piling tubes of pringles and cheez-its into Bowie's arms which the boy nearly dropped, and then doing the same with the kid– Bert.
"I'm inviting everyone. 'VIP only' my ass."
"I still don't understand how we're gonna buy alcohol," Demetri stated in a not-so-hushed whisper. "There's no way Eli's ID is gonna slide."
"Oh, please," Hawk scoffed, walking up to the fridge and taking out a back of beer. "Never underestimate the power of the Hawk."
Bowie and Demetri exchanged disbelieving glances before Aisha huddled them and Bert into the back corner of the store, where the four of them hid behind magazines to watch the potentially disastrous conversation unfold.
"'Sup?" Hawk greeted the man behind the counter with a smirk, making Bowie cringe. "Oh, did you catch the game last night? See Puig with the walk-off?"
"Nah, man, but I heard he flipped the bat to the moon," the guy responded.
"Yeah, I was at the bar last night with my buddies from work. Whole place went wild."
"I wanted to go, but my girlfriend dragged me to some lame-ass play."
"Bitches will be bitches."
Demetri scoffed to himself and Bowie watched, eyebrows raised as Hawk's charm appeared to be working.
"So, how much it gonna cost?"
"Gotta check your ID first," the guy stopped Hawk, and Demetri threw the others a percipient nod.
Hawk laughed a little, attempting to play it cool– "I'm flattered"-- but the guy wasn't buying it at all, and gave Hawk a tired look.
"You really think I'm underage? That's my freaking kid right there," Hawk pointed to Bert and it took everything in Bowie's power not to burst out laughing– they were certain Hawk had blown it with that blatant lie.
"Yeah, I still need to see it, it's required by law," the guy reiterated, causing the blue haired boy to waffle slightly, clearly panicked as he pulled an ID card from his wallet and handed it to the cashier.
Hawk looked away, faux casually, before the man sighed, throwing the card back with a dismissive "Whatever" and running the alcohol through the till.
Bowie laughed to himself, taking the snacks up to the till as Hawk continued to ring off other alcoholic beverages he wanted to purchase, clearly trigger happy with his victory. Helping Demetri pack plastic bags full of junk food and drinks (once the cashier wasn't suspicious of them being with Hawk– which he definitely was), the group left the store, laughing and joyous at their success.
☼
By the time Aisha had driven them to the canyon, it was already packed with people Bowie vaguely recognised from school. They unpacked snacks and drinks into ice boxes and helped light a campfire some guys had been building, and then the party was underway.
"You mind if I drink a little?" Bowie asked Demetri, who was sitting on a log beside the fire.
"Go ahead," Demetri waved his hands dismissively. "You look like a person who can handle their drink."
Grinning, Bowie poured some vodka into their red solo cup, topping it off with lemonade and taking a sip. It sure didn't taste good, but it was tolerable, and it took the edge off loud music and loud people.
"Shit's about to go down," Hawk smirked, taking a large gulp of his drink as he gestured towards the jeep that had just pulled up. Bowie recognised the people who climbed out– Kyler, Brucks, Yasmine and Moon.
Bowie watched, wide eyed and laughing as Kyler seemed to catch sight of Miguel, who was still staring at his phone, and then back away, seemingly packing up to go find another spot.
"No fucking way," they breathed, beyond amused, and Demetri nodded in awe beside them.
Moon started walking towards the party, but Bowie wasn't too worried about that; she wasn't hostile in comparison to Kyler or Yasmine. In fact, she appeared to be eyeing up Hawk, and the two struck up a conversation when she got down to the beach.
Bowie took his time observing the party; watching people dance, watching Miguel take a sip of what he assumed was his first beer and gag unceremoniously, watching Moon talk to Hawk, and eventually watching those two migrate towards Aisha and Miguel.
He spent his time with Demetri, though, making conversation and watching as the sun went down and the fire roared. Bowie found himself enjoying the company of the lanky boy more and more, even to the point that he gave up refilling his drink after a few because talking to Demetri even made the bustle of an unfamiliar party bearable.
Miguel and Aisha came over to talk to the pair after a while, Miguel seemingly far too drunk and worked up over something, but what, Bowie wasn't sure.
"Oh, they're all out of Mr. Pibbs. I got the last one," Demetri pointed out, brandishing his cup as Miguel stumbled towards the ice box for another drink. Miguel scowled before stalking away, earning a laugh from Bowie.
"Wow, he is shitfaced. I'm sure he'll love sleeping that one off in the morning."
"Well now I feel bad," Demetri's shoulders slumped as he sloshed the liquid around in his cup, frowning at it.
"Don't," Bowie said, deciding to refill their own cup with some more vodka and the rest of a flat bottle of Coke that was propped up against a log: "He definitely doesn't need another drink. Somebody better watch him in case he tries anything."
"I think Aisha has it," Demetri pointed out, downing his drink forlornly. "Or I hope so, because Eli sure doesn't," he sighed, gesturing towards where Hawk was sucking face with Moon a few metres away.
"Oh, gross," Bowie raised an eyebrow, looking between the pair and Demetri's distressed expression.
"It seems like you're pretty hurt over that, man. I get it. We can leave if you want?" they tried, causing Demetri to snap out of his state and shake his head aggressively.
"What? No, it's fine. Eli can make out with whoever he likes, that is so okay with me. Why wouldn't it be?"
