Sky poured herself more tequila and emptied the cup with one gulp, before filling it again. The music that filled the house was loud, she felt the bass beat resonating through her ribcage, a call to join the swarm of teenagers dancing their butt off in the next room—

But Sky had forgotten how to dance. The emptiness inside her wouldn't be filled with music or laughter or dancing. It might be filled with alcohol, though - at least she could try. She didn't bother to mix the tequila with anything - the more it burnt the less she felt. And she needed oblivion like never before.

After the hospital, after spending two weeks in the silence of home in sweats and T-shirts, everything here was too much. Too loud, too frantic, too scary. She could see people giving her weird glances, some girls were snickering and pointing fingers - some pretty cheerleaders, the classic mean girl type and she shouldn't have cared, but she did.

Turning her eyes down, she poured herself some more tequila. Kat would tell her to forget about those bitches, to drink more, to go dancing - but Kat was gone and Sky was alone and the only thing she could do was to drink.

She had hoped to find her friends as soon as she walked in, and had relied on their help to get her through this night, but Moon was busy being the hostess, Aisha, Miguel, or Sam were nowhere to be seen, and Demetri—

Demetri was in the living room, talking with Hawk.

That sight had hit Sky right in the heart like a wrecking ball, and it kept hurting, kept sucking the air off her lungs.

Hawk.

He had been sitting on the couch, in a red tie-dye hoodie and jeans, his mohawk sharp and spiky and vicious, looking so tough and untouchable that Sky could barely look at him. His blue eyes had followed her every move, but she couldn't read the look in them, they were like a mirror, like a surface of a lake, revealing nothing. But still - just the sight of him had made Sky weak in the knees, against all her will. She hated him for what he had done, hated his lies and her own stupidity with a fiery passion, but—

But it was absurd to think that love would die just because they had broken up. She knew she would always love him, that every time she laid her eyes on him her heart would turn towards him as a sunflower turns towards the sun. This hurt, this torture, would never go away.

She filled her cup for the third time and downed the tequila, ignoring the glances those pretty cheerleader girls were giving her as they mixed their pretty, pink drinks.

Yeah, well. She wasn't going to care. There was nothing pink in her life anymore, nothing pretty. She was ugly and raw inside and out.

She was just about to fill her cup for the fourth time - already beginning to feel the blissful effect of the tequila, when someone stumbled into the kitchen, pushed past the cheerleaders, and snatched the bottle from the table before Sky could grab it.

Tory.

The tall girl looked annoyed, upset even, as she filled her cup and downed the drink in one angry motion.

Sky hadn't seen Tory in weeks. Of all her friends, she was the only one who hadn't visited her. Not that Sky blamed her for that - they weren't that close. Tory had only joined Cobra Kai after the Valley Fest, and not long after that Sky had traveled to Italy. There hadn't been that much time to get to know each other, and now there never would be. They weren't teammates anymore.

"Hi," she said nevertheless. "Everything okay?"

"Just that stupid bitch, Sam." Tory rolled her eyes. "She thinks she owns the whole fucking world."

Sky swallowed, there was suddenly a lump in her throat. She wanted to snatch that tequila back from Tory and drink it until she couldn't talk, but instead, she opened a can of beer, filled her cup with it, and spoke.

"She is my friend. Don't call her a bitch."

Tory glared at her for a couple of heartbeats, and then let out a laugh. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. She's actually really nice—"

"She's a spoiled little princess who thinks she's better than the rest of us," Tory spat out. "And you are defending her?"

"She's a good person. She's been there for me when I—"

She stopped talking mid-sentence.

When I tried to kill myself? When I wanted nothing but death, Sam dragged me out into the sunshine and ate ice cream with me as if my life was worth something. And where were you, Tory?

"Figures," Tory rolled her eyes and let out a scoff. "You're a Miyagi-Do now too, aren't you?"

"No, I—"

"You fit right in there with the other pussies."

Sky slammed her cup on the counter so that beer spilled over. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me."

"You calling me a pussy?"

"Well what do you call trying to kill yourself over some fucking break up?" She laughed but her laugh was cruel, "Some of us are fighters - turns out you are nothing but a quitter."

