ariesqueencobra - Tumblr blog

ariesqueencobra · 25 days

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list of young actresses of color who deserve to have more recognition and opportunities as actors like Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kathryn Newton, Millie Bobby Brown etc. It would be refreshing to see more of these talented and underrated actresses of color

*Note, the list consists of actors born within the mid 90s-2000s. This might not be a complete list so whoever sees this is welcome to add more actors that I missed. I might update this post from time to time

This list has gotten so long that I have to make a separate one for male actors of color

Rachel Zegler-(she deserved way better than the hate over snow white)

Lana Condor-(aside from x-men apocalypse and the to all the boys trilogy, she hasn't done much blockbusters compared to Noah, despite her being the lead in the latter films)

Dominique Thorne-(She has her Ironheart and deserves more opportunities, both in the mcu and outside)

Halle Bailey

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Lola Tung-(same example with Lana, pretty jarring how her male co-stars are getting work beyond the summer i turned pretty and yet there's nothing from Lola)

Ashley Liao

Megan Suri-(another cast member from Never Have I Ever who also deserves all the opportunites)

Joy Sunday-(Bianca from Wednesday, deserves as much love as Emma Myers)

Iman Vellani-(Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan herself, deserves to have a thriving career and be as big like Tom Holland)

Ayo Edebiri-(2023 was a big year for her, hopefully it continues and she's not overlooked or overshadowed by her white co-stars in The Bear)

Savannah Smith-(Carried the gossip girl reboot, she deserves to have as much recognition as Leighton and Blake did after the original Gossip Girl series)

Madison Reyes-(Julie and the Phantoms deserved better than to be cancelled after one season and with a cliffhanger. Let her star in a musical and or disney film)

Simone Ashley-(One of the main leads in Bridgerton yet Phoebe and Nicola have more upcoming projects than her in Hollywood)

Charithra Chandran

Arsema Thomas

India Amarteifio

Madeleine Madden-(Carried season 2 of The Wheel of Time and if you watched the whole season, you'll understand why)

Moses Ingram-(Did not deserve the hate over the Obi Wan Kenobi series)

Minnie Mills-(She deserved to appear in season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty)

Amrit Kaur

Alyah Chanelle Scott-(it's frustrating that both the main leading ladies of color are overshadowed by Renee Rapp and Pauline, who's related to Timothy)

Letitia Wright-(Pretty jarring how she's been in plenty of mcu projects yet it's easy to count the number of roles she's been in outside the mcu, and has been acting since 2011, longer than Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor Joy and Millie Bobby Brown. Wright has even acted as long as Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams and they've been in more projects than her)

Yasmin Finney-(She's done both Heartstopper and Doctor Who)

Imani Lewis-(First Kill deserved better than being cancelled after one season. Let her do more horror and supernatural themed

Leah Jeffries-(Deserves all the support especially once the Percy Jackson series comes out)

Auli'i Cravahlo

Erin Kellyman-(After the Han Solo film, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Willow, let her appear in more sci-fi and action blockbusters)

Sadly, tumblr has a 30 limit on adding gifs. I definitely missed so many on the list. Anyone is welcome to add more to the list. All of these talented actresses deserve all the love, appreciation and more opportunities and roles

I might do a part 2 which will include male actors

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ariesqueencobra · 26 days

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since the lone lobos pod was talking about their most toxic things they've ever done—what's the most toxic thing you've ever done?

i'll go first:

in high school, i created a new group chat so my friends and i could make plans without this girl. in retrospect, she never interacted with us when we hung out so i'm like "i'm gonna drop this b*tch"

#lone lobos #cobra kai #xolo maridueña #jacob bertrand

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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just an update;

i sprained my foot two weeks ago exactly. while i was bed ridden, i was thinking about "what we used to be" and i might go in a different direction for s3 than i had intended.

with possibly rewriting s3, it's going to take me a while to post. i also am starting a new job soon! there's so many things going on, so be patient.

i really didn't want to leave y'all on a cliffhanger cause i thought i was going to post part 18 to begin s3 a few days later but oop. but it's okay, hehe.

hope you all are doing okay!

what we used to be masterlist

#blog info #eli moskowitz x reader #eli moskowitz #hawk x reader #cobra kai

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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what we used to be | XlV

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: Heartbroken, you have no idea what to do. Thankfully you still have Demitri and he shows you exactly what you need– peace.

Warnings: swearing, dojo rivalry, mentions of toxic relationships

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: I'm eating up this drama right now! I freaking love it!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

You wiped your eyes again, and the skin around them felt puffy and sore from all the rubbing you did. But you couldn’t help it, you were heartbroken.

All because you broke up with the guy you were in love with and left the dojo that made you strong.

Staring at the AP Bio packet in front of you, you cried harder. You couldn’t get the problem right, if Eli were here, he would’ve helped. But even thinking of that didn’t help the tears.

Exhaling a shaky breath, you ate from the tub of ice cream your mother gave you, claiming it would help with the heartache. It kinda did, but then again, it was ice cream.

About to admit defeat and crawl back into bed where you spent the better part of the last two days, you shrieked at the sight of someone at your door.

“Woah didn’t mean to startle you,” Demitri grinned, holding his arms out in defense.

“How did you get inside?” You asked him, quick to wipe your eyes even though your state was evident.

“Your mom let me in,” he shrugged, taking a step into your room. “You weren’t answering your texts,” he sat on your bed in front of you. “I got worried when I found out you left Cobra Kai after you broke up with you know who.”

You frowned. “How’d you find out?” You turned around, doodling on the page as you rested your chin on your knee. You didn’t want to be reminded that gossip was spreading around.

“Sam heard from Moon who heard from Aisha,” he said. “It’s nice to hear you got out before things got worse,” he offered a smile. “I know it may not seem like it, but this was a good decision.”

“I miss it,” you said. “I liked being there with my friends and well,” you trailed. “Part of me wonders if the reason I walked out was because I couldn’t stand seeing him anymore knowing what he did to you,” you turned halfway to face him.

“You broke up with Eli because of me?” He processed it.

You glanced at him expectantly. “I thought he would change but he didn’t,” you shrugged. “Or I thought he wasn’t going to change but he did,” you corrected. “He hurt you, Demitri,” you blinked a few tears away.

“Yeah, but you loved him,” he said matter of factly.

“Love,” you corrected. “If I loved him, this would be easier,” you chewed on your lip, furrowing your brows as another wave of pain shocked through your chest. “I didn’t think it’d be this bad,” you began. “Everything was perfect and it all came crumbling down,” you snapped your fingers. “I have nothing left going for me.”

No boyfriend, no dojo. What were you to do?

“You should join Miyagi-Do,” he suggested.

Your eyes widened and you looked at him like he grew two heads. “I can’t betray Cobra Kai like that and I’m sure Sam and Robby would hate me.”

“Hear me out,” he held his arms out. “Miyagi-Do isn’t about fighting, it’s about finding inner peace, right now, after everything you’re going through, you deserve some tranquility,” he said. “Plus, it’ll keep your mind off of you know who,” he emphasized, repeating in the same manner as before.

You cracked a smile, rolling your lips against your teeth after a pause. “Can I think about it?”

He nodded. “We’re having class tomorrow, doors are open for anyone and everyone,” he stood up. “I’ll head out before your dad gets home,” he patted your shoulder.

“It’s fine if you stay, he doesn’t mind you,” you stopped him. “He only disliked Eli because he knew I liked him,” you shrugged, offering him a smile. “He didn’t want me to get hurt.”

“I knew it!” He smiled in satisfaction.

You let out a genuine laugh.

“C’mon, I bet my mom is making that cream cheese dip you love so much,” you chuckled, standing up and making your way to the kitchen.

“Now, I do love a good dip,” he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, making you erupt in giggles.

Later in the day, after Demitri had left for practice, you were feeling better. Your spirits were lifted more after you received a message from Aisha, asking to meet you at your usual restaurant.

You were excited to see her but when you walked inside, you didn’t catch sight of your friend, only spiky red hair. You turned around the moment he saw you, walking out into the parking lot and back toward your bike.

“Wait!” He caught up to you, hands placed on your handlebars. “I want to talk.”

“I don’t!” You exclaimed, trying to side-step him but he was quicker.

“You shouldn’t have left Cobra Kai,” he said, sighing.

“Why? Did my leaving throw off your plan of winning me back?” You cocked a brow.

His jaw clenched. “Why did you leave then?” He raised his hands slightly.

“Because I realized how it turned a sweet guy into a bully,” you stated, not missing the way his eyes darkened. “I needed to get out before I changed as well,” you gulped.

“You’re so focused on how I changed that you’re forgetting you did too,” he said, leaning onto your handlebars as he towered over you. “But unlike you, I really liked the changes,” he smiled. “You’re more confident, you started wearing makeup, wear fitted clothes,” he listed off, dragging his gaze over your frame, noting the denim shorts and cropped tank top you had on.

You frowned that you couldn’t deny it, last summer you wouldn’t have been caught dead in that outfit. But here you are. Even if it was a four-step makeup routine or better-fitting clothes—the changes were small but they were there.

“That’s the thing, they’re just clothes,” you stared at him. “Just like your mohawk but the difference between you and me is that I’m not beating up my friend over a stupid Yelp review,” you stated clearly.

His nostrils flared. “Why does that matter? Nothing else should matter but us,” he gestured between the two of you.

“Us? What us? We’re done, Eli,” You sneered.

“I’m not admitting defeat,” he shook his head.

“Am I prize to you?” You raised a brow, feeling hurt that’s all he saw.

“No, you’re so much more than that.” he furrowed his brows. “I love you, so I’m not giving up on our relationship,” he said.

“You did the moment you hurt Demitri. And he’s important to me so if there was truly an “us”, he would’ve mattered to you too,” you stated. “Now please get your hands off my bike and move out of the way before I scream,” you warned.

He stared you down before he sighed, taking his weight off your bike and stepping to the side, watching as you rode off.

The second you were out of earshot, the waterworks began. A recollection of two nights before hit you and you were reconsidering Demitri’s offer about getting some tranquility.

You followed the directions Demitri sent you the next day. You were intrigued the moment you stepped foot on Miyagi-Do, seeing the small structure and the many vintage cars lined up to the side. And just like your friend said, the doors were open.

Nerves racked through you as you made your way to the back where a crowd of students were greeting Mr. LaRusso.

He seemed approachable compared to Sensei and the smile he sent your way as he greeted you pushed all the nerves away.

“Welcome to Miyagi-Do,” he shook your hand.

“Hi, Mr. LaRusso,” you greeted. “This is a dojo?” You asked, unsure why it was outside, still the scenery was picture-perfect. You were inclined to ask if you could paint it one day.

He chuckled at your question. “Yes, it is, why don’t you follow the rest of the group, we’ll get ready for your first lesson,” he gestured to the group of boys.

Knowing Sam was here, you’d be outnumbered by boys again.

Scanning over the dojo, you caught sight of Demitri, he sent a smile your way, waving. You returned it, pausing when Sam and Robby sneered at you, clearly not wanting you here. You looked away, making your way for your first lesson.

Your first lesson wasn’t any drills you were used to before. Though, didn’t mean your first lesson was easy as you were tasked to help Robby and Sam repot the plants that were destroyed.

Manual labor, yet that wasn’t the hard part. It was awkward, clearly something going on between them but also them not wanting you there.

“Wait, the hole is too small, it won’t be able to grow,” you stopped Sam from placing the plant in the pot.

“How do you know that?” She asked you, beginning to dig a wider hole.

“I garden with my parents sometimes,” you said, shrugging.

She sent Robby a look that you noticed. During the next few minutes, you kept quiet to yourself, just doing your task as you were told.

To be honest, it wasn’t even a full day and you could already feel the peace. Being outside, in nature—it was great.

“Why are you here?” Robby asked suddenly.

You raised your brows in shock. While you understood, the third degree was kinda rough.

“Demitri told me Miyagi-Do would help me,” you explained. “I wanted to give it a shot,” you shrugged, offering him a smile.

He didn’t return it. “I don’t understand how he’s friends with you after what your boyfriend did,” he scoffed, focusing back on the task at hand.

“I had nothing to do with that,” you grew defensive but kept your tone even. “I broke up with Eli because of what he pulled at the mall with you guys,” you frowned. “I left Cobra Kai because I didn’t want to become an asshole.”

His face softened a bit. “I didn’t know that.”

“I know,” you said lightly. “But now you do. I’m not here to make enemies, I’m just here to find peace. I know my affiliation with Cobra Kai may contradict it, but I always respected Miyagi-Do.”

“Well, you’re in the right place,” Sam offered, while she was a little hesitant, she seemed warmer to you being there.

A commotion was heard where Demitri and Chris stood, suddenly Chris was pushing Demitri to the ground.

The three of you ran over.

“Woah, what’s going on? We’re all on the same team now,” Mr. LaRusso came running over.

“Once a Cobra Kai, always a Cobra Kai,” Robby gestured, face pinched.

You frowned, glancing at Chris sympathetically before you checked on Demitri to make sure he was okay.

“That’s not true, I know it’s not true ‘cause I used to be a Cobra Kai,” he confessed.

Your brows raised in shock.

He then guided you all to join him inside to tell the story.

It began in 1985 when he won his first All Valley, Mr. Miyagi didn’t want him fighting anymore because he didn’t believe in fighting for trophies.

You kept your attention on his voice, interested to learn about his sensei.

He sounded so different compared to Kreese.

“I’ll admit, Cobra Kai makes you feel tougher, stronger. But it will also get you in trouble, that’s what happened to me,” he said. He continued how Mr. Miyagi accepted him back, that now it didn’t matter where we came from, all that matters is, “We are all Miyagi-Do.”

You smiled, glancing at Robby briefly.

Chris and Demitri attempted their fulcrum again, this time it worked as they teamed together.

“You see, if we work as a team, anything is possible,” Mr. LaRusso praised.

“We’re heading to the beach just to hang out, do you want to come?” Demitri asked.

You glanced at Robby and Sam behind him, talking amongst themselves.

“Are you sure I’m wanted?”

He sighed. “They just have to get to know you, besides, there’s some heavy romantic tension between them and I don’t want to be the third wheel,” he said, almost pleadingly.

“Sure, why not?” You shrugged.

The two were okay with you tagging along and if they showed any reluctance, they didn’t voice it.

So here you were on the beach, playing a fun game of soccer before Sam went to take a break and you followed her.

“Thanks for letting me tag along. I know you don’t trust me yet,” you said.

She arched a brow, sipping her water. “If Demitri trusts you, then I’ll have to take his word for it, but jumping from Cobra Kai to Miyagi-Do isn’t an easy switch.”

“Or maybe it’s refreshing to find peace after being in a toxic relationship,” you hummed, unaware that you made a personal connection.

“It was that bad, huh?”

“Seeing the boy you fell in love with change into something he’s not is bad, right?” You raised a brow, offering a smile.

She contemplated before nodding. “I get that.”

“We don’t have to be best friends or anything, but as long as we get along, I’ll be happy,” you said.

“Me too.”

The next day, you joined class again.

Standing near Demitri, you kept focus on Sensei LaRusso.

“Face me, bow,” he instructed.

You followed.

“Aits,” he began the movement.

You mirrored him, your breath controlled and steady with your movements. It was therapeutic and for once, you felt calm.

It was a change you embraced.

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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what we used to be | Xlll

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You're in love with a boy but then the rose-tinted lenses fall off and suddenly you're not so sure about anything.

Warnings: swearing, kissing, bullying, mentions of violence

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: We've now entered Hawk's red hair era...

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

You met Eli at the tattoo parlor after brunch with your parents and grandmother. It was a pleasant meal, your grandma being happy to see more of her first grandchild now that you were on summer vacation.

Now that familial duties were out of the way, you could spend the rest of the day with your boyfriend and friends.

Eli was laid out on the table, updating the color of the hawk’s hair to match his new hue.

You liked the red he chose this time around. It was bolder, fiercer, and badass. You watched as he got up, thanking Rico as you stood up, walking over to him.

That’s when you noticed the new tattoo. “Lavenders?” Your heart swelled, placing your hand on his chest and tracing around the fresh ink.

“Since they’re your favorite,” he smirked, taking his shirt from you. “Snuck one of your drawings the other day, Rico was able to trace it,” he added.

