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demetriandelibinaryboyfriends · 4 years ago

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Hello! So, something that always intrigued me is the concept of “reverse aus,” and I’ve been thinking about that in the context of Cobra Kai for a while now. How do you think it would go down if Demetri was the one to get roped into Cobra Kai? Obviously, I don’t think he would be as into as Eli canonically was (probably due to it becoming a special interest for him), but I’d be curious to hear your take on it. Would Eli end up going to Miyagi-Do like canon Demetri did, or would Demetri and Eli sort of become the new Evil Karate Husbands™️? And possibly, how do you think Demetri and Johnny’s dynamic would go? (I’m just going to awkwardly add that this is cc-tinslebee, coming to you live from my main blog because I don’t think Tumblr let’s sideblogs send asks-)

So this is actually the SECOND ask I’ve gotten about this scenario--Cherry sent in another one!--so I figured I’d give it a stab. Took me a while to work out how I think it would go and how everything would play out different if Demetri and Eli’s roles were reversed, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I tried to make it more interesting than just “Demetri does all the stuff Eli does and Eli does all the stuff Demetri does.”

Also I lowkey LOVE the idea of Evil Karate Husbands and even though that isn’t the direction this particular AU goes in, I might do a divergent spin-off AU to explore that too??? Because man...the thought of Miguel desperately trying to save his two best friends who have fallen to the dark side...*cries*

Fair warning that this AU is gonna get dark as shit--I fully belive things would’ve gotten equally fucked up between them in a role reverse AU, just, ah...in slightly different ways. A lot of this will not be Happy Times later on, much like their canon relationship XD

OKAY TIME FOR PAIN, LET’S GOOOO

Longboi post so be warned!!!

Season 1

After getting his ass handed to him--for trying to stick up for Eli, no less--Demetri was pissed. Why the hell was he paying some guy to beat him up for daining to have a problem with him bullying his best friend? Going home in a rage, he nearly texted Miguel to tell him he was quitting--but something stopped him just before he hit Send.

He remembered the look on Eli’s face just after Kyler shoved him away. He remembered seeing Eli stiffen when Kyler grabbed him by the chin, practically feeling the terror emanate from his friend’s body. He remembered how completely and infuriatingly helpless he felt.

It certainly wasn’t the first time something like that had happened. But maybe if Miguel was onto something--maybe if karate really could protect him and Eli from the bullies--it could be the last.

Mr. Lawrence (or Sensei Lawrence, as he obnoxiously insisted on being called) hardly let up on bullying Eli. Even at Eli’s request not to call him “Lip” and the pleading of his star student Miguel Diaz himself, the man only seemed to crack down harder--in some sort of twisted effort to “toughen Eli up,” Demetri guessed. Demetri defended Eli every single time, not mincing any words mouthing off at Sensei Lawrence. It got Demetri punched in the face, flipped on the mat, saddled with much harder drills than the rest of the class, but he didn’t give a shit. He wasn’t about to let anyone treat Eli like that, no matter what pain he had to endure for it.

Johnny, meanwhile, is immensely annoyed by this obnoxious, sarcastic kid who just can’t stop running his mouth--but working him twice as hard as the rest of the class is proving to be fruitless in shutting him up. But, Johnny’s finding, Demetri constantly antagonizing him doesn’t have to be a hindrance. Anger like that can be weaponized--the more he provokes Demetri, the more he insults and belittles that Eli kid he’s so attached to, the harder Demetri punches. The quicker he moves when he fights. The stronger he kicks. Johnny sometimes comes home after training covered in nasty bruises, almost entirely from sparring Demetri--they’re enough to make Carmen and Rosa Diaz worry he’s getting jumped on the way home.

One day Johnny takes his ribbing of Eli just a little too far, hoping to get an especially vicious reaction out of Demetri. Eli, pushed to the end of his rope, runs out of the dojo, barely holding back tears. Demetri starts to go after him, but Miguel puts a hand on his arm and stops him, saying they can both check up on him later.