Sky's stomach dropped to her feet. She felt like she would throw up. Tory knew nothing. She had no idea how much courage it took to look at the row of small, white pills on the table and swallow them down one by one. Tory had no fucking idea what it took to stand in front of Death's door and walk towards it, with dragging, painful steps, your feet feeling like they weighed a ton, your every instinct telling you to run the Hell away from it.

Sky's fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. She wanted to tell Tory she didn't know shit, but the truth was that her words had hit home.

"I should kick your ass for that," she managed, but her eyes fleeted Tory's gaze and both of them knew who was winning here.

Tory laughed again, gulped tequila straight from the bottle. "I'd like to see you try."

Another truth that hit home. Sky had only sparred against Tory once, and it had ended in her loss. She was weak and small and tired, and she knew she couldn't beat Tory.

Tory smirked at her. "What, you gonna cry?"

She was a quitter, a loser, a pussy. She was worth nothing. Tears burned in her eyes, as she turned her back on Tory and tried to leave - just to bump straight into Hawk.

He smelled like cotton and steel, like home and love, and in panic Sky stumbled back, managing to knock down a bottle of vodka from the counter so that it smashed onto the floor tiles. People laughed, Tory amongst them.

"Hey, hey - is everything alright?" Hawk asked, his gentle, a bit throaty voice cut straight through Sky's defenses. The tears she had been holding back fell to her cheeks, burning like acid.

"Let me go—" She breathed, trying to push past him, but his gentle hands were on her shoulders, their calloused palms brushed her skin softly, and Sky didn't want to go. She wanted his arms around her, she wanted to bury her face against his chest and forget everything that had happened—

"Why are you crying?"

She didn't reply, just shook her head, trying to suck down the despised tears.

Hawk took one look at her face, then turned his narrowing eyes to Tory, letting his hands slide off Sky's shoulders.

"What did you say to her?" He snarled at Tory.

"Jeez, nothing." Tory let out a dramatic sigh.

"Sky doesn't cry for nothing. What did you do?"

"Why do you even care? She's the enemy now."

Hawk tilted up his chin, his fists clenched on his sides and for a moment Sky feared he would really hit Tory - and it wouldn't end there. Miguel would rush to Tory's aid, and then all Hell would break loose—

She placed a hand on Hawk's forearm. "It was nothing, really. Just... I just need some air."

She grabbed an unopened bottle of vodka from the counter and pushed past Hawk, not daring to look him in the eye, fearing what she would see there. Her face was burning, her lips were numb. His closeness was driving her crazy, she needed to get away from him, she needed to get out.

The blasting music followed her, the beat resonating in her bones as she made her way through the kitchen, out of the slide doors onto the backyard. There was a full-size pool, and some kids had jumped in there - with their drinks and all - but still, it was like stepping into another world. Suddenly Sky could breathe again, the air was fresh and tasted like fall, the sky was vast and black, she could almost see the stars.

She opened the bottle, threw the cap away, and took a gulp, the taste of vodka burning all the way down. She welcomed the feeling, welcomed the blissful numbness that had begun to grow to her limbs, her skin, her lips. Soon it would reach her heart too.

"Sky, wait—"

She didn't turn to look. She would have known that voice anywhere.

"I didn't need you to save me," she said, taking another gulp. The world was spinning, but not fast enough, so she drank more.

A short silence. She heard how Hawk cleared his throat, then he walked closer. She sensed his closeness in the air as if there was an electric current running between their bodies.

"Are you... okay?" he asked, his voice raspy and silent in the night.

Sky kept her eyes on the pool, on the flickering sub-water lights. It reminded her of Fontana di Trevi, of that night when he had held her close and lied to her like she was a stupid slut who deserved no better.

Sky sucked in a trembling breath, her fingers curling around the bottle. She wanted to jump into the pool and drown.

"Oh I'm just splendid."

"You... look different."

"You don't."

Sky didn't know what she had expected. That he would roam the halls weeping? That he would look rotten, suffering, like he hadn't slept in a week? But why would he look like that? He had lied, he had no heart that could have been broken.

That thought made her bring the bottle back to her lips and drink, drink like there was no tomorrow.

"Maybe you should slow down a bit," Hawk said, and for the first time, Sky turned to look at him. Their eyes met - his eyes were breathtakingly blue even in the dark, and oh, how much Sky wanted to fall into them.

Oh, how much she loathed him, how much she wanted for him to hurt too, for him to know the depths of her misery.