You smiled before leaning in to kiss him, something he welcomed. You pulled away, licking your lips as he wrapped his arm loosely around your neck. Making your way towards the entrance, he stopped, calling out to Chris and Mitch.

“Hey, asshole twins, grab my bag,” Eli ordered.

You snickered as you walked out, loving the confidence he carried.

Later in the day, the entire dojo was hanging out at a restaurant in the mall. You were sitting with the girls, Eli was somewhere, and Miguel was working really hard on his computer.

“So, you and Hawk have been making heart eyes during the last few classes. What’s up with that?” Aisha asked, a teasing smile on her face.

“Wait, you’re just noticing that?” Tory laughed.

Their comments made your face heat up but you answered anyway. “We kinda said “I love you” a couple of weeks ago” you beamed.

“Woah, that means it’s serious,” Aisha’s eyes widened.

“Look at that, young love,” Tory smirked, laughing with Aisha.

You grinned just as Eli walked past your table, he smirked at you, sending you a wink. To which the two girls teased you about.

“He also got a tattoo of my drawing with my name,” you bit down on your lip to hide your smile.

“That means he’s totally whipped,” Tory explained. “Getting something so permanent?” She huffed.

“It’s insane, right?” You hummed, unable to hide your smile.

“You think?” Aisha raised a brow.

You all laughed just as your food arrived. Beginning to eat, you noticed Eli was nowhere to be found but you ignored it when Aisha and Tory started talking about Sam LaRusso and what went down at the country club the other day.

“I still can’t believe she did that,” you shook your head after being told she accused Tory of stealing her mom’s wallet. “So what if you swiped a few bottles and some silverware, a place like that is not gonna miss it,” you scoffed.

“Exactly my point,” Tory said before glancing at Miguel.

You and Aisha sent each other a knowing look before she stood up and walked over to his table.

“I’m probably gonna head out, do you need a ride home?” Aisha asked.

“Nah, Eli’s taking me back to the dojo, I left my bike there,” you said.

You said bye to her, deciding to go on your phone and text your boyfriend.

It wasn’t a lot longer that Tory and Miguel were leaving, something about her showing him how to get over Sam.

Now alone in the restaurant, you grabbed your bag, making your way out in hopes of spotting Eli. You barely walked into the mall before you knocked into him.

“Where’d you- what happened?” You quickly noticed the black eye, hands reaching up to cup his face. Your heart picks up at the thought that he got into a fight.

He pushed your hands away and you frowned at that. “Let’s just go to the dojo,” he brushed past you, jaw clenched, eyes cold and forward.

You were worried, only able to follow him as you made it to his car. Even inside, he didn’t tell you.

“What happened?” You repeated. “You’re scaring me, Eli,” you gulped, glancing back out into the road.

“I’ll explain later, I just,” his fists clenched the steering wheel.

You let out a shaky breath, nervous that he was driving while clearly under duress. Thankfully, the drive to the dojo wasn’t far and you were able to arrive just as the sun had set, the night sky settling above you.

“We fought Miyagi-Do and we lost,” he huffed, turning off the ignition and sitting back in defeat.

“Why would you fight Miyagi-Do?” You furrowed your brows. “Did they do something?”

His jaw ticked, exhaling. “Yeah, they did,” he looked over at you. “Demitri left a bad review about Cobra Kai like the pussy he is, we found him in the mall so we taught him a lesson,” he smirked. “Such a fucking traitor for joining Miyagi-Do after all the credit he took from Cobra Kai,” he scoffed.

You looked down, feeling guilty as you were aware that Demitri did join Miyagi-Do but then his words processed. “What do you mean taught him a lesson?”

“I told him to take the review down or I’d take him down,” he shrugged like it was the most obvious thing to do. “Thought we were gonna win even when LaRusso and Keene showed up, but,” he huffed, not finishing his thought.

You paused.

“You would hurt Demetri?” Your heart fell, realization dawning.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” He spat, annoyance laced in his voice.

You shook your head, stepping out of the car.

“What the hell is your problem?” He walked over to you, grabbing onto your wrist and pulling you to face him.

You pulled away from his grasp. “You think a bad review warrants cornering your best friend at the mall?” You scoffed, raising your hands.

“He asked for it when he joined Miyagi-Do!” He screamed.

“Why does that matter?” You shouted back.

“Because he’s a fucking nerd! He always will be!”

You frowned, taking a step back. It broke your heart to see him believe that was a terrible thing, you tried so hard but you couldn’t defend it. “And being a nerd warrants being bullied?” You asked, tears welling in your eyes.

His fists clenched at his sides.

“Because it’s one thing to beat on assholes like Kyler, but Demitri?” You winced. “If you can turn on him, then who’s to say what you’d do to me?” You asked.

His gaze softened and he reached for you. “You know I’d never hurt you,” he glanced down, anger returning when you avoided his touch.

“You did when you hurt Demitri,” you stated. “I think we should take a break,” you wiped a stray tear, taking a few steps back.

“Y/N, you’re crazy,” he stopped you by grabbing your wrist. “Are you really about to do this?” He realized, voice changing back to an icy cold.

“Get your hand off me,” you gritted, ripping away from his grasp. “You’re not the Eli I remember falling in love with,” you said.

“What happened to you saying you’ll love all of me?” He inhaled.

“I guess you managed to show me a side of you I don’t love,” you pressed your lips together.

“No,” he shook his head. “We’re not ending things, not over him,” he gritted before pulling his shirt over his head. “Do you know what this means?” He pointed at the tattoo he got for you.

“I do,” you nodded. “Clearly, you don’t because if you did, you wouldn’t have hurt Demitri,” you shuffled on your feet, backing away. “Goodbye, Hawk,” you swallowed before walking towards your bike.

He called after you, but you didn’t turn back. Instead, you biked home, tears streaming down your cheeks and your chest aching with a broken heart.

You cried all the way home and you tried your best to hide your tears when you entered your house but your mom was sitting in the living room when you entered.

“Eli and I broke up,” you didn’t try to hide it before falling into the comforting arms of your mom.

“What happened?” She cradled you, rubbing your back soothingly. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she kissed the top of your head.

“He hurt Demitri,” you sobbed, voice muffled by her shirt. “He attacked him at the mall and he didn’t care!” You looked up, tears streaming down your face uncontrollably. “I didn’t think he’d change this much, it hurts!” You clutched your chest, doubling over as another wave of sobs wracked through you.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” she cooed. “He was your first love, it’s normal to hurt. But you did the right thing,” she said. “If you felt it in your gut that you needed to end things, then that’s all that matters.”

You were glad your father wasn’t home because you could only imagine how he’d say he was right about him. Probably saying “I told you so”.

But right now it was just you and your mom.

The next morning, you made it to the dojo, nervousness filling you knowing you’d see Eli again.

“Are you okay?” Aisha asked, she and Tory were standing in front of you, worry on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

“Umm,” you scratched the back of your neck. “I ended things with Eli,” you breathed out, voice weighing heavy.

“Shit, what happened?” Tory rubbed your arm reassuringly.

You took a deep breath in but the bells signaled an arrival, you stopped when Eli and Miguel walked through. You made eye contact with him but when the girls saw who it was, they blocked you from his line of sight.

Thankful, you took your place on the mat before class began.

You spent the rest of the class sparring with each other, practicing your techniques. You finished off with Tory, you scored more in the end but it was a close match. Now, you kneeled next to her, the class watching Eli and Miguel fight.

Miguel scored a point, hitting Eli in the stomach. Sensei ordered them to go again until the bells of the door jangled, signaling an arrival.

Mr. LaRusso came storming in, pissed off, searching for Sensei you assumed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sensei asked.

“Like you don’t know,” Mr. LaRusso sneered.

“Take your shoes off the mat. You’re disrespecting my dojo,” Sensei stalked over.

That pissed Mr. LaRusso even more. “You’re seriously gonna talk to me about disrespecting dojos after what you just did to mine?” He came face to face with Sensei, hurt and aggravation spread on his face.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to your dojo.”

You watched as Eli and Miguel walked out of the way, but a look on Eli’s face gave you suspicion.

“Just like you didn’t slug one of my employees, hug?” Mr. LaRusso said.

You furrowed your brows.

“You know, part of me felt bad for you at one point, but you make it so easy to remember who the bad guy is in all of this,” he snickered. “You call yourself a sensei, you don’t even know what a sensei is. A sensei mentors, a sensei elevates. He doesn’t teach destruction and disrespect!” He shouted.

Sensei narrowed his gaze. “I already said I don’t know what you’re talking about, LaRusso,” he stepped closer. “And I know you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about either.”

“Yeah, well I know you don’t- you don’t earn the Medal of Honor by stealing it,” Mr. LaRusso got choked up.

You frowned, wondering what had happened.

“Let me tell you something about your sensei,” Mr. LaRusso began, taking a step back.

Your attention was drawn back to him.

“He may know how to fight, but he doesn't know what it takes to truly win at life,” he said. “If you want to get out before it’s too late, now’s your chance.”

“You think you can come here and poach my students?” Sensei spat.

“And what are you gonna do about it? You know I’m not gonna strike first,” he smiled, almost enticing Sensei.

Sensei came face-to-face, almost like he was going to strike first but he took a step back.

“I’m gonna be a bigger man,” Sensei said, shocking you.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Mr. LaRusso said before walking out.

A beat passed and you saw as Chris gathered his things.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sensei asked.

He didn’t respond until Mitch called after him, saying, “I never liked it here.”

You sympathized but the more students that began filing out, the louder your gut was screaming to follow. You stared at the mat for a second until you did. Tory tried to stop you but you sent her a look.

“Woah, Miss L/N?” Sensei called after you.

“I joined Cobra Kai to fight assholes, not become one,” you said before you grabbed your bag, walking out, leaving the place where all your problems started.

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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what we used to be | Xll

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: Kreese begins slithering his way into Cobra Kai and you're not so sure about it. It only makes matters worse when your friend gets hurt and your boyfriend can't be there for him.

Warnings: swearing, kissing, slight bullying, mentions of assault and battery, mentions of stitches, play fighting, sparring, mention of a dick pic

Word Count: 2.6k

A/N: This is when things start getting good!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“You gotta understand, the Mogadishu in the ‘90s was a hellhole,” Kreese explained. “Warlords controlled whole swaths in the city. My team and I were charged with cleaning the place up.”

You sucked in a breath, only imagining the hell Kreese went through while in the military.

“How many warlords did you kill?” Eli asked, smiling as he took interest in the conversation.

“You keep track of every ant you stomp on?” Kreese questioned.

“Woah,” you and Aisha said at the same time.

“Badass,” Eli grinned.

Kreese began another story, your attention span dwindling as you couldn’t picture where Kreese was as he listed other countries.

“They were outgunned, we were outmanned. I tell ya, Rwanda was no joke,” he sighed.

“Don’t you mean Somalia?” Miguel stood up. “Mogadishu’s in Somalia, Rwanda’s a whole other country,” he pointed out the man’s mistake.

“Of course, Somalia. I spend so much time in the sandbox, it all just bleeds together,” he said, cautiously stepping around his next words.

You nodded, attempting to understand.

“Listen up!” Sensei ordered, drawing your attention to him. “I see we got some new recruits,” he scanned over the crowd. “Everybody fall in. In neat rows and lines,” he said.

You caught his elaboration, a big step up from your first day. You face forward, face slack but you were giddy inside, already catching a few girls in the class.

Sensei stalked between the students until he paused, talking to someone.

You heard an older voice and turned your head to see a grown man was present. He wanted to learn karate. You sent a glance at Eli, interest piquing you.

“I thought my last group was pathetic but if you do what I tell you to do you’ll at least have a chance of becoming a fighter,” Sensei boomed. “But to do that, you gotta fight. So who has the balls to take on the champ?”

Silence filled the room.

“I’ll take him on,” a girl’s voice spoke up.

You turned around to see a blonde with brunette roots stand in the back, her aura radiated power and dominance. You already liked her.

“I saw your little demo at Valley Fest. You guys put on a good show, but can you actually fight?” She smirked.

Oh, you definitely liked her.

“That sounds like a challenge,” Sensei said, taking a few steps closer to her.

“I like a challenge,” she responded.

Your smile grew, glancing at Aisha who shared the same sentiment.

“Mr. Diaz, show Little Miss Hotshot here what Cobra Kai is all about,” Sensei ordered, turning around and walking back to the front.

Miguel nodded but hesitated when he approached her. “Look, are you sure you wanna-,” he didn’t get the chance to respond when she charged toward him, kicking him square in the chest. He chuckled before he got serious. “Game on.”

They began fighting, Miguel having to block most hits. This girl was intense and she managed to stay even with him.

You could also sense the heavy tension between them.

It was cute.

She body-slammed him onto the mat before he swept her legs out from under her. He stood up, offering a hand. “My name’s Miguel.”

“Tory,” she breathed, grabbing his hand before she flipped him over, pinning his head to the mat. “With a y,” she said.

You snickered, impressed.

After class, you were in the mini-mart, getting some snacks before you headed off for a date with Eli. Aisha sighed behind you, staring at her phone.

“Let me guess, dick pic?” Tory walked passed her.

You laughed, grabbing your favorite candy from the shelf before you joined both of them.

“No, my mom wants me to go to the beach club with her,” Aisha sighed.

You and Tory stared at each other before laughing.

“That sounds so miserable,” Tory mocked.

“It’s not that,” Aisha smiled. “This girl Sam’s gonna be there and she and I are not on good terms,” she said. “Anyway, I’m Aisha, this is Y/N,” she jutted towards you.

“Tory,” she smiled at you two.

“That’s a cool bracelet,” you pointed at the spikey one.

She smirked. “This? It’s not just for show. Some creepy guy at the mall tried to grab me once, but I managed to block him and give him a gift he won’t ever regret,” she jabbed her arm.

“Absolute badass,” you said, amazed.

“You seem like you know how to kick ass pretty well, why did you join Cobra Kai?”

“I’ve taken a few kickboxing lessons but I always wanted to smash boards blindfolded,” she mocked.

You laughed.

“The secret is poking little holes in the blindfolds,” Aisha whispered.

“Cool,” Tory said. She walked towards the front of the store before Aisha stopped her.

“You guys wouldn’t mind joining me at the beach club? It’d be nice to have some backup,” she said.

“I’d love to, but Eli is taking me out on a date,” you smiled.

“Eli?” Tory furrowed her brows.

“Mohawk,” you said.

“You’re dating him?” She was surprised by it. “Seems intense,” she joked.

“Keeps me on my feet,” you responded.

“Well I guess I can suffer through a day at the beach,” Tory smiled, turning to Aisha.

“Have fun you guys, but we should all hang out together soon, it’s nice to have another girl on the team,” you grinned at Tory. You left the two, paying for your snacks before walking out.

Eli was leaning against the pillar outside, putting his phone away as you approached, talking to Miguel about something that clearly wasn’t making the other boy happy.

“What’s going on?” You asked enthusiastically, glancing between the two boys.

They glanced at each other, Miguel sending Eli a look that was only understood between them.

“Just talking about Kreese,” Miguel sighed. “I don’t trust him,” he admitted.

Understanding, you nodded, patting Miguel on the shoulder. “Hopefully he doesn’t stick around much longer.”

Miguel agreed before he walked back inside the dojo, leaving you with Eli.

He kissed you on the lips, wrapping his arm around your shoulders before making his way to his car.

“Tory can kick ass, she proves girls are stronger than boys,” you snickered, ducking under a tree branch.

The weather was sunny, with not a cloud in the sky. It wasn’t windy so it wasn’t that hot. It encouraged a good mood that your conversation drifted into one in which sex was stronger.

“Sure she beat Miguel, doesn’t mean shit,” Eli retorted.

“I can beat your ass any day of the week,” you scoffed, stopping dead in your tracks.

He was pulled back by your resistance, his brows furrowed at your words. “In your dreams, babe, I’m stronger than you, it’s okay to admit it,” he sucked in a breath, tugging on your hand to pull you along.

The dock on the lake came into view and you were glad no one was around. This made this moment even more perfect.

“You’re on,” you pulled away, shrugging your backpack off.

He looked at you confused before he realized. “Winner gets bragging rights?” He smirked

“Definitely,” you grinned, raising your fists.

He did the same but you didn’t even give him a chance until you were swinging your first punch. He blocked it, swiping your arms out before he aimed for a kick to your stomach.