When Demetri finds Eli after practice, Eli’s sobbing. “I can’t do this anymore, Deme. No matter what you say to him, he just keeps picking on me. It never stops.” Demetri winces, because Eli isn’t wrong--Sensei Lawrence really hasn’t stopped bullying Eli at all, and while Demetri was busy letting himself get riled up by it, he didn’t actually think to see how it was affecting Eli. “Well, I know it sucks now, and Mr. Lawrence is a huge asshole, but we’re learning to be tough,” Demetri reasons. “We’re learning to be intimidating. A few more months here, and the bullies will never touch us again! Just like Miguel!” And Eli just scowls, uncharacteristically angry for his timid self, and says “Well, it’s not worth it if I have to feel like shit the whole time! If every time I step in here I get everything about me picked apart, over and over again! I’m done with this, Demetri.”

And just like that, Eli is out of the dojo. Demetri can’t help but be disappointed--he’d looked forward to them training together, and seeing Eli become a badass, fearless fighter who could hand Kyler’s ass to him after all those fucked up things he said to Eli. And to make matters worse, Sensei Lawrence doesn’t stop using Eli as fuel to rip out Demetri’s rage long after Eli’s gone. “Oooh, Loudmouth, feeling sad today? Missing Lip the Quitter?” “You keep throwing punches like that, and you could get beat up by that loser with the fucked lip you were so enamored with. Although knowing you, you’d let him win anyways.” And Demetri can’t help but hate the man, but damn, if it doesn’t feel good to land an especially good hit on him, or jab him in the thigh with a powerful kick.

But things aren’t bad--Demetri still has Miguel, and their new friend Aisha. Eli still hangs out with them outside of practice, and indulges Demetri in his ever-increasing ramblings about martial arts, no matter how nervous and uncomfortable karate tends to make Eli. If Demetri likes it that much, maybe he should make an effort to show interest in it. The four of them crash Yasmine’s birthday party, and Demetri even finds himself smooth-talking them into getting alcohol with his newfound confidence. After all, if he can land punches faster than a snake can strike, how difficult can it be to weasel his way into getting a little beer?

Meanwhile Moon, feeling understandably unfulfilled in her popular clique, takes an interest in the Cool New Karate Gang in town, and after apologizing to Aisha at the beach rager, the two strike up a friendship. She comes to hang out with their group more and more, and Eli finds her surprisingly easy to talk to. Moon constantly makes an effort to include him when the others get to wrapped up talking about karate, and he appreciates her kindness and sincerity. It’s odd, really, how easy it is to have a conversation with her, considering how nervous he tends to get around her. But Eli doesn’t think too much about it.

When it comes time for the tournament, Moon and Eli go together to support their friends. Eli finds his gaze flickering back and forth between Moon and Demetri, lingering on each of them longer than he would care to admit--and he can’t quite explain why. Something about Moon’s wide, excited smile, the smell of cherry shampoo in her hair...but also Demetri’s smug, triumphant smirk when he pulls off an especially impressive move, the way his wiry arm muscles ripple when he fights. They’re both just so...captivating.

Demetri, for his part, is ruthless. Much more so than Eli has ever seen him be. He’s always been sarcastic and cynical, but resigned to his fate--at the tournament, Demetri lashes out in vicious ways the old Demetri would never have had the courage to pull off. He talks shit to the other contestants far beyond what’s considered “sportsmanlike”--and Eli can tell he’s not holding back, with the theatrical body language channeling every awful thing he’s saying.

Demetri fights like lightning--he weaves and maneuvers and strikes at breakneck speed, a limber, flashing form hitting all across his opponent’s bodies before they have any idea what’s happening. He dodges hits and jumps aside like he has some cosmic sense of when and where they’re coming. And it scares Eli, seeing a viciousness and relentlessness in Demetri that he’s never encountered before--but somehow, he finds, he just can’t look away.