"Okay," Bowie cocked an eyebrow doubtfully, but didn't further comment, as he was too distracted by Yasmine stalking down the beach towards the party. Moon got up to walk towards Aisha, leaving Hawk alone, so Bowie nudged Demetri towards him.
"Go check on him," Bowie covered up his reasoning. "I'm gonna go make sure nothing kicks off over there," they gestured towards the steaming blonde girl who most of the party was now gawking at. Demetri nodded, seemingly forlornly, before wandering over to Hawk and sitting beside him. Bowie made his way in the general direction of Aisha, Yasmine and Moon.
Yasmine stood off to one side when she arrived, and Bowie chose to do the same, sipping his drink and simply people watching. Demetri came over to join him after what must have been a very brief conversation with Hawk that seemed to have left the boy more on edge, so the two lapsed into silence, watching as Yasmine swayed from side to side, her fury growing.
"Why is she even here?" Bowie questioned, causing Demetri to force out an answer hurriedly.
"I saw on Facebook that it's her birthday. Happy Birthday! Well, I suppose you saw that too, actually." Demetri took a large gulp of his drink, scratching the back of his head awkwardly before sighing.
"Sorry. I'm aware I just got very awkward."
"It's okay," Bowie shrugged, looking at the lanky boy with kind eyes. "Is everything okay? Did something happen with Hawk?"
"All is well," Demetri nodded repeatedly, as though trying to reassure himself. "Eli just gave me some terrible advice. Well, I imagine the advice is okay, I'm just doing a terrible job at following it."
Bowie went to question what said advice could have been, but his attention was torn away from the conversation by a scream that came from Yasmine, who was suspended in the air by the front of her underwear.
"No mercy, bitch!" Aisha yelled before letting her fall to the floor, laughter echoing throughout the canyon as Yasmine struggled to stand up and run away.
"Yikes," Bowie laughed, taking another sip of his drink.
"Yikes, indeed," Demetri agreed, applauding jokingly as Aisha, Hawk and Moon came to stand with the pair, gushing about how badass Aisha was after teaching Yasmine a lesson.
"Wait, is that Sam?" Moon pointed towards a girl running down the hill in the opposite direction of Yasmine, towards the party alongside someone else.
"I bet that's the asshole who she was having dinner with," Hawk pointed towards the guy Sam was with who couldn't quite be made out due the the way the shadows shielded him from the firelight.
"Uh oh," Aisha exclaimed. "And there goes Miguel."
Watching as a drunken Miguel stalked towards the two, the group of friends rushed forwards to witness the situation.
"Hey. Hey, hey," Miguel repeated, his words slurred as he approached the two, just as Bowie and the others fell in just behind him.
"Who's this guy?"
"Robby?" Bowie questioned, able to recognise his best friend in the light of the fire now they were standing closer.
"Bowie?" Robby responded, the scowl set on his face relaxing temporarily at the sight of the curly haired boy.
"Wait, as in 'the elusive Robby'?" Demetri chimed in, clearly confused.
"Wait, this- this is your boyfriend?" Robby asked, gesturing towards Miguel, and it suddenly fell into place that Robby had seen Miguel once before– with Johnny Lawrence.
Miguel looked beyond drunk and beyond angry as Sam tried to placate the scene.
"Yeah. Miguel, relax. This is Robby, he works for my dad."
"Oh, with your dad," the dark haired boy reeled sarcastically. "Okay, that makes a lot of sense."
"Shit's about to go down," Hawk whispered to Moon and the others as Bowie tried desperately to catch Robby's eye.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked Miguel, clearly hurt. "Wait, have you been drinking?"
"No, no, no, no," Miguel chuckled to himself. "You don't get to turn this on me. I texted and called you all day, and you couldn't answer me back once?"
"No, I literally couldn't!" Sam countered, clearly getting frustrated now. "My mom took my phone."
"Oh, that's so convenient!" Miguel cut her off, and Bowie went to step forwards and put a hand on the boy's shoulder to tell him to calm down, but Robby beat him to it.
"Hey, man, just-"
"You get the hell out of here!" the drunk boy yelled, shoving Robby to the floor.
"Robby, don't-" Bowie tried to ward him off, but Robby stood, ready to fight Miguel until Sam stepped between them. When Miguel swung, the blow landed on the side of Sam's face and she fell to the floor.
Miguel reached down to help Sam up, instantly regretting what he'd done, but Sam threw his hand off, scowling.
"What the hell was that? My dad was right about Cobra Kai. Good luck at the tournament, I won't be there," she snapped, stalking back up the hill and leaving the rest of the teenagers at the party in a stunned silence.
Robby paused, glaring at Miguel, but then his gaze softened as he looked between Bowie and Sam, unsure of what to do. Sighing, Bowie gestured for the boy to follow Sam, and so he did, but not before throwing a furious scowl at Miguel and a fleeting look back at Bowie.
"Well, happy fucking birthday Yasmine," Demetri muttered under his breath as Aisha turned towards him and Bowie, her eyes wide and still shocked over the events that had just unfolded.
"I'm gonna take Miguel home, you guys want a ride?"
"Sure," Bowie nodded, placing his half full cup down on the floor, only able to think of Robby.
"That would be great, thanks, Aisha."
leo's notes!
hello i'm so tired and overstimulated but here's a crazy long chapter (i fell in love with canyon party scene robby keene all over again writing this i would have kissed him on the mouth). also for some fuckin reason i can't do indents on wattpad so i have to individually go through and type an excessive amount of spaces for my indents it makes me want to cry