You reacted, blocking him easily. You threw another punch, distracting him and managing to sweep his legs from under him.

The leaves rustled under him and as he rolled onto his back, you swung your leg over, hovering over him. He was taken aback, visibly gulping.

“Told ya,” you hummed, hands pressed onto his chest. The shit-eating look you had in your eyes was swiped the instant he flipped you over, a yelp escaping you.

“Wouldn’t call a victory that soon,” he grinned, hands holding him up on either side of your head. “Better luck next time, babe,” he smirked, moving off you and offering a hand.

You frowned, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “Does the loser get a kiss?” You grabbed onto his hand, your other wrapping around his forearm as you brought him close.

He smirked, leaning in to kiss you but the next second, you grabbed him, throwing him over your shoulder and flipping him onto his back. He hissed in pain.

You laughed. “Pucker up, loser gets a kiss,” you smirked, still holding onto his hand.

A few minutes later you were now enjoying a tranquil day out on the dock, your leg crossed underneath you while the other dangled over the ledge.

Your stomach fluttered as Eli’s hand cradled your jaw, tilting your head to the side as he kissed you. Your hand rested on his wrist, the other pressed against his chest. No matter how many times you kissed him, you grew giddy, your face growing hot. It was a feeling you didn’t want to go away.

“I think if we keep kissing, our lips are gonna fall off,” you snickered.

“Shh, I’ll take that risk,” he smirked against you, pulling you closer.

The moment was beautiful but was cut short when your phone buzzed. This was the fifth time in the last ten minutes and you grew worried about who it was.

“Hang on,” you paused, pulling your phone out of your pocket.

“Just ignore it,” he brushed off, chasing your lips.

“It’s Demitri,” you said, growing worried, knowing he only called for emergencies.

Reading the messages he sent previously helped you relax, but seeing his urgency told you it was important.

“He’s probably only calling to bitch about something,” Eli scoffed, wrapping his arm around your waist to stop you but you pushed a hand against his chest.

“Stop it,” you furrowed your brows, straightening and facing out onto the lake as you answered. “Are you okay?” You asked your friend.

“Eli didn’t tell you?” He asked.

“No, tell me what?” You furrowed your brows, sending your boyfriend a look.

“Your new Sensei attacked me in the dojo the other day, I had to get stitches,” he explained.

Your eyes widened. “He what?”

“Yeah, you heard me,” he said. “I thought Eli would’ve told you, but I guess I was wrong,” he sighed. “I wanted to let you know.”

“Yeah, thanks, I’ll stop by when I can, do you need anything?” You chewed on your lip, a feeling bubbling in your chest.

“I’m okay, thanks,” he said before hanging up.

“I told him to let it go,” Eli spoke up.

“Eli, our friend got hurt!” You exclaimed. “I knew Kreese had something off about him,” you said, thinking back to his slip-up at the dojo today. “Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve been checking on Demitri like good friends instead of coming out here,” you gestured around you.

His brows furrowed. “Demitri will be fine. Besides, why would you put him over me? I thought our dates were important,” he argued.

“They are but things happen, he’s our best friend,” your voice cracked. “You should’ve told me,” you stood up, walking towards your backpack.

“Why are you acting like this? He’s the one acting like a bitch,” he sneered, standing up and following you.

You couldn’t believe what he had said. “No, he’s not!” You turned around to look at him. “You’re the one acting so insecure! I’m not choosing him over you and it hurts that you’d say that,” you huffed.

You hated that you were arguing again. It’d been a while since the tournament but you hoped you were past it.

“Babe, stop,” he reached for your wrist, pulling you back. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he sighed.

“I don’t want to fight about this,” you breathed. “I just want to see Demitri and make sure he’s okay,” you gulped.

He was reluctant but after a beat, he agreed. “Okay, I’ll drive you.”

Disappointment filled you when Eli didn’t want to come inside to visit Demitri. First, it was the “nerd shit” stuff at the victory party but being so insensitive when he was assaulted?!

You were trying to understand why Eli was losing himself. It hurt you in more ways than you could imagine.

After his mother let you in, you made your way to his room. You found him sitting at his desk, playing a game and when you knocked on the door, he turned around, showing you the bandage on his nose.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know,” you went over and hugged him. “And I’m sorry for how Eli reacted, I didn’t think he’d be defensive about it.”

He nodded, patting your shoulders as he moved to sit on his bed. “It’s not your fault, at least one of my best friends still cares about me,” he shrugged.

Your gaze dropped, knowing you couldn’t even argue it.

“I’ll talk to him,” you said.

“Didn’t you already?” He looked at you. “It’s obvious he won’t change his mind. I’m just a big pussy according to him,” he sighed, licking his lips.

“I think Kreese is getting into his head. He hasn’t been around long but he’s already slithering his way into Cobra Kai. I gotta be honest when I say I don’t like it,” you frowned.

Valley Fest was his idea, he punched Demitri, and now your boyfriend is getting swooped up into his ideologies. Sure, he was Sensei’s sensei, but you had a feeling he was trying to revert Cobra Kai to its original state.

“At least you’re not getting assaulted because of it,” he spoke.

“I know,” you nodded. “I guess you’re not joining Cobra Kai then,” you stated the obvious.

He shook his head. “I’m thinking of joining Miyagi-Do,” he confessed.

Your brows raised in surprise. You knew if Eli heard of this or anyone from Cobra Kai did, they’d be pissed but all you could find yourself doing was feeling proud of him.

“Their demonstration did seem pretty cool,” you smiled. “I think you’ll fit right in,” you beamed. “And I promise I won’t say anything to Eli.”

“Thanks,” he sighed out in relief. “What about you?” He asked.

“What about me?” Your face scrunched in confusion.

“Isn’t Kreese one of your sensei’s now? Don’t you want to get out before it’s too late for you too?” His voice was filled with so much concern.

“He’s not my sensei,” you shook your head. “I don’t agree with what he believes,” you said. “Besides, someone needs to watch Eli, right?” Your tone was playful.

He agreed. “Sure, I guess. Until he turns completely toxic and takes it out on you,” he warned.

“I’m strong enough to not let that happen,” you cocked a brow. “Miyagi-Do will make you strong, so don’t worry about Eli, I’m proud, okay?”

“Thanks, Y/N,” he smiled.

Later, he offered for you to stay for dinner, which you accepted. It was a nice distraction from the worry you held when it came to your boyfriend. You just hoped he’d change once you talk to him.

The next day at the dojo, practice ran like usual.

“The back thrust kick works like this,” Sensei demonstrated.

“What about if your opponent attacks you from behind?” Eli asked.

“Excellent question,” Sensei pointed. “Sensei Kreese, you wanna take this one?”

You frowned slightly, eyeing the older man. Where were you when he was appointed as a sensei? You weren’t sure about this.

“Certainly Sensei Lawrence,” Kreese said, uncrossing his arms and making his way to the front.

“The key to making this move is to trick your enemy into thinking you’re retreating,” he began. “But just as they’re letting their guard down, that’s when you strike the hardest,” he demonstrated the kick.

You took in the lesson, but the glance you shared with Miguel told you all you needed to know.

18 notes · View notes

ariesqueencobra · 1 month

Text

what we used to be | Xl

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You find out some interesting facts about Sensei, you and Eli celebrate a milestone in your relationship, you make a statement with your dojo at Valley Fest.

Warnings: swearing, kissing, typical dojo rivalries, karate fighting/demonstration

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: This was at 1.9k but then I added a cute scene and I'm so happy with it! I love Eli and Reader's relationship, they're so freaking adorable it makes me sick! I'm glad I'm able to push these chapters out, glad you're enjoying them!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

It was a beautiful day on the beach. Sun shining down, breeze blowing away the heat, the sand soft under your feet, and the waves crashing on the shore.

You watched Demitri crane his neck as he got ready to serve. So much wind up for him just to hit the net. You dropped your head, hiding a laugh.

“Mulligan, send it back,” Demitri said.

“There’s no mulligans in volleyball,” Eli said from the other side of the net.

“Says you,” Demitri argued before he stalked off. “Water break.”

Sighing, you walked closer to the net just in time to see a girl hit on Demitri after assuming he was part of Cobra Kai.

Going along with it, Demitri pretended to be part of the famous dojo.

Once the girls left, you chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “Seems like you have a few admirers,” you beamed.

“It’d be actually nice if you earned the Cobra Kai cred you’re so happy to take,” Eli stated, not amused. “When are you gonna sign up?”

“I don’t know. I’m kinda enjoying the gain without the pain,” he smirked.

You raised your brow.

Before being given a chance to respond, Miguel showed up, pulling Eli’s attention away.

“Cobra Kai would be more fun with you,” you hiked your shoulders, offering your friend a smile. “You could be badass like me,” you playfully jabbed a few punches at him.

He frowned at you. “You were inside a cement truck the other day,” he deadpanned.

You laughed. “And it made me stronger,” you shrugged. “Maybe it could tone up your noodle arms,” you joked.

He sent you a look.

Shaking your head, you walked over to greet Eli.

“Wait till you get a load of this, babe,” Eli said.

“What is it?”

“Robby Keene is Sensei’s son.”

Stretching next to Eli, you reached for your foot, feeling your hamstrings stretch. The conversation you were having was a continuation of the revealed information on Sensei’s lineage.

You were shocked to hear about it. You never considered Sensei to be a dad and even now as you assessed the situation, you figured there was more to the story considering Keene was mentored by his father’s enemy.

“So I did a deep dive online and you were right,” Eli began. “Sensei’s definitely Keene’s father.”

You blew out a breath.

So much drama to unpack.

“I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t tell us,” Miguel sighed.

“It explains why he’s giving us shit for kicking Keene’s ass at the tournament,” your boyfriend scoffed.

You pursed your lips together in thought. “Umm, I don’t think that was the reason,” you disagreed.

Both boys sent you a look.

You rolled your eyes. “I just think it’s more than what we’re assuming,” you shrugged.

“It’s simple. Show no mercy unless it’s his son,” Eli said, kinda aggravated that you didn’t agree with him.

You shook yourself out of the conversation, focusing on your stretching.

“Did you guys see the commercial?” Aisha walked up to the three of you. “Sam’s dad started his own dojo and he disses Cobra Kai,” she handed Miguel her phone.

Listening, you could hear the little joke “snake in the grass”. You were more shocked that Mr. LaRusso actually said it than feeling any anger at all.

“Bet it was Keene that suggested that,” Eli scoffed.

“What the hell were they even thinking? Karate is all about defense?” Aisha furrowed her brows, getting her phone back. “Yet you throw a pussy move like that in your commercial?”

You exhaled. “Are we going to strike back? Seems only fair,” you suggested. You had to, you figured. If Miyagi-Do’s willing to throw a hit-or-miss joke in their commercial, clearly poking the bear, you had to go in with your own play.

That’s how the idea of creating a commercial for Cobra Kai came about.

Now Aisha was filming Sensei as he advertised why joining Cobra Kai would be badass.

You stood next to Eli and Miguel as the video recorded, impressed at how easily Sensei was able to sell it.

He was clear-cut, straight to the point—something you admired from having him as your sensei.

“And cut,” Aisha said, ending the recording.

“All right, did we get it?”

“I think so,” she stared at her phone, making sure the video was captured.

“Great, just make sure the Cobra Kai snake comes in at the end. I really want it to pop, make it chrome,” he stalked towards his office. “And throw “Thunderstruck” under it,” he added.

You raised your brows in amusement, wondering if he would be able to afford the rights for it.

“I think the rights for that song cost too much,” Aisha stated.

“No, I already own it, cassette’s in the car,” he pointed. “Oh and put one of those hash browns on it, like “Hash brown Team Cobra Kai,” he gestured. “And then send it to the internet!”

You snickered.

Eli and Miguel left to go talk to Sensei about his son so you made your way over to Aisha.

“You think we could manage to get more female recruits at Valley Fest?” You asked her.

She was putting her phone away, a smile appearing on her face. “Oh I’m planning on that, we seriously need more estrogen in this dojo,” she snickered.

You glanced around, between the smell and the number of boys in the class, you longed for one more girl in the dojo. “Maybe it’d give the incentive to build a locker room, I hate changing in the bathroom,” you sighed, resting your hands on your belt.

While the boys had no problem changing in front of each other, you and Aisha had to take turns changing in the bathroom. Not only was it so gross in there but it wasted so much time. You prayed for a day when you wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“I know, it’s disgusting in there,” she grimaced. “Maybe we could take the night to have some fun, it’s been a while since we last hung out,” she said.

The two of you make plans at least every other week to hang out. Consisting of shopping trips, hanging out at the beach, or going to those fun painting classes, you loved spending time with her. Between that, the boys are joining in or you’re with your families, and in your case, you have a boyfriend who enjoys spending time with you.

It had been a while since it was just the two of you.

“That sounds like fun,” you smiled. “I have been spending a lot of time with Eli,” you trailed.

“Thanks for finally realizing, but don’t worry, we can use that time to talk about all the juicy details of your relationship,” she giggled.

Your cheeks warmed up. “It’s not that interesting, but there are some things that have happened,” you grinned at the memory of saying “I love you” for the first time.

“Can’t wait to hear all about it,” she said, touching your shoulder before she walked out of the dojo.

You headed to the bathroom to change and by the time you got out, Eli was back in his clothes, though he didn’t look amused.

“Guess who’s stuck on mat duty for the next two weeks,” Eli came up, hands landing on your waist with an irritated frown on his face.

“I hope not me,” you answered, showing a smile in hopes to cheer him up. His frown didn’t change and you sighed. “Sorry, but now you have an answer, right?” You reassured him, rubbing his shoulder. “It’s obvious it’s a sore subject for him.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he sighed. “You ready to go?” He wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

You nodded before making your way outside to his car.

Eli’s hand was in yours as you sat next to each other in the booth. Both of you preferred to be close compared to sitting across from each other. It also made stealing food off his plate easier.

Today marked your eight-month anniversary.

You couldn’t believe how different the two of you were now in such a short time. You were happy.

“I know we’re not gonna do gifts until our first anniversary, but I wanted to give this to you,” you reached for your purse, pulling out a flat canvas.

His eyes widened as it came into view, his mouth curving upward in amazement. “Badass, babe,” he reached over to kiss you. “How’d you reference it?”

The painting was of his hawk tattoo, a complete replica. It was a symbol of his confidence, carrying so much meaning yet he never got to see it when he wanted.

You wanted him to be able to. “I have my ways,” you smirked playfully.

He kissed you again, more tenderly this time before he pulled away, and reached into his pocket. “I actually have something for you too,” he said, clutching something in his hand. “Close your eyes,” he said. “And hold out your hand.”

You grew excited as you did, feeling the soft brush of his fingers around your wrist. You felt something wrap around it and when you opened your eyes again, your face melted as you stared at the pretty flower-beaded bracelet.

“Eli,” you gasped.

“I got it in lavender since it’s your favorite color,” he said. “It’s also a bracelet so you don’t have to take it off during class,” he explained.

“I love it,” you pressed your hand to your chest. “Thank you, Eli,” you leaned over to kiss him.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you.”

After finishing dinner, you drove to your place. You wanted to get more summer work done and Eli promised he’d help.

Toeing off your shoes, you grabbed Eli’s hand and walked down the hall, only to be stopped by your mother who was sitting in the living room.

“Hi, Mrs. L/N,” Eli greeted, a smile on his face.

“Hi, sweetie,” your mom said, looking up from her book. “Still rocking the mohawk, huh?” She grinned.

“Yeah, don’t think it’s going away anytime soon,” he smirked, glancing at you as he rolled his lips together.

“We’ll be in my room, doing biology,” you said, pulling Eli along with you to your room.

You left your door ajar, putting on some study music before you were pulling Eli close to you.

“What happened to doing biology?” He spoke low enough that the music drowned out his voice.

“We’ll do that later, I want to take advantage before my dad gets home,” you implied.

His eyes widened in realization before you began kissing.

The moment was nicely shared between you two, the soft music playing, the privacy you had without anyone bugging you. It was just you and your boyfriend, sitting on your bed, kissing.

You smiled into the kiss, cupping his cheek. His hand resting on your side.

Afterward, you were putting the study music to good use, a pencil in your hand and Eli’s arm draped over the back of your chair as he watched you work, making sure to correct you along the way.