Season 2

After the tournament, Demetri’s life has never been better. At the summer’s start, he’s still riding the high of the Cobra Kai tournament win. He didn’t take home the trophy, but suffice to say he got much farther than anyone believed a scrawny, lanky nerd ever would, and he is incredibly smug about it. He realizes, at the end of the day, he’s gotten what he always wanted after all--the bullies don’t come near him and Eli at all, and he can rest easy, knowing Eli is finally safe. However, he’s so busy embracing his new skills that at times, he almost forgets that was ever even an issue. His newfound fighting prowess has caught the attention of Yasmine, of all people--maybe someone who can throw kicks that good isn’t as much of a loser as she originally thought.

She finds out after her family’s plans to go to France for the summer fall through, and she finally patches things up with Moon after their fallout at the beach party. Moon can’t stop gushing about how amazing Demetri was at the tournament--both she and her new friend Eli (who Yasmine definitely thinks seems like a weirdo, but hey--maybe if Moon thinks he’s worth her time, he can’t be that much of a loser) were so impressed with him. Interest piqued, Yasmine joins their little but ever-growing group. She finds herself quickly drawn in by Demetri’s ever-growing confidence, intelligence, and surprisingly enjoyable (if somewhat annoying) sense of humor, and before long, the two are dating.

Yasmine and Aisha are...cool. Kind of. Yasmine doesn’t quite apologize, and the two aren’t friends by any stretch of imagination, but they tolerate each other, and Yasmine refrains from making awful comments and picking on Aisha in front of their friends. Aisha, for her part, does her best not to lash out or be mean to Yasmine either, keeping the peace mainly for Demetri’s and Moon’s sakes.

Meanwhile, it would take an idiot not to notice the rather starstruck looks Eli’s been shooting in Moon’s direction. Moon, for her part, is either entirely oblivious or simply doesn’t even think to consider a shy, timid, nerdy kid as a romantic option, even if she does consider him a friend.

Oddly, Demetri finds himself extremely bothered by Eli’s doe-eyed crush on Moon. He really can’t place why--he has a girlfriend already, so it really shouldn’t bug him so much that Eli is finally growing noticably interested in girls too, now that they tend to be in closer proximity. And it’s not even like Moon seems to be at all interested in reciprocating. Maybe, he figures, it’s the fact that Moon never would have even looked their way if it weren’t for the fact that he and Miguel and Aisha were the “Cool Karate Gang.” The same karate gang, of course, that Eli quit. That Eli didn’t have it in him to fully be a part of. And yet here he is, reaping the benefits still.

Interestingly, Yasmine also seems bothered by Eli’s affections for her friend. Demetri feels her stiffen beside him and sees her shooting disapproving looks whenever she catches Eli staring at Moon. Demetri isn’t sure why she seems to take issue with this too--perhaps she thinks Moon is too good for Eli, and her friend deserves better than a shy, awkward nerd.

Something about this mindset very much rubs Demetri the wrong way, but he pushes the feeling aside. Maybe he should count his blessings instead of being so inwardly critical of his girlfriend. After all, not everyone gets to date the hottest girl in school.

The day of Valley Fest arrives, and Yasmine goes to support her boyfriend. Moon and Eli tag along, eager to support their friends as well. Caught up in the thrill of the blaring music, the bright, flashing lights, the audience cheering, Demetri feels a wave of pride as he looks at his little group of friends that came for him, yelling and whooping and jumping up and down. For some reason, he finds his gaze drawn specifically to Eli, wearing a grin bigger than Demetri’s seen in months and eyes absolutely glowing.

Suddenly Demetri feels an overpowering urge to wrap Eli up in this world he’s fallen in love with, immerse him entirely in the karate that’s made Demetri feel so much more happy and free in the past several months. Grinning, he strides forward and reaches down, using the absurd upper body strength he’s built up since he’s started karate to yank Eli up onto the stage. He hands his best friend a wooden board and steps back, racing forward and snapping it in half with a jumping roundhouse kick. For a few seconds, Eli can do nothing but stare at the broken board, something shifting inside of him.