"Don't patronize me," she snapped. "Just... just leave me alone! I don't need your help!"

"Can we... can we just talk?"

"About what? What could you possibly say to me that would change anything—?"

"I miss you," he groaned, and he had walked closer, his hands were on her shoulders again, warm skin on her trembling body. "I miss you so much that I can't take it—"

"I don't believe you." that came out as a strangled breath.

"Please, Sky - I... I think about you all the time." He sounded desperate now, his lips were trembling, the sound of his voice was throaty, broken. "I love you, Sky. I can't just stop loving you."

"What do you want me to say?" Sky breathed. "That I love you too? Fine - I love you. I love you more than anything. But it's not enough."

He looked like she had slapped him. A pained expression twisted his features, but his hands were still on her shoulders, and Sky had no strength to force herself away from him. She breathed in his scent as if it was a drug, it made her head spin, her pulse accelerate.

He was standing so close to her - impossibly tall and handsome in his mohawk, the scar standing out on his pale face, like he was a twisted fairytale prince. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, he was the one Sky had waited for her whole life, he was the other half of her soul.

He was the one who had broken her heart.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, his lips trembling as if those words were painful for him to let out. "I'm so sorry that I lied."

"No, you're not. You would do it all over again."

"I wouldn't," Hawk said. "I never meant for you to get hurt—"

Tears had started to fall again, and angrily Sky wiped them off. She never should have come to this stupid party, she could be home watching Trek with Dad instead, in the safety of her home, in her comfy pajamas, with a jar of Nutella and a spoon.

"I'm not nearly drunk enough to be having this conversation—" Sky muttered and brought the bottle to her lips again, but this time Hawk grabbed it and snatched it away from her before she could drink.

"Hey!" Sky protested. "Give my bottle back, asshole!"

"Yeah, well - you can hate me as much as you want to, but I'm not just gonna watch while you give yourself alcohol poisoning."

Sky tried to grab the bottle, but Hawk held it high over his head, out of her reach. Apparently, the booze had reached her legs, because she stumbled and lost her balance, falling against his chest.

"Fuck—!"

His free arm wrapped around her, to keep her steady. Sky took a shaky inhale, her legs suddenly felt like spaghetti and she had to lean both hands on his chest to gain control of them again.

She felt his warmth against her body. His familiar scent surrounded her, making her heart swell.

She knew she needed to step back, to push him away, but it was impossible. For the first time in weeks, she could breathe.

"You smell so good," she muttered and pressed her face against his chest. The fabric of his hoodie was so soft, so warm. "Why the fuck do you smell so good?"

He stood rigid, like frozen on his feet, one hand holding the bottle, one awkwardly on Sky's back. The fast rising and falling of his chest was the only movement in his body. Sky could almost hear his heartbeat, the rapid, uneven beat - or maybe it was her own? She wasn't sure.

"You... you smell really good too," Hawk rasped. Somehow Sky found that hilarious, a drunken giggle escaped her lips.

"It's because I'm clean."

Hawk let out a short, dry laugh. "Sky, let's go back in. I'll get you some water, okay?"

"I don't want any stupid water," she muttered, pressing her face against the heavenly softness of his hoodie. Maybe she was a bit drunk. She would just rest here for a moment, just a little while, until her legs worked again. Funny how her hands had a will of their own - they found their way to Hawk's back, her arms wrapped around his midsection.

He let out a soft groan, and somehow that was funny too. Sky started giggling. The night was warm and black, and the pain in her chest was almost gone, she wasn't dead - she was alive, alive, and she could breathe again.

She raised her chin to see his face - he was so fucking handsome.

"You're really pretty," she slurred.

"And you're really drunk."

She brought a hand up, her index finger tracing the scar on his lip a bit clumsily - she was losing the control of her hands too not just her legs, funny that. But somehow it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but the way Hawk's throat bobbed, his lips parted slightly as she laid her fingertips on his soft lips.

"I fucking loved that scar," she breathed. "So fucking hot."

"Sky—" his voice was low, throaty. There was something different in the way he was holding her now - it wasn't just to keep her on her feet, it was as if he needed her near, just as she needed him near too, as if there was an invisible force pulling their bodies together and he, too, was tired to fight it.

"Sky, I love you," he breathed, and dipped his face closer to hers, she felt his hot breathing fanning her lips.

And then his mouth was on hers.

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