Thankfully, you’ve been getting better at understanding the material, and not needing much of his aid as much. It was a relief to have him there though.

When you got a problem incorrect, you pushed the packet over to him so he could see where you went wrong. You rested your head in the palm of your hand, being less discrete about watching him.

This was your time to take in his features, pointing out all the things you loved about him. His long lashes, his striking blue eyes, his smile—those were just the few that were obvious.

Unable to contain the playful aggression coursing through you, you reached out, grabbed his face, and repeatedly kissed him all over his face.

He began laughing, leaning back in his chair to make room as you invaded his space. His arm wrapped tightly around your waist while he allowed you to assault him with kisses.

With only a couple of minutes passing by, you both doubled over in laughter, your forehead dropping to his shoulder as you attempted to suppress the giggles that escaped you. But you couldn’t and you didn’t care to hide it.

“We’re really gonna do this?” You asked, tightening your belt around your gi.

“No better way than to show those bitches we’re not pussys,” Miguel said.

You blew out a breath, standing behind Miguel as you got ready.

The announcer drew attention to the LaRusso Auto Group stage. The lights dimmed, three silhouettes showing.

You noticed it was Mr. LaRusso, Sam, and Robby.

They began moving in sync, their movements captivating the audience. While they were supposed to be the enemy, you couldn’t help but feel intrigued by their demonstration. It was controlled, and precise, and it looked like a dance.

It was calling out to the artist inside you.

“What kind of lame-ass karate is that?” Eli scoffed.

You ignored him, watching the lights on the stage turn on, their movements becoming quicker. None of them attacked, which you found odd. Still, you wanted to know why.

“I think we’ll get more recruits this way,” Aisha said, pulling you out of your thoughts.

Sensei devised a plan to sabotage LaRusso’s demonstration for dissing Cobra Kai in his commercial.

“I agree,” you said almost on auto-pilot, your eyes trained on the stage. Anticipation grew in you as Mr. LaRusso called out for the big finale but then the lights dimmed, the sound cutting off and you remembered why you were here.

“Cobra Kai!” You shouted in unison with your team, trotting toward the main stage, gathering the attention of the crowd.

As you chanted your dojo name, the crowd cheered, rushing over to see your demonstration.

You did your fight choreography, showing the audience what you were able to do. You fought off your teammates in the showcase, sweeping their legs as you punched them. Aisha broke boards blindfolded and Eli brought Demitri on stage to kick a board mid-air.

You threw out Cobra Kai merchandise, the crowd roaring with excitement.

Sensei broke a stack of cement slabs in half for the big finale while on fire.

Standing in a line, you smiled proudly, listening to the crowd chant your name.

“We did it,” you heard Sensei say and you couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on your face.

24 notes · View notes

ariesqueencobra · 1 month

Text

what we used to be | X

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You face the biggest challenge you've faced along side your boyfriend and friends. It's also summertime and unfortunately you have school work to do, thankfully, your boyfriend is smart!

Warnings: hazing, dangerous training techniques, mentions of sex, drugs and alcohol (reader just lists these things), lying to parents?

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: A cute moment between Reader and Eli is here, I loved writing it! It was so cute! S2 and S3 are definitely my fav seasons so it's so fun to write rn!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“What do you think? Shithead one and Shithead Two?” Eli pondered as you, him, and Aisha stood in front of two new students.

“I was thinking Mary-Kate and Asshat,” Aisha said.

You laughed at the creativity, raising a brow at the two boys, hoping they caught the gist of this being a playful thing.

“Well, I’m Chris-,” the taller one began.

“Did I say you could speak?” Eli shouted, making the two flinch.

You snickered, not thinking he would do that but it was priceless seeing the looks on their faces.

“Guys they’re just messing with you,” Miguel came up to reassure them. “Besides everyone knows your names are Assface and Douchebag,” he smirked before he joined the three of you.

Enjoying the light hazing with your friends, the bells jangled and you noticed an old man come walking in, carrying a duffle bag and looking around the dojo. Though, he didn’t seem too impressed.

“Who’s that?” Eli asked Miguel.

He shook his head, you and Aisha wondering the same thing as Eli.

Miguel went to talk to the man, while you, your boyfriend, and Aisha went back to messing with the students until Sensei gathered everyone.

“Class, we have a visitor,” he started, walking in front of the class. “This is Mr. Kreese. He’s just an observer, pretend like he’s not even here,” he gestured to the man from before, who stood off to the side. “Mr. Diaz, warm them up.”

Miguel bowed before coming to the front. “Fighting positions,” he ordered. “Front kick.”

All of you repeated the motion.

“Forward strike.”

Again.

“Side jab,” he instructed, giggling as he did when he dabbed.

The class erupted in laughs as you all joined in on the antics, unbeknownst to Sensei’s reaction.

“What the hell was that?” Sensei asked.

“We were just messing around,” Miguel shrugged, playing it off.

“Yeah, besides we already know how to kick ass,” Eli smirked.

“Oh yeah so you know everything, there’s nothing left to learn?” Sensei walked along the front row.

Your smile faltered and you felt bad but as your good friend next to you started snickering, you couldn’t help the upward curve form on your lips.

“What’s so funny, Miss Robinson?” He came in front of her.

“Nothing Sensei, you wouldn’t understand,” she shook her head, glancing down to hide her smile.

“Try me.”

“It's a snake-do,” she glanced up, unable to hold back her laughter.

“What’s a snake-do?”

You all hissed like a snake, slithering your arms.

“Quiet!”

You shook from shock, never hearing Sensei shout like that before.

“5 a.m. tomorrow morning. Corner of Fulton and Raymor. You don’t show then you’re off the team,” he stalked towards his office. “Class dismissed,” he threw his arm up.

You were wide-eyed shocked, mouth agape as you stared at your friends. It took a few moments until you process what happened and left like he said.

“What do you think was Sensei’s problem?” Eli asked you as he landed on his bed.

Eli drove you back to his place. With the rest of the class wanting to head home to make sure they fell asleep early, you had the rest of the afternoon with your boyfriend.

“Beats me, I’ve never seen him angrier. Do you think he was embarrassed because of Mr. Kreese?” You hummed, thinking over the possibility.

“Wonder what that old chode was doing there,” he chuckled.

You passed him a look while you walked over to his desk, placing your backpack on the chair to unpack your stuff. You brought your summer work over in hopes that Eli would help you with your AP Biology work since he’d taken the class the year prior.

That class on top of the AP Art course you were also going to take, you were a little overwhelmed with the work you needed to complete before junior year even began.

“Wait, you’re seriously going to do homework?” He cocked a brow, sitting up from his bed. “It’s summer vacation, babe.”

“Well I have two AP classes on my schedule next semester and for some reason, they gave us this whole packet for Biology, if I don’t get at least half done before July, I know I’m not gonna get it done in time,” you explained.

He walked over to his desk, looking over your shoulder. “I thought you were gonna tell your mom you were done with nerd classes,” he said.

You glanced up at him. “I thought so too, but she already paid for the class,” you huffed. “Can you just help me with it?”

He sighed. “You haven’t even started,” he noticed the untouched packet on the desk. “At least give it a try on your own.”

You pressed your lips together, knowing he didn’t want to do it because it was “nerdy”.

“I need my smart boyfriend to help me through it though,” you smiled. “Please?”

“I’m done with the nerd shit, Y/N.”

You frowned. “In front of other people, but not with me,” you said. “Right?”

He exhaled.

“You don’t have to pretend not to be smart with me because I already know you are. I understand you don’t like video games or comics anymore, but you can’t get rid of how easily you calculate the tangent of a circle in your head,” you pointed.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply. “Fine, what do you need help with?” He walked over to you, pulling up a chair next to you.

You scooted closer, centering the packet between you. “Everything,” you laughed.

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around you as he handed you a pencil and your notebook, beginning to walk you through the problems.

Reading about the cellular structure made no sense, but somehow hearing Eli explain it made you feel like you could teach an entire college class about it.

“It’s vesicles after vacuoles, so that question would be marked wrong. Just alphabetize it so you know it’s in the right order,” he corrected.

You nodded, erasing the mistake and fixing it.

He continued to read over your answers, checking which ones were right.

You remembered all the times he would do that before, the way his eyes would focus so intently, you could see the way his mind worked, putting the solution together for the problem. The way his nostrils would flare when he got stuck on something. The way his tongue would dart out between his lips in thought.

He has always been like that.

He’s always been smart.

“Are you paying attention?” Eli questioned, a playful grin on his face.

“Yes, I am,” you were quick to say.

“Alright,” he smirked. “What’s the correct answer for 34 then?” He asked, knowing he caught you in your lie.

“It’s not my fault I’m attracted to you, okay?” You defended. “I can’t help it,” you shrugged.

He only laughed as he rubbed your arm, pressing a kiss to your cheek before going back to explaining biology to you.

Waking up at 4 a.m. just to get to where Sensei ordered you to be at 5 a.m. was miserable.

You were struggling to keep your eyes open, but when Sensei showed you where you’d be working, the adrenaline made its way into your body and you were awake now.

“Don’t add too much water. You wanna make it nice and thick,” Sensei ordered.

You grunted as you heaved a heavy bag of cement off the pile, carrying it over to pour more into the wheelbarrow Aisha was mixing in.

“Keep stirring!”

You sighed, cutting open the bag. You were going to offer to take turns stirring when Sensei called the group over as a cement truck pulled up.

The driver got out, handing the keys to Sensei and scurrying off after he saw you all.

You all stared at him in wonder before he opened his mouth to speak.

“You think winning the All-Valley gives you the right to goof off?” He asked.

Unsure how to answer, you glanced at each other.

“Well, I got news for you, winning one championship doesn’t mean squat! A true champion never stops training. You gotta keep moving forward or else you could get stuck exactly where you are. It’s like the cement in this truck,” he pointed behind him. “That drum doesn't start turning, the cement inside will harden and get stuck. Is that what you want to happen to you?”

“No, Sensei!”

“Good, then climb up and make it spin,” he said.

You all froze.

“We learned our lesson,” Eli said, pleading for this not to go further.

“Get in!” He ordered, releasing the latch to drop the ladder.

“Sensei, this seems dangerous. I mean the fumes alone-,” Miguel began, shaking his head.

“Quiet!” Mr. Kreese shouted, holding the same conviction as Sensei. “This man led you to the mountaintop and you question him?” He tipped his head to the side. “Look at you, look at all of you. I can’t believe this pathetic pack of pussies competed in the All Valley, and let alone won,” he chuckled. “It’s an absolute miracle. And who’s responsible for that miracle? Johnny Lawrence,” he pointed at your Sensei. “The best student in all of Cobra Kai. My student.”

You gasped in shock.

“You were Sensei’s sensei?” Eli questioned, eyes widening.

“You better believe it kid,” he responded. “And I never trained a tougher student in my whole life, so listen to every goddamn word he says.”

You eyed the truck, wanting to make Sensei proud. Because of him, you made it to the quarter-finals in the All Valley, he gave Eli more confidence.

“I’ll do it, Sensei,” Miguel said.

He began climbing the ladder and Eli followed, you didn’t think much, not wanting to let fear control you before you followed in after.

Stepping into the cement chamber, you slid inside, finding Eli and Miguel making their way toward the far end. Your shoes landed in the wet cement, the thick substance making it almost impossible to move.

“Oh god,” you slipped but Eli reached out for you, preventing you from falling in.

The cement gushed under your feet and you stood beside Eli as Mitch and Chris followed in afterwards.

You stared at each other, unsure what to do.

“Don’t just stand there, move!” Sensei commanded.

You all pressed your weight on one side, trying to rotate the container but it was slippery, your hands sliding down and your feet holding no traction.

“Come on, let’s go!” Eli encouraged.

You took a deep breath, trying again.

“Push!”

It moved slightly and slowly you gained momentum. You heard Sensei shout on the outside, encouraging you.

You groaned, trying to use your strength, putting all your weight on it in hopes of hurrying it up. You all kept going, the container rotating. You shut your eyes when the cement started dripping from above, continuing to move your feet.

Everyone was screaming, slipping, falling. It was chaos but the chamber was still moving.

“C’mon, get up!” Eli grabbed Miguel by his hoodie, hoisting him up after he fell into the cement.

“We’re doing it!” You gasped.

Your friends and boyfriend cheered, the momentum making it easier to move.

You did it.

“You should be proud of yourselves, I know I’m proud,” Sensei smiled, spraying everyone with a hose. “Your parents would be proud, too, if you told them what we did here today, which we won’t,” he warned.

You shut your eyes as he sprayed over your face.

“You pushed forward like champions, never stopping, never being satisfied, never giving up. If you keep pushing and keep moving forward, you’re gonna go to places you never even dreamed of,” he concluded.

You smiled.

You kissed Eli goodbye before you got out of the car. Your clothes and hair were drenched, even after having the windows open so you prayed that your parents were still asleep when you walked in.

“How was practice, sweetie?” Your mom asked when she heard you open the door.

“It was great,” you said, clutching your hoodie as you winced, thankfully she was in the kitchen.

You took off your shoes, quietly moving down the hall.

“We’re gonna visit grandma at two, why don’t you take a nap before we head out so you’re not tired?” She suggested.

The sizzle of the oil could be heard and the smell of pancakes engulfed your nose. The knife hitting the cutting board rang through the house. All tells that she was distracted.

“Sounds good,” you sighed out in relief, sneaking past the entry of the kitchen and making a beeline to your room. You were going to make it, but the moment your hand landed on your doorknob, a voice was heard behind you.

“Why the hell are you wet?” Your dad appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a frown on his face as he stared at you.

“Uh,” you were searching for a lie. “We had to practice our balance and I fell into a pool,” you said.

“Balancing act, huh?” He furrowed his brows, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t recall there being a pool on the corner of Fulton and Raymor.”

You gulped. “We ended up going to the water park, Sensei knows a guy. I didn’t say anything because I figured you two were asleep,” you chewed on your lip.

“Hmm,” he nodded. “Why is there cement on your shoe then?” He asked, staring at the blotch of dried cement on the pair you left by the door.

Shit.

“I don’t know.”

“Go in the kitchen,” he pointed.

You dropped your head, walked into the kitchen, and took a seat on the bar stool.

The sound of chopping stopped as your mother stared at you. “What happened, honey?”

You hope she took your lie better, leaving this incident in the past, but your father wasn’t like that.

“Tell your mother and me the truth,” he said.

“Nothing happened, it was just training. We were messing around in class yesterday and Sensei didn’t like it, we had to mix cement today,” you shrugged.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re creating a puddle anywhere you walk,” your dad argued.

“I,” you sucked in a breath. “Nothing happened!”

“Look what I told you, it’s already happening,” your dad whispered to your mother and she rolled her eyes.

You furrowed your brows. “What are you talking about? What’s happening?”

“The lies, the being sneaky, the never telling us where you are,” he said. “I knew this is what would happen if you joined Cobra Kai.”

“I wasn’t lying, I’m not being sneaky, and I always tell you where I am!” You raised your voice. “I could be out doing drugs and drinking, having sex! But guess what?! I don’t!” Your brows raised, eyes wide as you proved your point. “I’m a good daughter, I get good grades in school.”

“You’re right,” your dad agreed. “You are a good kid, but being in Cobra Kai will take that away from you.”

“Honey,” your mother warned, placing a hand on his arm.

“I just don’t understand why you hate Cobra Kai so much,” you scoffed. “It’s a better version of itself than the one you grew up with in the 80s, okay?”

He clenched his jaw, clearly something he wasn’t saying and that made you angry.

“Doesn’t look that way to me at the All Valley, after what Eli and Miguel did to that kid? I’m only looking out for you because you’re my daughter and I love you, I don’t want you getting hurt,” he said.

“You’re overreacting,” your mother raised her hand to shut him up before she turned to you. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Are you worried you will get hurt?”

“No.”

“Do you like being a part of Cobra Kai?”

“Yes.”

“See? She’s happy,” your mother dusted her hands, going back to cooking. “The 80s was a wild time, nothing can be compared to that anymore,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, well, go catch up on sleep before we head to my mother’s, the whole family’s gonna be there so we’ll be staying late,” your father frowned in defeat and gestured for you to go to your room.

You thanked your mother for having your back before you made it to your room.