After that, Eli decides maybe it’s time to give karate another go. Something about the way Demetri positively shone onstage--how genuinely happy all of it seemed to make him--makes him thing it can’t be so bad, even if he does get taunted for his lip again.

He stops by the dojo the following week, gathering up every ounce of courage he has to ask that mean blonde man how he goes about joining the dojo again. He’s hoping against hope that maybe, after all these months of teaching students and a tournament win under his belt, the edge of his pathetic cruelty will at least have been taken off.

No such luck. Upon seeing Eli walk into the dojo, Johnny greets him with “Hey, Lip is back! Real world not treat you as nicely as you thought?” The two are, regrettably, completely alone in the dojo. Eli sucks in his breath--Demetri isn’t around, so if anyone is going to defend him, it’ll have to be him himself.

“Could you please not call me that?” His voice shakes as he says it, but nonetheless, he finishes the statement. It occurs to him that not once in his (admittedly brief) stay in Cobra Kai did he simply...request that Sensei Lawrence not call him Lip. Demetri’s approach was always to get angry about it, go off on the sensei about how wrong it was to mock someone’s appearance, but Eli himself had never been the one to make a case for Sensei Lawrence to treat him better.

It hardly helped. Sensei Lawrence just claimed that if he didn’t want him to call him Lip, he shouldn’t have a freaky lip, and then went on to claim whoever did his cleft lip surgery must have done an awful job. Eli attempted to move away from the topic, but Sensei Lawrence didn’t let up. “It’s hard to when it’s right in front of me. Hard to believe Demetri was so willing to defend you like some knight in shining armor or some shit. You’re pathetic.” Having heard enough, Eli storms out, anger overtaking him. How could he have been so stupid, to think this was going to go any better? Why did he think that just because this man had been willing to help Miguel and Demetri (who were normal) become badass meant he would extend the same treatment to the freak with the lip scar?

Eli calls Demetri in tears. “I don’t know how you can train with someone like him,” Eli spits out. “He’s a shit person, Demetri. I--I don’t know what you and Miguel are thinking. It’s like he gets some kind of...I don’t know, sadistic pleasure out of bullying people. He’s not any better than the people he claims he’s trying to help you fight.”

Demetri, to his horror, reacts only with scorn, scoffing and rolling his eyes. “God, all this drama because he was mean about your lip again? Jesus christ, grow a backbone, Eli. I hate to say it, but I think Mr. Lawrence was right--if you can’t even handle someone making some insensitive comments about your scar, how are you going to handle an elbow to the teeth? Or any training more intensive than a slap on the wrist, anyway?”

Eli can do nothing but just stare at him through the screen. Demetri, the one person who he has always been able to count on to not comment on his scar, the one person who has always comforted him or talked him through it when he cried, is brushing him completely off--being an asshole about the one thing Eli was certain he never would be. Why is Demetri, of all people, not taking his side on this?

All Eli knows for sure is that he doesn’t like this new version of Demetri one bit. What happened to the best friend who was always willing to fight for him, no matter what it took? Now, he seems more concerned with looking cool and tough and upkeeping some kind of ridiculous reputation than Eli’s own well-being.

Over the next few days, a rage he didn’t know he even had in him bubbles up inside Eli. He decides if Demetri’s going to play dirty, so is he. And maybe, if Eli plays his cards right, the old Demetri will come back.

Despite his long-standing frustration with the way adults treat him--delicately, condescendingly, like a Thing of Pity--Eli figures he can get some use out of it for once. If this is the only way they’re going to see him regardless, he might as well use it to his advantage. And so he goes crying to his mom, who he knows for a fact other adults talk about being a “valued member of the community” and probably has some influence and some strings she can pull. He bawls to her about how his best friend has turned into an unrecognizable jerk, all because he’s training with a middle-aged man with the mindset of a high school bully who has no issue verbally abusing his students. Sure enough, discussions are had with the Neighborhood Committee, phone calls are placed, and Eli overhears his mother vowing to shut down that degenerate karate place if it’s the last thing she ever does.