Today was a good day and you were proud.

You were badass.

23 notes · View notes

ariesqueencobra · 1 month

Text

what we used to be | lX

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: A victory party commences and you're noticing some red flags but maybe your love for Eli is enough to oversee it.

Warnings: Hawk being Hawk, bullying, kissing, swearing

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Season 2 has begun! I can't wait to write out the upcoming chapters cause I really think there's so much drama (and your girl loves drama)! Also would love to hear some feedback about this story! Send in an ask or comment!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“So you might be wondering what a team does after they win the championship,” Aisha smiled into the camera. “The answer? Victor nachos!” She panned over the plate of nachos ordered for the table.

You cheered as you clinked your glasses together.

“It was supposed to be a round of drinks but the waitress was not feeling Hawk’s fake ID,” Aisha said.

Your eyes widened and you stifled a laugh at the look on Eli’s face.

“Hey, don’t talk about that, my parents follow you,” he whispered.

You chewed on your lip, suppressing a smile when Aisha apologized to his parents directly.

“No mercy, bitches,” she closed off before joining the three of you.

Now that the weekend was here, you went for a victory dinner with your friends. Demitri tagged along as well.

While you were still mad at Eli, you both haven’t spoken about the night of the tournament. You continued to text about anything else, but it was evident something was going on based on the space between the two of you and the fact that you hadn’t kissed since then.

“I gotta say, it’s kinda nice to be at a victory party,” Demitri grinned, pulling you from your thoughts, and grabbing a nacho from the plate.

A smile appeared on your face. Demitri wasn’t a part of Cobra Kai, so you were glad he was able to share this moment with you, even if your boyfriend disagreed.

“Yeah, except you had nothing to do with the victory,” Eli smirked, taking the nacho right out of his best friend’s hand.

“Well, I like to consider this a belated party for the coding competition we won at computer camp,” Demitri answered. “Remember?”

Your eyes lit up at the mention of that. It was a lonely two weeks for you, not having anyone to hang out with or talk to, but the moment they arrived back, you were so excited to hear their stories. Especially their song, which Demitri happened to be singing at the moment.

Aisha burst out in laughter at the corniness and you joined in, only because of the way Demitri started dancing.

“Hey, cool it with the nerd shit, huh?” Eli whispered to Demitri.

Your smile fell for a brief moment and you wondered what that was about. Sending a comforting glance at Demitri, you knew he was taken aback at the sudden outburst.

“Is Miguel around? His wings are getting cold,” you gestured to his food, deciding to focus on something else.

“He’s probably moping about Sam,” Aisha said.

“We should probably go check on him,” your boyfriend said.

You slid out of the booth so Eli could leave, and when you sat back down, you were met with a knowing look from Demitri.

“What’s going on with you?” He looked at you concerned.

“Is it that obvious?” You raised a brow, crossing your arms on the table.

“Seeing as I’ve known you the majority of my life, I will say yeah,” he blew out a breath, passing you a lopsided grin. “I also know you well enough to know it has something to do with Hawk,” he mocked your boyfriend’s nickname and with how you were feeling, you couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

It died down quickly when your attention was focused back on what happened.

“You saw what he did to Robby,” you began, playing with your fingers. “Sensei taught us not to show mercy, but,” you ended the thought and shook your head, brows furrowed. “What happened to Eli?”

He sighed before taking a deep breath. “I’ve been asking myself the same thing,” he shrugged.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love his confidence,” you said. “But this is borderline psycho,” you pointed out. “And when did your guys’ theme song become lame?!” You exclaimed. “He’s changing more each day,” your voice fell solemn. “And now I’m not sure if I like it.”

“I know, it sucks but,” he paused, licking his lips. “Just take a breath,” he reassured, patting your hand gently. “Talk to him, I think he’d still listen to you.”

“Yeah,” you nodded. You pressed your lips together and you both stayed there, holding hands in comfort. When your boyfriend came back, his brows creased as he stared at your held hands. You sighed as you pulled away.

“What the hell’s going on?”

You took in a breath as you glanced at Demitri, his look telling you it was okay. “We need to talk,” you said, standing up from the booth.

His demeanor changed, worry filling him but he nodded, following you outside.

“What’s going on?” Eli asked, sitting next to you on the curb while you hugged yourself. He pulled you into his side.

You shut your eyes, welcoming it and finding comfort in his embrace.

“I don’t know,” you licked your lips. “You tell me,” you inhaled.

He sighed, maneuvering so you were facing the same way, his hand on your arm. “I’m not gonna apologize for what I did to Robby,” his voice was calm.

“I’ll forget about it for this reason, but I’m still waiting on my apology for what you said,” you stared down at your interlocked hands, running your thumb against his knuckles.

“I didn’t mean what you thought I meant, I wouldn’t hurt you, ever,” he brushed his lips over your forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“What about Demitri?”

“What about him?”

“Binary Brothers,” you said.

“I don’t like that nerd shit anymore,” he scoffed. “It’s loser talk.”

“They’re memories, who cares if you went to computer camp?”

“I care,” he stated.

“You don’t have to lose yourself completely,” you looked up at him. “You can still like computers and be badass.”

“You don’t understand,” he shook his head. “I can’t go back to that, to that life. Things are perfect right now and I can’t let anyone ruin it, not even Demitri,” he gulped.

Your face fell when you realized it before you reached up to cup his cheek.

“I understand,” you pressed your forehead against his. “More than you know,” you leaned in to kiss him. “You can be nicer to Demitri though,” you pulled away. “He’s your best friend.”

He didn’t respond, only looking out onto the street.

You followed his gaze and it went unspoken that things were good now.

You were talking to Aisha when the bell rang at the entrance. You smiled as you greeted your boyfriend, cupping the sides of his face and going in for a kiss. You were happy that things were okay, no more silent arguing or rough patches, and you could return to having a boyfriend.

“Hi, babe,” he greeted, hand on your waist.

“What the hell happened here?” Miguel asked, referring to the broken mirror and fire damage on the wall.

“Looks like Sensei threw a party,” Aisha shrugged.

You rested your hands on your belt as you listened.

“Must have been pretty sick if fire got involved,” Eli smirked, shrugging off his bag.

You hiked your shoulders up before the four of you made your way onto the mat.

The new students gathered inside, wondering what happened as well, their mummers were loud but were cut short as Sensei appeared, kicking them out.

“Everyone, fall in!” He instructed the class once everyone left. He walked over to the front of the class. He didn’t seem pleased even compared to his normal state of being intense.

“Must’ve been a rager, Sensei,” Eli said, smirking.

You raised a brow in amusement as Miguel continued.

“Were you celebrating all weekend?”

“Celebrating what? That my students are a bunch of pussies?” He asked, face filled with anger.

You furrowed your brows, unsure of what he meant.

“Diaz, Hawk, upfront,” he snapped his fingers.

The two boys glanced at each other, confusion written on their faces before they complied.

Sensei stalked behind them before he began. “Hawk. Did you attack your opponent when his back was turned?” He asked.

Eli raised a brow, glancing over his shoulder. Reluctance filled his features before he responded. “Yes, Sensei,” he said, swallowing down any hesitation and keeping a stern face on.

Sensei narrowed his gaze before moving to Miguel. “Diaz, did you purposely attack your opponent’s injury?”

“Yes, Sensei,” he responded with more assurance, but still he held that look of confusion.

“You think that makes you badass?” Sensei circled them, facing them.

Neither could answer.

“Miss Robinson! Miss L/N!” Sensei shouted.

“Yes, Sensei,” you both responded.

“Two cobras in the jungle. One kills the strongest lion, the other kills an injured monkey. Which cobra do you wanna be?”

“The one that kills the lion, Sensei,” you responded in union.

“And why is that?”

“Because it killed a stronger animal,” you said.

“Correct!” He yelled, conviction in his tone. “Cobra Kai is about being badass. And the baddest badass is when he beats his opponent when he’s at his strongest!” His voice raised. “Not when his back is turned!” He screamed directly in Eli’s face. “Not when he’s injured!” He did the same to Miguel. “Is that understood?” He turned to the class.

��Yes, Sensei!” You responded with the rest of the class, a crease between your brows as you looked at your boyfriend.

“That means no more cheating, no more fighting dirty, from here on out those are pussy moves and you don’t wanna be pussies.”

“No, Sensei!”

“Good, that’s why I had you wear your white belts, we’re starting over,” he stood in the middle of class. “Hawk, Diaz, fifty push-ups on your knuckles. Miss Robinson, Miss L/N, warm them up,” he pointed at the two boys before directing them towards you two.

You let out a breath before you followed Aisha to the front of the class. You nodded before you spoke. “Fighting position. Jab punch. Ready? Hiya!” You shouted, following through with the movement.

Adrenaline coursed through you as you directed the class alongside Aisha. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Eli and Miguel do push-ups. You couldn’t say you felt bad, part of you felt better knowing your Sensei didn’t agree with what went down either.

Only, you knew your boyfriend would feel differently, it was only a matter of time until you saw you were right.

After class, you were sent off with a homework assignment—watch Over the Top. That’s how you ended up in Eli’s basement with the rest of the dojo, the movie playing on the TV.

You were curled into Eli’s side, feet tucked under you as you both shared a bowl of popcorn. The movie was definitely unlike anyone you saw, but it was a good movie you guessed.

“Use a coaster, dipshit” Eli flicked a kernel at one of your friends.

You snickered, Eli smiled down at you before he settled.

The movie ended and Miguel was the last to leave.

Once the basement was cleaned up, you were about to leave but Eli had another idea.

“Come on, stay,” he stopped you from texting your dad to pick you up, a smile on his face. “We could watch a movie or something.”

Your eyes widened. “Mean Girls,” you stated.

He chuckled before grabbing the remote to put it on.

A few minutes later, the movie was playing but you were not watching. Somehow, Eli had managed to turn your attention to him and since then, his lips never left yours.

His hand was on the small of your back while you curled your hand around his neck, your other hand resting on his chest.

Since the weekend, all you and Eli have been doing was kissing. While you enjoyed it, you missed the moments where you kept each other company or even talked. That’s why you pulled away.

He chased after your lips but you stopped him.

“How about we watch the movie?” You asked, chewing on your lip. “We’ve been kissing non-stop and my lips need a break,” you chuckled.

He inhaled before passing you a smile. “Sure.”

You paid attention this time, watching as Cady met the Plastics. The movie went on, your arm thrown across Eli’s abdomen while your cheek rested in the crook of his shoulder. You glanced up at him momentarily to see if he was watching.

“Do you like this movie?” You asked.

“It’s interesting,” he shrugged. “The blonde chick’s pretty badass for the shit she does,” he answered. “But tell me how realistic it is,” he glanced down at you, an amused look plastered on his face.

“Wish I could tell you, but instead of playing Barbies with other girls I was stuck watching you and Demitri trade Pokémon cards,” you joked.

“Don’t remind me,” he sighed.

You furrowed your brows up at him. “Hey, seeing you get excited over getting Charizard for the first time was the moment I realized I liked you,” you stated, voice lightening at the memory.

He blinked at the realization. “You’ve liked me since then?” He looked at you.

You were left mouth agape. “I-uh,” you gulped. “Yeah, since then,” you smiled. “The nerdiness was cute,” you added.

Something flashed over him as his gaze dropped. “And now?”

“Your confidence,” you shrugged. “Your strength. I feel safe when I’m around you,” you said truthfully.

He smirked, reaching down to cup your jaw.

“I like you though, Eli, all of you. And you don’t have to be a certain way around me,” you stated, sitting up. “I love you,” you confessed.

His eyes lit up. “I love you too,” he said with conviction.

You beamed, reaching down to kiss him. You couldn’t believe you said it. But you were glad you did.

32 notes · View notes

ariesqueencobra · 1 month

Text

what we used to be | Vlll

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: The All Valley is here but you're realizing things that weren't there before.

Warnings: tournament fighting, swearing, mild violence, implied slut-shaming

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: Things are finally getting good! Loved working on this chapter and I hope you love reading it! This concludes season 1, next chapter will be season 2! Also, tell me why it's so hard finding gifs for each episode? I wanted the gif where Hawk is at the All Valley, showing off his tattoo but I can't find it! What the heck?!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

It was the next day—the day of the All Valley.

You were standing outside the arena, awaiting Sensei yet he was nowhere to be seen. In the meantime, Miguel was practicing punches but the look on his face uneased you.

“Calm down, man. Save some for the tournament,” Eli spoke up.

Miguel sent him a look.

You frowned, knowing he was aggravated because of his breakup with Sam. You couldn’t blame him, still based on what you heard last night, she had good reason to end things when he hit her.

Accident or not.

“Where’s Sensei? The tournament’s gonna start soon,” Eli asked Aisha after she told him to to bother with Miguel.

“He’ll be here,” she reassured.

Agreeing with her, Bert spoke up, claiming he saw him at the mini-mall last night drunk and yelling.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” You furrowed your brows.

“It didn’t seem like a big deal since I’m so used to seeing him drunk,” he defended.

It was a fair point. If you had seen it, you probably would’ve thought the same thing. Sensei always had a Coors Banquet in his hand.

“Well, we’re here and he’s not so it’s officially a big deal,” Eli spat.

“Something could’ve happened to him,” you said, opting for a gentler tone. “We’re just worried.”

“It doesn’t matter, we’re gonna have to do it without him,” Eli shrugged.

“Do what without me?” Sensei said.

You smiled when he approached.

“I may not always win but I never back out of a fight,” he said after Eli responded, glancing at his students before they focused on Miguel.

“All right, let’s sign up,” Miguel looked antsy.

“Not yet, there’s one more lesson I have to teach you,” Sensei said, signaling for you all to walk into the arena.

You intertwined your fingers with Eli’s, making your way inside. You gathered in a circle, your Sensei standing in the middle as he began to walk around.

“You’ve all learned to strike first, to be aggressive, not be losers,” he started. “I taught you to strike hard, to put every ounce of your power behind everything you do.”

You nodded. It was a surprise how much you’ve grown in the past few months because of Cobra Kai. You weren’t scared to walk through the halls and see Yasmine or Moon, you weren’t fearful of expressing yourself in your art class, and you sure as hell weren’t afraid of being yourself.

“But I haven’t taught you the third rule of Cobra Kai,” Sensei continued, pausing in the middle of the huddle. “No mercy.”

Narrowing your gaze, you recalled the mantra on the wall in the dojo. You always wondered what it meant. Why it was important.

“The older you get, the more you’re gonna learn that life isn’t fair. You wake up one morning feeling great, and then life throws a spinning heel kick to your balls, takes a big steaming shit in your mouth.”

You grimaced.

“You get an “F” on a test, you get suspended. You fall in love with a girl and another dude comes and steals her away. Car gets set on fire. Just when you think things are good, everything falls apart,” he rambled.

Shocked that you weren’t confused by his words, you nodded along, understanding exactly what he meant.

“That’s how it goes. Life shows no mercy, so neither do we. We do whatever it takes to keep our heads above water. We do whatever it takes to keep moving forward. We do whatever it takes to win!” He exclaimed, voice booming with power.

A smile grew on your face as you felt the adrenaline bubble inside you.

“Remember who you are. You’re badass. You don’t give a shit! You kick ass! You’re Cobra Kai!”

“Cobra Kai!” Miguel shouted, following the rest of the group.

“Let’s go down there and kick the shit out of everybody!” Sensei concluded.

With that, you were gonna reach for your gi when he stopped all of you.

“No, you’re not wearing those,” he smirked.

You overheard the announcer introduce your dojo but right before he said your name, you and your teammates all got into formation, chanting your name as you entered the gym, creating a rouse from the audience as you rounded the mat.

It was empowering to say the least and you felt proud as you stood in your place, next to Eli, arms crossed behind your back.

“And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills is Robby Keene!” The announcer shouted.

You realized this was the boy Sam showed up with last night right as you were leaving the party. Interest piqued in you, it was something out of a soap opera, and based on the look on Miguel’s face, you had a feeling things weren’t going to go down easy if they had to face each other.

“Alright folks, get ready. It’s karate time.”

You shook with excitement, some nerves bubbling in your stomach but you kept them at bay, trying to remember what your Sensei taught you.

Miguel was fighting first. The first round was quick as he used the crane kick to strike his opponent. Next was Aisha and she kicked her opponent to the ground, punching him in the face.

You cheered her on, Sensei encouraging her.

Then Eli was next, his opponent struck him but he blocked it, hurdling towards him and sending him to the mat as he knocked him out. He was announced the winner by the ref and you’ve never seen your boyfriend more pumped than now.

“Yeah!” He cheered, pumping his fists before he threw his gi off, cheering towards the crowd that amped him up.

“Woah,” you were taken aback. “He’s so hot,” you spoke out loud from your daze, Miguel and Aisha sending you an amusing look.

Distracted from your boyfriend, you didn’t realize your turn was next. As you stared at your opponent, the excitement coursing through you turned into anxiety. Your chest was heaving as you took calming breaths, your boyfriend taking notice as he grabbed your arm gently.

He sent you a concerned look.

“I’m fine, I promise, just nervous,” you nodded, averting your gaze.

While you had anxiety with tests or presentations, common things, this was new.

“Remember to stay on offense, Miss L/N, no mercy,” Sensei said, patting you on the shoulder as you stood before the mat.

You nodded, Eli squeezing your arm for good luck before you stepped on. You met your opponent in the middle, the guy slightly taller than you, but he could definitely be beaten—at least that’s what you told yourself.

“Face me, bow,” the referee ordered. “Face each other, bow. Ready?”

You raised your fists.

“Fight!”

You utilized the adrenaline in your system, blocking out all the fear and doubt, and just went for it. Dodging a few hits, you managed to hit one square in his chest. You scored the first point, but he got you on the next when you didn’t block quickly enough. You were losing hope when he got the next one too, but as you listened in on your dojo chanting your name, all the strength you needed found you. You blocked his hit, kicking out your leg and hitting his side.

The score was 2-2.

One more point and you were in the quarter-finals. Bouncing on the balls of your feet, you shook out your jitters, letting the ref set up the fight before you were ordered to start. You charged toward your opponent, swinging your leg over his head and using his crouched position as an advantage, roundhousing him with your opposite leg.

The ref wrapped his hand around your wrist, raising your arm as you were declared winner.

You beamed up at the crowd, finding Demitiri and your parents cheering you on from the bleachers. You giggled to yourself before you made your way back to your team, receiving congratulations and pats on the back.

“You did great!” Eli hugged you, pressing a kiss to your lips.

Your face heated up at the affection and you were still in shock as the final matches went on. As things funneled out, your next opponent was named and you gulped when you saw Keene on the board right under your name.

“Don’t worry, babe, kick his ass for what he did to Miguel,” Eli told you. “No mercy.”

You furrowed your brows. “He’s just a random guy, I’m not gonna hurt him for that,” you disagreed. “I’ll give him my all because it’s a karate match, not a duel.”

“Yeah, well, he better not hurt you,” he grunted, face stone cold as he faced forward.

“That’s inevitable, Eli,” you blew out a breath.

The quarter-finals were commencing.

Miguel easily beat his opponent, but Aisha unfortunately lost her match with Xander Stone, she didn’t take it too well and while you wanted to go comfort her, your match was up.

“You’ll do great, okay?” Eli reassured. “Beat his ass,” he encouraged.

You walked onto the mat, meeting Robby in the middle. You shook hands before you got into fighting positions.

Staying on offense, you struck first. When you landed a kick to his stomach, his arms barely attempting a block, you weren’t sure if he was taking it easy on you since you were a girl. Having seen how easily he took down his opponents, you believed that was the case.

So in the second round, you showed him no mercy, not holding back as you threw punches and kicks, landing your second point.

He was taken aback by your fury and you sent him a look that you wouldn’t be holding back. You saw the furrow between his brows, his gaze traveling over your shoulder and something familiar to anger clicked. In the third round, he got his first point, kicking you in the kidneys.

You tried to keep up, but he was a good fighter. He blocked your hits and landed a punch on your chest. You were tied again.

He kept you on offense but you blocked his kick, your arm flying to the side as you aimed for his side but he got you, a kick right in the stomach.

You went flying back, groaning in discomfort as he was crowned victor. You hissed in pain as you clutched your stomach. You heard Eli call your name but you ignored it when Robby stalked over to you.

“You okay?” He offered his hand.

You hesitated before you reached for it. Wrapping his fingers around your hand, he pulled you up, holding you straight as you regained balance. You let out a small laugh. “Not the worst I experienced, but you’re a tough fighter,” you grinned.

“You too,” he returned it, a genuine smile plastered on his face.

“Good luck in the semis,” you tipped, letting go of his hand and backing back towards your team.

“Thanks,” he followed you, eyes bright.

“Good job, Miss L/N,” Sensei congratulated you, raising his fist.

“Thank you.”

You felt calm now, feeling accomplished that you made it through. It was over now.

“You okay?” Eli glanced at your stomach where you were kicked. “I’m gonna make sure he regrets it,” he cupped your face, eyes blazing with fire.

You gulped from struggling to catch your breath. “I’m fine,” you reassured.

He nodded, smirking before he was called over by Sensei. The two of them plus Miguel joined the finalists on the mat. Cheering for them, part of you hoped that Eli would be the champion.

The announcer got everyone sitting on the edge of their seats, anticipating the winner of the tournament before last year's champion was called to the center of the mat.

Shortly after that debrief, Eli joined you once more, and Miguel’s match began.

Without a doubt, Miguel was the better fighter, and the match became 2-1. Getting his game face on, he was able to score the final point, kicking Xander in the stomach.

You high-fived him as he made it back to the group just as Sensei got Eli ready for his match. Wishing your boyfriend good luck, he hopped on the mat, stalking over to Robby.

It surprised you when Robby struck first, starting with a kick. He sent Eli backward until your boyfriend had enough, wrapping his arm around him and knocking him to the mat before he punched him right in the chest.

It was intense and you could see the shock and anger spread on Robby’s face.

Starting the next round, Mr. LaRusso shouted “Remember what you learned, Robby!”

This got him back in the game, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

You were intrigued, wondering why he was doing that. It wasn’t anything like Sensei taught you. Nothing about it screamed Cobra Kai. It was the opposite and watching it brought you a feeling of peace.

It was odd.

When the round began, he still had his eyes closed when Eli attacked but he was able to block it.

That impressed you more than it should.

Eli circled Robby before throwing a punch and a kick, both missed until Robby swept his leg up, striking your boyfriend in the face and sending him to the mat.

You winced, worried for him but that changed to worrying for Robby by the look on his face. You knew he was in the game, adrenaline coursing through him, but you didn’t like the look so much. You saw as he got close to Robby, saying something to him.

He wasn’t happy with what Robby said in return as the moment he had his back turned, Eli stalked over and kicked him in the shoulder, Robby’s knees giving out.

You screamed out Eli’s name in distress, not seeing Sensei run over to check on Robby. At the same time, Eli was disqualified, not making him happier.

Sensei scolded him and Miguel was quick to pull him down from the mat.

“What the hell were you thinking, man?” He pushed him.

“I wasn’t going to be a pussy,” he barked, smirking.

You were standing next to Miguel, arms crossed over your chest as you stared in disbelief. It was one thing to strike hard during a match but when an opponent’s back was turned? What could validate something like that?

You were in your thoughts when he approached you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders but you shrugged it off, scoffing at him when he dared to send you a look. You rolled your eyes, moving to stand on the other side of Miguel.

Even he knew what Eli did was wrong and he only took your side when he made sure he wouldn’t come near you.

Before the finals began as the medics were checking on Robby, you grabbed a pretzel from the concessions stand, needing a breather after what you had just witnessed. You were sitting on the bench in the hallway when a presence sat next to you.

“You’re still mad?”

“I’d be shocked if I wasn’t,” you said, breaking a piece off your pretzel. “You know what you did.”

“I took down the enemy, now he won’t have a chance of beating Miguel in the finals,” he pointed back into the gym. “No mercy, remember?” He furrowed his brows.

“No mercy during a match, not when your opponent’s back is turned,” you straightened up, face centimeters from Eli’s as your voice raised.

“Why are you defending that dweeb all of a sudden?” He spat. “One smile at you and you’re suddenly on his side?”

Your eyes widened.

He wouldn’t, would he?

After all the years of seeking him for comfort after Yasmine and Moon would call you names, spreading rumors about your friendship with Eli and Demitri—would he really do that to you?

“Take that back right now,” you gritted. “Or shut up before you say something else because if you’re implying what I think you’re implying, you’re gonna regret it,” you stood up, towering over him.

He held his composure and when he didn’t say anything, you walked away.

As you found your spot back in the gym, he appeared next to you a few moments later.

Your heart was heavy as you felt him next to you. But you didn’t want to think of that right now. You wanted to focus on Miguel and his match and you did. You watch as the points are tied nearly every round.

When Robby struck Miguel with a two-legged kick, sending him to the mat, you didn’t think Robby would offer his hand like he did with you. But instead of taking it like you did, Miguel reached and tugged on his injured arm.

Your heart raced. First Eli, now Miguel? You glanced at your Sensei, finding a look of concern on him. You wondered how much of his teachings he regretted, how much he would take back if he knew what would happen.

In the final round, Miguel struck the third point.

He was the winner.

Cobra Kai won.

But at what price?

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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what we used to be | Vll

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You're going to your first high school party, who would've thought there'd be so much drama?

Warnings: underage drinking, mild violence, flashbacks to bullying, bullying, references to kissing

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: Two chapters in a week?! Another short chapter but I do love this one! One of my favorite scenes to write so far!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

It was a nice day outside, and you and your friends decided to spend it at the park before the tournament tomorrow.

While your nerves were at an all-time high, you tried to keep focus on the moment before you, knowing it’d be better to worry about it when the time came. You sat between Miguel and Aisha, Demitri sitting next to the former while Eli continued practicing with Bert behind you all.

Aisha was on her phone and the rest of you were listening to Miguel talk about seeing another guy have dinner with the LaRussos. Of course, out of all the explanations, he thinks he was Sam’s side piece.

“All right, so you saw her eating dinner with some chode,” Eli said before kicking Bert in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

You snickered at his words but quickly sent a reassuring glance at Miguel.

“It’s probably her brother or something.”

“No,” Miguel argued. “Brothers don’t look at their sisters like that.”

“Depends on what part of the country you’re in,” Demitri said.

You laughed at that.

“I don’t want what happened to Sensei to happen to me,” Miguel exhaled.

“It’s not gonna happen if you don’t communicate that to Sam,” you pointed out. “Tell her how you feel, be honest, she’ll appreciate it in the long run,” you offered.

Miguel pressed his lips together in defeat, unsure if he wanted to go your route.

“Nah, go over and beat his ass so he doesn’t have the chance,” Eli countered, walking over and leaning against the bench between you and Miguel.

You sent him a look.

“If someone was swinging in on my girl, that’s what I’d do,” he shrugged, sending you a wink.

You felt your cheeks heat up, ignoring what he said about beating up someone. Your mind was too focused on him calling you “his girl”.

“Don’t listen to, Eli,” Demitri said.

“It’s Hawk.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Demitri rolled his eyes.

You furrowed your brows, turning your attention back to Miguel. “She’s given you no reason not to trust her,” you said.

“I guess you’re right,” Miguel exhaled.

You were glad you got through to him when Aisha shouted at her phone.

“That little bitch!”

You jumped at her voice but were interested in what happened.

“Look what she commented under my post,” she held her phone in front of you, finding that Yasmine commented something horrible under her video of breaking a board.

“We gotta do something,” Aisha gritted.

“How about we kidnap her and have my boy Rico tattoo “bitch” on her face,” Eli smirked.

You snickered, not hating the idea. Yasmine deserved something worse than “bitch” tattooed on her face after all the hell she put you through.

“Calm down, Hawk,” Demitri mocked.

“I hear how you’re saying it and I don’t like it,” Eli spat.

You reached over your shoulder to squeeze his arm, calming him. Turning back to Aisha, you spoke, “She’s having a party?” You saw the Insta story.

“Not if we strike first,” she smirked.

You smiled, liking where this was heading.

A few moments later you found yourself at the convenience store. While everyone else was buying snacks, you were on the phone with your dad.

“It’s just a small party at the Canyon, I’ll be home at a reasonable hour,” you explained.

“You said you were gonna be at the park this morning, what changed?” He asked.

You sighed. “Plans were made,” you shrugged. “It’s just gonna be me and a few kids hanging out. Eli and Demitri will be there,” you chewed on your lip, hoping the mention of their names would make him more inclined to agree.

It didn’t.

“I don’t want you going to that party, I know there’s going to be alcohol there,” he said.

“No there won’t,” you said even though you knew there would be. “You and Mom said I could do whatever as I long as I let you know where I am and who I am with,” you reasoned.

You heard a commotion on the other side, knowing your mom was convincing him.

“Okay, fine, be home at 10 sharp, a minute late and you’re grounded,” he ordered.

You beamed before hanging up, just in time for your boyfriend to walk out with a case of beer in his hand and a bag in the other.

“I got you your favorites,” Eli smirked, handing you the bag.

You smiled, thanking him and letting him know your parents permitted you to go.

“I can’t believe you managed to get beer, when did you even get the fake ID?” You asked, leaning into his side as he wrapped his arm around you.

“I got my ways, babe,” he smirked. “Let’s have fun tonight, yeah?”

You agreed.

You’ve never been to a party before.

Jumping from your Friday movie nights with your best friends to attending a party in the Canyon where everyone from school was—the feeling was overwhelming but in the best way possible.

“If you were told a year ago that you’d join a karate dojo, dye your hair blue, get a back tattoo, and be dating me, would you believe it?” You smiled, hand intertwined with Eli’s as you sat in front of the fire.

“Nah,” he shook his head, a smile appearing on his face. “But I would be the happiest to know we’re dating,” he hummed, pulling you in close.

“You’re cute,” you booped his nose. “I’m gonna get a drink,” you said before standing up, passing Demitri on the way.

You joined Aisha, smiling as you approached.

“You seemed busy a few minutes ago,” Aisha chuckled. “Came to hydrate?” She joked as you grabbed a water.

“Haha,” you joined in but your cheeks heated up when you realized she saw you and Eli making out before.

“I’m curious, how did you handle the change from Eli to Hawk?” She asked.

“He’s still Eli to me, just with a different appearance,” you shrugged. “Sure sometimes I would like to run my hands through his hair, now I can’t,” you averted your gaze. “But he’s happy, who am I to get in the way of that?”

She hummed in agreement.

“It’s half past nine, should probably get you home before your dad gets mad,” Eli came up behind you, arm finding home around your shoulders.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” you smiled.

About to say bye to Aisha, you were stopped by Moon walking up to you two.

“Y/N, glad I found you,” she smiled. “I wanted to apologize,” she sincerely said.

You raised a brow, glancing at Aisha who sent you a reassuring look. Your composure was stiff and all you could think of was her and Yasmine laughing as they dumped your vandalized sketchbook in the trash.

“For all of it, I hope we could be friends,” Moon added.

You furrowed your brows, not understanding where this was coming from. You took a step back, Eli making sure you were grounded and you searched his eyes, wondering if he was hearing the same thing.

“Oh, hey! Y/N!” Yasmine beamed when she spotted you. “We’ve been looking for you,” she walked towards you with Moon at her side, her arms behind her back.

“We wanted to give this back,” Moon said just as Yasmine held out a similar yellow book with lavenders painted on it.

Your heart dropped and you froze.

She wagged it in your face but you couldn’t move.

Eli just stood beside you, his eyes trained on you, searching for any sign of expression.

“Oh, well, if you don’t want it, I guess it’s trash,” Yasmine shrugged, dumping it in the garbage next to you guys. “Later, slut,” she spat towards you.

The two began cackling like crazy, leaving you with tears welling in your eyes.

Anger bubbled inside you as that moment replayed in your head. All those years of torment and all she had to say was “sorry”? With a reassuring look from Eli, you spoke.

“I appreciate the apology, Moon, but I don’t accept it,” you frowned.

She was taken aback, even Aisha.

“I-,” she searched for words.

“You made my life miserable,” you stepped forward. “You destroyed my art and personal property, you slut-shamed me,” you narrowed your gaze, searching her face. “Your friends hurt my friends. One apology isn’t going to make it go all away.”

She paused before opening her mouth. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I’m sorry for thinking we could change things so quickly, but I do genuinely want to be friends,” she offered a smile.

You felt your composure fall and you let out a breath. You passed her a small smile. “Baby steps,” you hummed.

“Hey!” A wisp of blonde hair filled your vision and you backed into Eli when you realized it was Yasmine.

She focused her attention on Aisha.

“You think it’s funny crashing my party?”

“It’s not really your party ‘cause we were here first,” Aisha gritted.

“Yeah, well I know you and your little karate gang think you’re cool, but we all remember who you really are,” she smirked, gazing over you.

You tasted bitter, frown deepening as you made eye contact with her.

“You’re just a fugly bitch and all your friends are freaks,” she spat, calling Moon over to leave.

“No, I’m staying. I apologized to Aisha and Y/N, you should too,” she looked at her friend.

Obviously, Yasmine didn’t take that well, bumping shoulders with Aisha as she stalked off.

That wasn’t until Aisha called after her.

You watched as your friend reached down her pants, pulling her underwear up and giving her a front wedgie. You doubled over in laughter, feeling proud of her.

Your first highschool party was definitely one to remember.

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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thank you for fifty followers!

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ariesqueencobra · 1 month

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what we used to be | Vl

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You're going on a first date! Queue training montage, you make Eli a get well soon card, and you're at the movies!

Warnings: kissing, dangerous activties, mentions of rabies, shots, and hospitals, injury

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: I'm gonna hop on here and post this real quick. It's a cute chapter and I like it! I already know what direction I want this series to go, but the storyline I have in my head might change if this would be considered an insert fic. I'll probably ask for opinions in the future cause I really don't want it to not be an insert fic so be on the look out for that! I also want to stress the importance of reblogging fics, on mobile you can hold down the two arrows button and quick reblog this post so that other people can see my work! Just liking this story won't do anything to help me as a writer, if you really enjoyed reading it, just do the simple thing and reblog! It would also be appreciated if you commented! Doing those things tell me people want to read this story and want more, which will encourage me to keep writing!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“Eli, where are we going?” You chuckled, holding onto his hand as he led you through the forest.

The leaves crunched under your feet and the breeze made you shiver so you were grateful you listened to him when he told you to bring a sweater for your first date. Though, you still weren’t sure where that would be or what it was.

You hoped it was romantic, this being your first-ever date after all, but when you almost slipped on some mud, you weren’t too sure about it anymore.

“Trust me, you’re gonna love it,” he grinned, holding you tighter and closer.

You smiled, watching him as he kept his eyes ahead until you turned to see what he was staring at, that’s when you noticed as well. The gasp you let out as you made it onto a dock, the beautiful lake expanding outward, and the trees with orange and yellow leaves made such a breathtaking view.

“You like it?” He asked.

“It’s beautiful,” you shook your head in disbelief, sitting on the edge and letting your feet dangle over the water. “We used to come here all the time, I forgot how amazing the view was.”

“I figured it’d be the perfect spot for our first date,” he smiled, sitting down next to you. “Like old times, but now we can make new memories.”

“So we’re having a picnic?” You beamed, realizing the plastic bag in his hand did hold some purpose.

He handed you the bag and you set it in your lap, rifling through the numerous snacks you loved.

“All your favorites. And your art supplies, I knew you would love to recreate that painting you have in your room,” he suggested.

The scenery was a notable piece in your room, a small collection you had of various locations in the Valley. It was the first collection you ever painted so it was sweet that Eli knew you’d appreciate an opportunity to update a piece.

“Did I ever tell you you’re the best boyfriend ever?” You reached over to kiss his cheek. You were about to reach for your art supplies in your bag when he stopped you, moving your head to kiss you on the lips. It was a long, heartfelt kiss, making you giddy. “Eli,” you giggled pulling away, unable to help your laughter.

“You know you can call me Hawk, right?” He pinched your chin lightly.

You nodded. “But you’re Eli to me,” you explained, gaze softening.

“Yeah but Hawk’s way more badass,” he shrugged.

“I think Eli is just as badass,” you smirked, leaning into his space.

“I guess just you then,” he gave in. “You can call me whatever you want, babe,” he chuckled, pecking your lips one more time.

You both stayed on that dock for hours until your dad was calling for you to come home. The date was simple and small but it was the most memorable night you’ve had with Eli, your boyfriend.

You were standing in the middle of a junkyard, unsure what the purpose of your being here was. But you stood next to Eli and Aisha as you watched as Sensei opened a beer can, chugging it before he wiped his mouth, glancing down at all of you.

“You’ve trained hard. You’ve gotten stronger, tougher, faster. You’ve done your best. You’re ready for this tournament, am I right?”

“Yes, Sensei!” You shouted.

“Wrong!” He slammed the beer on the ground at your feet.

You flinched when the beverage splashed onto you.

“Your best ain’t shit, if you wanna win the tournament, you gotta give me better than your best, which is why from now on, you’re gonna get my worst. Do you understand?” He shouted.

“Yes, Sensei!”

You felt empowered at his pep talk, ready for whatever he was going to throw at you. While part of your mind was sounding alarms that this was dangerous, you ignored it.

“Are you losers?”

“No, Sensei!”

“Are you nerds?”

“No, Sensei!”

“Are you sure?”

“No, Sensei!”

You caught your mistake, biting down on your lip to suppress your laugh. And you saw the way Sensei groaned in response before he commanded the group.

“Move those feet! Go!”

He pointed to where there were a bunch of tires lined up.

Miguel led the way, moving his feet through the holes. Eli was next and you followed behind Eli, weaving your feet through the tires as fast as you could.

“Your enemies are all around you. Destroy them!” Sensei barked.

You began wreaking havoc, smashing the end of the wood plank into the car doors, it was fun and funneling so much anger and hate out of you.

After the short-lived destruction, you were led to a container filled with scrap metal and glass, something that uneased you. The feeling of fear bubbled in your stomach but you swallowed it, knowing fear did not exist.

Miguel made it without a scratch. Then it was Eli’s turn to walk the plank and your breath hitched when his foot slipped. Thankfully he made it and you were able to say you still had a boyfriend. When it was your turn, your legs shook, arms held at either side of you. You crossed, a smile on your face and your boyfriend waiting on the other side with a victory kiss.

Going back to the tires, you were already out of breath, the exhaustion coursing through you and it showed with the rest of the team when Aisha tripped, causing Miguel to fall, then you, then Eli—all on top of each other.

Groaning in pain, Eli’s elbow dug into your back and you tried to get off Miguel without hurting him as well.

“Sorry,” you winced, pushing off your friend’s back once Eli was off you. “You alright?”

“Yeah, Aisha, you good?” Miguel asked to which she nodded, face contorted in pain.

Sensei ordered you all to stand in the middle of the scrap yard, something in his hand.

“If you wanna win, you gotta be hungry. Are you guys hungry?” He handed each of you a piece of jerky.

You grimaced at the smell, wondering if you had to eat it.

“Yes, Sensei!”

“Good, 'cause so are they,” he smirked before blowing a whistle, barks following through.

Your eyes widened and you immediately bolted, jumping onto a car and finding the highest place. Your heart raced as you searched for your friends but as you scanned over the yard, all you could find was a terrified Eli as he attempted to escape a starving dog.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” You asked, hand tracing over the bandages.

It was hours later now and you came over to see your boyfriend after he had to go to the hospital for a rabies shot. You wished you could go, but it was agreed among both your parents that you’d visit him after.

“Yeah, I got pain meds for the bite, the shot didn’t even hurt,” he smirked, lying in his bed.

“I was scared to death,” you blew out a breath. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” you couldn’t help it and threw your arms around him.

He hugged you back, squeezing you tight as you held on. “I’ll live, nothing to worry about, babe,” he reassured.

“I know,” you pulled away, face down. “I spoke to my parents when you were in the hospital, this whole incident made them less happy about me being in Cobra Kai,” you admitted.

“My parents agree,” he sighed, glancing out into the hall where his mom and dad were downstairs. “But they don’t know how much better it’s made us,” he grabbed your hand, squeezing it.

“I know,” you squeezed back. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” he met your gaze, smiling.

“I made you this, by the way,” you reached behind you and grabbed the card you made him.

It read: “Damn, got bit by a dog? That’s ruff, hope you get better soon!” with a drawing of a dog with a mohawk.

“That’s amazing,” he laughed. “Thanks, you’re the best,” he reached over to kiss you on the cheek.

Warmth radiated before you spoke. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, goodnight,” you hugged him again, pulling away and giving him a generous peck on the lips.

He watched as you left his room, hearing you go down the stairs, say bye to his parents, and shut the door.

Your gaze was on the movie but Eli’s constant flicking of candy at other moviegoers was distracting. On top of Aisha asking what was wrong with Miguel. Their conversation was anything but whispering. You began droning in on their conversation, Miguel saying why Sam’s dad would hate him and whatnot.

You were eating some popcorn, taking a sip of your drink, and trying to watch the movie but the side conversation and Eli’s distracting movements were well, distracting.

“Jesus Christ, you’re such a nerd,” he insulted Miguel, stepping into the conversation.

You furrowed your brows, reaching for his hand, sending him a look he brushed off. You rolled your eyes, leaning to the side to rest your head on his shoulder. You smiled when you noticed he paused, staring at you with awe.

Aisha went on to comfort Miguel and you were enjoying the movie again but Eli still managed to throw the candy, pissing you off.

You straightened, leaning on the other side of your seat, and rested your head on your arm, staring bored at the screen.

“Dude, just go over there. It’s an alpha move,” your boyfriend responded to what Miguel was talking about. With another flick of his wrist, a candy hit the back of someone’s head, instantly, a built dude stood up asking who did that, you had to hide your smile at the look on Eli’s face.

After the movie finished, you and Aisha departed from the boys, deciding to go shopping.

“You seemed pretty pissed at Hawk, something going on?” She asked when you entered a store.

“He was being annoying, like why throw candy? It’s wasteful, just watch the movie!” You scolded, rolling your eyes. “I love the dude, but, ugh, sometimes he’s just,” you huffed, unable to find the words.

“A boy?” She finished for you.

“Exactly,” you shook your head, a smile coming on your face.

“This is one of those moments where the saying “boys will be boys” is actually justified,” she raised a brow.

“You get me,” you sighed. “I’m so glad I have a girl friend,” you wrapped your arm around her, walking further into the store.

“Tell me about it,” she agreed.

29 notes · View notes

ariesqueencobra · 1 month

Text

what we used to be | V

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your dad disapproves of Eli and Cobra Kai. You're also waiting on Eli to ask you out. Oh, you also get punched in the face.

Warnings: violence, blood, mentions of tattoos

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: I think this chapter is cute! Make sure that if you want to see more of this story to comment and reblog! Comments let me know what you like about the story and reblogs help others see the story! Thanks!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“Junbi!” Sensei shouted.

You followed his directions, getting into the correct stance.

“Good, bow,” he slapped his hands against his outer thighs, watching as the class listened. “Fighting positions,” he held his fists up.

You watched him and yourself in the mirror when he instructed you to go through the motions. You felt proud as you were getting the hang of it, the gi you wore allowed you to blend in with the rest of the crowd, and for once, you didn’t feel out of place.

“Stabilize your base, Hawk,” Sensei kicked Eli’s foot out, making him grunt. “Keep your balance. Full rotation when you strike,” he demonstrated.

You watched before correcting your own mistake. But as Sensei continued to walk through the rows, you jumped when he neared you.

“Did you just flinch?” He asked you and you averted your gaze. He narrowed his gaze before checking out the rest of the class, and coming to a conclusion. “Holy shit, we got a room full of flinchers”.

“Yes, Sensei!”

You felt stupid for saying it, but your instinct told you that was the best response.

“That was not a question,” he shouted. “Raise your hand if you’ve never been punched in the face,” he asked and stared in amazement when everyone besides his first two students held their hand in the air.

The nerves that appeared in your stomach told you what your sensei was thinking. Your stomach dropped when it was right.

“All your life you’ve been avoiding fights so you don’t break your nose or lose a tooth,” he paced back and forth before stopping in the middle of the mat. “There’s only one solution and that is before you leave this dojo, each and every one of you is gonna take a punch, very hard, to the face,” he directed.

You gulped.

“Miss Robinson, line them up, unflinch this group,” he ordered before walking back to his office.

She hesitated, glancing at Miguel for support until she cracked her knuckles, beginning with you.

“Sorry, Y/N,” she sucked in a breath before reeling back her fist and knocking you square in the face.

The impact was hard.

You actually stumbled a few steps back as you held your nose. You felt a dribble of wetness on your upper lip and when you reached to wipe, you saw blood. The sight made you freak out, but as you assessed the rest of yourself, you realized you were okay.

You survived.

Still, the pain that radiated in your face was new and unwelcomed.

“Nice job, babe,” Eli grinned, patting you on the back. “Total badass”.

You smiled in response as you walked off the mat, grabbing a tissue from your backpack to help with the bleeding. You spent the rest of the time, waiting for Eli’s turn.

Every person faced Aisha’s punch, all of them groaning out in pain afterward. Some had already left class and finally, it was your boyfriend’s turn.

She punched him so hard he went flying. The gasp that escaped you was comical as you went over to his aid.

“He’s okay!” Aisha shouted.

“I’m fine,” he groaned, doubling over as he struggled to get up.

You grabbed him by the arm, hosting him up as you led him back to the front.

“That was intense,” Eli said, rubbing his shoulder where he landed on the mat.

“Tell me about it,” you giggled but immediately stopped when that caused pain to erupt. “Wanna head back to my house?” You touched your nose, seeing that the blood was stopping.

“Sure, maybe we could spar a little, some one on one,” he smirked, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

You felt your face heat up as you began to walk towards your bikes. “That’d be fun,” you grinned.

Once you were back at your house, you were glad to see that your parents weren’t home from work yet. You made your way to the fridge to grab a few drinks and snacks for you and Eli before you made your way to the back.

“Sensei is training us hard, but I kinda like the challenge,” you smirked, handing Eli his drink.

“Same, I never felt more badass than I do now,” he raised a brow. “So you ready?”

“Ready,” you raised your fists.

It was fun more than anything, to be honest.

You kept your focus on your stance but it was enjoyable getting to mess around with your boyfriend on the grass.

“You’re going too easy on me,” you giggled when you dodged a punch that was easy to block.

“Well I don’t want to hurt you,” he smiled, ducking when you swung your arm.

“Oh, c’mon, I took that punch without a sweat, you went flying,” you snorted.

“The details don’t need to be recounted,” he dismissed, making you laugh again.

Without another thought, you tackled Eli, making him fall onto his back on the grass. The look on his face was priceless before you swung your leg over him so you hovered above him. “I win,” you smirked, reaching down to peck his lips.

“What the hell is going on here?” Your father's voice boomed in the backyard.

Your eyes widened and you were quick to get off of Eli.

“Hi, Dad,” you ran your hand over your hair, gulping down the awkwardness.

“Hi, sir, we were just practicing karate,” Eli jumped up, standing beside you.

“Karate?” He looked puzzled. “Since when did you join karate?” He glanced at you.

“A week ago,” you answered. “Mom said it was okay,” you added.

“Wait here, I’m not done with whatever is going on between you two,” he jutted a finger at the space between you and Eli.

“Hang on,” you touched Eli’s arm before heading inside.

You entered the kitchen, hearing your parents' voices as they spoke to each other.

“She wanted to join karate, you know it’s hard for her at school with the bullies,” your mom reasoned, prepping the vegetables in the sink.

“You know how I feel about karate,” your dad said, his hands placed on his hips.

Your mom rolled her eyes. “Our daughter’s never been more confident,” she retorted. “You know she’s on a good path,” her gaze softened.

You took a step forward, still not being known by your parents. The creak of the floorboard turned their attention to you.

“It’s true,” you began. “I really like karate,” your voice lightened.

“What’s the dojo?” Your dad asked.

“Cobra Kai,” you stated.

The way his disapproving face changed to one of fear piqued your interest, but his next words made you forget about that thought. “Absolutely not,” he shook his head. “You’re quitting,” he ordered.

Your mouth fell open and you glanced at your mom who had a “you're serious?” look. “Why not?” You whined.

He stepped away, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You didn’t know what it was like growing up with Cobra Kai in the Valley, their students were a menace, it was a good thing they got banned in ‘85,” he explained. “You don’t know Cobra Kai like I do,” he huffed out.

You knew there was more to the story, but you couldn’t pinpoint it at the moment. Knowing you wanted to keep your position at Cobra Kai more than anything, you kept your mouth shut with the questions.

“It’s different now,” you reasoned. “Sensei Lawrence is turning us into badasses, not losers,” you frowned. “I mean look at Eli” you pointed out into the backyard where he was practicing some positions.

Your parents followed your gaze and your mother made a sound of approval but your dad was quick to dismiss it.

“He looks like he’s on his way to becoming an ass,” he turned back to look at you. “And now what? You’re dating him?” He scoffed, his features telling you dating the boy you had a crush on for the last decade was the most offensive thing you could ever do.

“He’s not an ass,” you rolled your eyes. “And, as a matter of fact, I am,” you crossed your arms over your chest, finding the confidence to hold your stance.

“I don’t approve, of him or the karate,” he waved his hands out in front of him. “I want you to end things with him,” he pointed at your boyfriend.

“Dad?! No!” You scoffed. “I’m not ending things with Eli and I’m not leaving Cobra Kai,” you defended.

“Then you’re grounded,” he stated, point blankly.

“Mom!” You turned to her.

She sucked in a breath, placing a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Eli’s a good kid, we both know that,” she began. “As for Cobra Kai, maybe this is a lesson she needs to figure out on her own,” she shrugged. “But no matter what, we’re gonna be there for her, right?” She pressed a smile, lightening her tone in hopes that it got him to change his mind.

After a beat of silence, he inhaled deeply. “Fine, you can keep dating the kid. But there won’t be any more unsupervised visits and your door has to be open at all times,” he raised a finger, tone firm. “As for Cobra Kai, I want to tell you right now, I don’t trust that it’s changed one bit so be careful, okay?” He warned.

You gulped. Part of you wanted to take his warning seriously, but the other part of you was relieved that he agreed. With a smile on your face, you ran up to your parents, engulfing them in a hug.

“Thanks, guys,” you breathed out, pressing a kiss to both their cheeks.

You pulled away, running out to the backyard to meet Eli.

“They approve,” you beamed. “Of you and Cobra Kai!” You admitted.

He faltered. “Wait, me? They didn’t approve of me?”

“My mom has always, but you know how my dad is,” you shrugged, grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “But it’s all okay now,” you reached over to kiss him on the cheek.

“Awesome,” he grinned.

You were stretching between Aisha and Hawk when Miguel began talking about his “not-a-date” with Samantha LaRusso.

It was cute seeing him get all excited for it but your heart sank when you realized he was going on a date before you and he wasn’t even dating anyone!

The thought made you sigh out loud but it went ignored as Miguel droned on.

“I need somewhere romantic but not too romantic,” he contemplated.

You snickered when Aisha rolled her eyes. About to open your mouth to speak, Eli beat you to it.

He jumped up on his feet, undoing his belt before shrugging the material off. “You could take her to get tattoos. I know a guy, who just hooked me up with this bad boy,” he said as he turned around.

Your eyes went wide.

Oh shit.

“That is badass,” Aisha said.

You were silent, in complete shock. You couldn’t believe your boyfriend got a tattoo without telling you.

“Fourteen hours in the chair,” he stated.

You shook your head in disbelief but a crease formed between your brows when you recalled the day he was MIA. “Is that why you canceled on me?” You asked, feeling kind of offended.

“Sorry about that babe, I wanted to surprise you,” he quickly apologized as he tied the belt again, sitting down and kissing you quickly. “Also don’t tell my parents,” he added.

You snorted at that.

“Any other suggestions?” Miguel pivoted the conversation back to its main focus.

“Maybe do something she likes,” you suggested. “Or dinner and a movie, maybe a picnic on the beach, those would be my ideal first date,” you emphasized, sending a look towards Eli.

“Kinda corny,” Miguel disagreed.

“I’m out of options then,” you sighed, focusing back on your stretching as your mind thought to the possibility of going on your first date with Eli.

It made sense to go on a date at this point in the relationship. You had been dating for longer than a week, you kissed several times. What’s the hold-up?

That question plagued you for the rest of class so much you didn’t realize you were walking out of the dojo.

“Good luck on your not-a-date,” Aisha wished Miguel. “See ya later, guys,” she bid you and Eli.

“You’ve been quiet since Miguel brought up his girl problems, did he get you too depressed?” He chuckled, wrapping his arm around you.

“No,” you shook your head. “Just the date talk got me thinking,” you shrugged, glancing down.

“About what?” He asked, pulling his bike off the rack.

“Nothing,” you opted to answer.

Riding your bike home alongside him was the highlight of your afternoon, but today you were quiet. It felt like the Halloween dance all over again but you didn’t want a repeat of that. Still, you weren’t sure how to bring it up without sounding desperate.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Eli,” you reached over to kiss him goodbye.

He nodded, waiting by the curb until you entered your house. “Y/N!” He shouted.

You paused fishing out your keys from your bag. “Yeah?”

“I want to take you out, officially,” he smirked.

“Really?” You didn’t even try to hide your excitement, dropping your things and running towards him. “Where?”

“It’s a surprise,” he shrugged. “But tomorrow, seven alright? I’ll pick you up,” he said.

“Okay,” you agreed, beaming with happiness as you grabbed his face to kiss him before you went back to your dropped things. You waved at him before shutting the door behind you.

You were going on your first date!

67 notes · View notes

ariesqueencobra · 1 month

Text

what we used to be | lV

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your first lessons at Cobra Kai are what you expected, though, what your boyfriend does was the last thing you thought you'd ever see.

Warnings: bullying, name calling, violence

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: Hawk has arrived! Make sure that if you want to see more of this story to comment and reblog! Comments let me know what you like about the story and reblogs help others see the story! Thanks!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

“C’mon you saw Miguel kicked ass,” Eli attempted to get Demetri on board with the whole karate thing.

“It’ll be fun,” you placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before he had the chance to knock down any positive thought.

You stayed huddled together, your shoulder brushing with Eli’s every so often.

“Quiet!” a loud voice shouted and you all flinched, the dojo dying down. “Face front,” he scanned over the group before he began snaking through, taking a look at all of you.

You felt a little self-conscious when he approached, your gaze trying not to meet his.

“Nice shirt,” he complimented Demetri and you were taken aback. “I’m joking. It sucks,” he was quick to take it back after Demetri thanked him.

He then went on, telling someone he had terrible teeth and calling another a virgin.

“When I look around this dojo, I don’t see Cobra Kai material,” he began. “I see losers, I see nerds,” he added.

You glanced down, regretting you showed up. If he was just going to bully you like Yasmine and Moon, then what was the point?

“But in my short time as a sensei, I’ve also seen some miracles,” he looked over to his first two students; Aisha and Miguel.

You smiled slightly at that, maybe you were too quick to judge just like he was.

“So maybe there’s some hope for you yet,” he did another scan. “But first I need to see where everybody is at, so fall in!” he ordered.

You all glanced at each other, murmuring in confusion.

“Line up!” he clarified.

Thinking he meant to lind up behind Aisha and Miguel, you followed the crowed. You stood between Eli and Demetri while you awaited the next orders.

“No lines,” he sighed out, running a hand over his face.

“You mean rows?” Demetri spoke up.

You stifled a laugh. This was exactly what you expected when you decided to join Cobra Kai.

The next day at practice, you all managed to get into rows.

You stood behind Miguel. Demetri and Eli stood next to you in the row.

“Fighting positions,” Sensei barked.

You got into position, raising your fists and making sure your stance was proper.

“Jab punch,” he said but didn’t order to go so you waited, though a few didn’t listen. “No, not until I say go,” he added for clarity. “Hiya,” he gave the all-clear.

You followed through with the motion, left fist then right, making sure you used the weight of your body to help.

He went around, correcting students until he came to the front. “Hey, Lip,” he called out and immediately your blood rushed cold. “Yeah, you. The one with the freaky lip, who do you think I’m talking about?”

Eli faltered, his gaze dropping.

“Excuse me, Mr. Lawrence,” Demetri spoke up.

You inhaled, not knowing if that was a good idea or a bad idea. As much as you wanted to stand up for Eli, your boyfriend for crying out loud, you also knew Sensei was kind of a bully. You didn’t know how to stand up to them yet…

“Sensei Lawrence,” Aisha corrected.

“Okay,” Demetri chuckled. “You really shouldn’t make fun of someone’s physical appearance,” he explained.

You agreed wholeheartedly but that feeling in your stomach told you he should shut up.

“Is that so?” Sensei’s brows raised. “So I’m not supposed to mention his lip at all?” he pointed at Eli.

His brows creased together, biting down when the entire class’s attention fell on him.

“Well, yeah,” Demetri said point-blankly.

“Maybe that’s what they teach you in school, but out in the real world, you can’t expect people to do what they’re supposed to do,” Sensei pointed.

You felt inclined to agree but at the same time, you wanted him to stop making fun of Eli. There was no harm in being nice.

“You hear that lip?” Sensei called Eli’s attention again. “If you can’t handle someone making fun of you, how are you gonna handle an elbow to the teeth?” he asked.

Are those equivalent though? You asked yourself. You bit down on your lip, holding your hands behind you as you watched as a bystander.

“By calling the police,” Demetri suggested.

You glanced at Miguel as he told him to knock it off and you couldn’t help but agree. Still, you didn’t say anything.

Speaking up will only make it worse.

“Why should I be scared of him? Because he’s got a snake on the wall?” Demetri gestured. “It’s not like he can give us a bad grade, we’re paying him,” he made a note to emphasize. “He can’t actually hurt us”.

The feeling in your gut grew, something bad definitely was going to happen.

You were right.

Sensei stayed quiet but stalked over to your best friend.

“Are you done?” he came face to face with him.

Demetri looked confused, the rest of the students circling around. You sent Eli a worried look, one he returned.

“Go on, hit me,” Sensei ordered.

Demetri got into the stance and attempted to throw a punch but was easily blocked, the hit not even hard.

“Harder,” he said.

Reluctantly, Demetri did again but failed. The third time, Sensei actually flipped him onto his back.

Demetri huffed out in pain and most likely embarrassed.

“Let that be a lesson to all of you,” Sensei pointed a finger around.

You averted your gaze, fidgeting on your feet. You weren’t sure whether or not to call that a close one.

“Do you still want to go?” you asked Eli as you sat in study hall.

You felt more at ease now, Kyler not messing with any of you now knowing Miguel would beat his ass if he got caught messing with his friends.

“Yeah,” he set his pen down. “I think what Sensei says is a little true,” he shrugged.

“Me too,” you agreed. “I’m not happy about what he did to Demetri though,” you shrugged.

“He quit, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem anymore,” he responded.

You nodded, deciding maybe it was for the best. He had a bad experience, but it was clear you two wanted to learn self-defense.

“What about you though? He calls you “Lip”,” you furrowed your brows.

“I can take it,” he averted your gaze, voice softening. “I want to go back,” he reassured.

You pressed your lips together.

It was an easy answer, you were going back.

The third time’s a charm, right?

Wrong.

“Okay, everybody, fall in,” Sensei walked out of his office.

You and Eli took your places.

“Where is everyone?” Sensei glanced around the emptier dojo.

You glanced over your shoulder as he named out the hurtful nicknames he called out.

Gee, wonder why they left.

Part of you was proud of Eli, even after the bullying he received, he had the desire to come back. That took guts and it only made you like him more.

“They quit, Sensei,” Miguel answered.

“Are you serious?” he dropped his arms to his side. “I mean, good, that was a test,” he recovered. “I wanted to see who the quitters were. Not you guys, you’re in it to win it, right?” he attempted to encourage and you gave in, nodding slightly.

He went on, saying how you could be doing other things but instead chose to learn how to fight. Which you figured was a good thing.

“Lip. Look. Even Lip’s tougher than those guys,” he pointed at Eli.

You sighed out. This could have been better.

“Could you please not call me that?” Eli spoke up, which caught you by surprise but your pride grew even though you weren’t sure how this would go again.

He repeated what he said after Sensei didn’t catch it but Miguel butted in, hoping to diverge the situation.

“No, Lip has something he wants to say,” Sensei brushed off. “Sorry, speak up, Lip. Or is your tongue messed up too?” He taunted.

You saw the way Eli’s demeanor changed but you were unsure how to help. But your eyes widened when Sensei made a comment that didn’t sit well with you.

“Um, the doctor said I could be on the spectrum,” Eli reluctantly responded.

Your heart fell. He shouldn’t have had to explain himself.

Sensei made an obscure suggestion for him to “get off it pronto” and then followed with him getting surgery to “fix” his lip.

“I was born with a cleft lip. This is the scar from the surgery,” Eli explained.

Part of you wanted to go up and kiss him right there to prove to everyone he wasn’t a loser. But you couldn’t find any ounce of courage within you to do it.

“You mean it looked worse before?” Sensei’s brows rose.

“Can we change the subject?” Eli’s eyes darted across the room, unsure of how to diffuse the conversation.

“I want to but it’s right in front of me,” Sensei made the situation worse. “If you don’t want to just be a nerd with a scar on his lip, then you gotta flip the script, okay?” He told him, bringing up more suggestions of getting a tattoo or a patch.

The more he spoke, the more Eli got nervous. Without another thought, he walked out of the dojo through the back.

You hesitated running after him, but you were honestly afraid to face the scrutiny of Sensei.

You would check on him after class you told yourself.

And you did.

You rode your bike to his house first thing after class.

Knocking on the front door, you wrung your lip between your teeth as you waited in anticipation.

“Hi, Mrs. Moskowitz, is Eli here? He left his shoes and bag at the dojo,” you held up his items. “He also hasn’t been responding to my messages,” you pulled your sleeves over your hands after she took his belongings from you.

“Hi, hon,” she greeted. “He’s not really up for company at the moment, I’m sure once he feels better he’ll talk,” she pressed her lips in a reassuring smile.

“Okay, thanks. Can you let him know I just hope he’s okay?” you asked.

“For sure, but can you tell me what happened? He won’t talk,” her face pinched in concern as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“The teacher is a little tougher than we thought,” you shrugged, not wanting to give too much away since you knew Eli’s mom would blow things out of proportion.

You also knew Eli would rather forget about this ever happening.

“Thanks for stopping by,” his mom nodded before shutting the door.

He wasn’t at school the next day either.

You stared at your phone, going through the unreceived messages before locking it and throwing it in your bag.

A few minutes later, class started.

You were lined up next to Miguel when Sensei walked out in front of you.

“Three more absences,” Miguel sighed.

“A bunch of pussies,” Aisha mocked.

“No, it’s my fault,” Sensei admitted and you were shocked. “Since you joined, I’ve been hard on you. But Cobra Kai is about strength. If you’re not strong on the inside, you can’t be strong on the outside,”

He went on to say that he once used to be a loser until he shed his skin and became badass.

You nodded along, each word hitting. You knew he was right and maybe that’s why you decided to come back even though your friend and boyfriend decided to quit.

You didn’t want to be a loser anymore that was an easy target for Yasmine or Moon. You wanted to be the badass who knew how to stand up for herself.

You knew deep down this is what you needed to do to get to that point.

Just then someone entered.

Your eyes widened in shock, heart rate rising as you stared at the boy with the blue mohawk.

He radiated such confidence that you gravitated towards him. When you glanced into his eyes, that’s when you realized who it was.

“Eli?” you furrowed your brows, staring at the boy you fell in love with in kindergarten who looked entirely different.

“I took your advice, and decided to flip the script,” he smirked.

The tone of his voice, his stance, his gaze—he was an entirely different person.

You were taken aback…in a good way.

“Woah, you’re the kid with the lip?” Sensei Lawrence pointed at him. “You see, this is what I’m talking about,” he smiled as he pumped his fist. “Hawk,” he snapped his fingers. “Fall in”.

The name was fitting.

He stood next to Aisha.

Sensei scanned across the room before he opened his mouth, standing in front of Hawk.

“Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?” he asked him.

“No, Sensei,” Hawk squared his shoulders.

“Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?”

“No, Sensei,” Aisha shook her head.

“Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?”

“No, Sensei,” Miguel affirmed.

With approval, Sensei turned around before he shouted, “Class, are you ready to learn the way of the fist?”

You all responded firmly.

“Yes, Sensei!”

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