Meanwhile, back at the dojo, Kreese makes an announcement. The elderly, intimidating man has recently teamed up with Johnny to teach--and he gives Demetri the creeps, if he’s honest, but he seems to know his stuff when it comes to karate, so Demetri goes along with this new addition to the sensei roster. However, when Johnny goes off to visit his high school friends and leaves the kids alone with the new Sensei, Demetri can’t help but feel uneasy.

“Now, the dojo’s been getting some concerned phone calls,” Kreese says, arms crossed and expression difficult to read. He doesn’t seem to be angry--if anything, he looks faintly amused. “Parents of the local teenagers are worried. They think Cobra Kai is full of bullies. Think our methods are...abusive, even. They want to shut us down.” Worried murmurs start to echo around the room, but Kreese silences them as he goes on. “Oh, don’t worry. It won’t be a problem. I have my ways of talking people down. We know better, anyhow. They’re just...intimidated by us, because we’ve honed skills here they couldn’t even dream of having. But nonetheless...” Kreese smirks in a way that makes Demetri feels ever-so-slightly unnerved. “If you run into one of your little peers whining to your parents about getting rid of us, well...show them Cobra Kai can’t be messed with so easily.”

And suddenly Demetri’s seething, because he knows exactly who made sure those phone calls got made.

Eli, for all his timidness, is notoriously smart. Demetri knows this intimately. He’d hardly put it past Eli to be this cunning, to manipulate the pitying adults around him to get what he wants.

When the Cobra Kai kids take a trip to the mall later that day, Demetri knows exactly where Eli will be. Every Wednesday, a new issue of Dungeon Lord comes out--they used to go get it together, but since getting into karate, Demetri hasn’t been keeping up. Demetri would figure someone like Eli wouldn’t have the balls to go out in public alone, if not for the fact that he knew how invested Eli was in the current plot.

And so Demetri heads to the comic book store, a group of reluctant Cobra Kai “pledges” in tow. Maybe it’s a bit sadistic, but he likes having someone to be able to boss around--it feels nice to be at the top of the food chain for once. Lord knows it’s the first time that’s happened. And if he isn’t going to milk that tournament win for all it’s worth, then what even is the point?

When Demetri arrives, Eli turns to look at him in confusion. “What are you doing here?” he says, lip curling slightly. “I figured you were too tough for this kind of stuff now.”

Demetri just scoffs and crosses his arms. “Well, Mr. Kreese said the dojo’s been getting some calls from weepy parents concerned we’re bullying their poor kids. Saying our Senseis must be some evil, abusive monsters twisting and corrupting the neighborhood teenagers. So I think you know exactly why I’m here.”

Eli just looks at him with a doe-eyed innocence that makes his blood boil. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Demetri advances on him, eyes flashing. “Don’t bullshit me, Eli. I know you’ve been meddling.”

To his surprise, Eli looks up to meet his gaze evenly, pretense of naiveté completely gone. “And what if I have? I don’t like the influence they’re having on you.”

Well, Demetri doesn’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but he doesn’t like it. “What is it about Cobra Kai that’s got you in such a tiffy, huh? You’re jealous I found a way to fight back and actually protect us? You don’t like that I’m not a pathetic loser you can look down your nose at anymore?”

Eli just looks at him in bewilderment. “Jesus, no, that’s not it at all, dude. Just...do you even hear yourself? You’ve turned into such an asshole since you started all that karate shit. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore. You walk around thinking you’re hot shit and everyone has to bow down to you all because your dojo won some stupid tournament. Well, news flash, Demetri--nobody cares.”

The callous way Eli, of all people, says it can’t help but throw him off. Is that really what his best friend thinks about him now--that he’s just some arrogant prick strutting around flaunting his success?

And then Demetri remembers how he got here--what it was that pushed him to be such a hard-assed fighter in the first place--and he feels a wave of venom coarse through him so powerful that he nearly chokes on it. Before he knows it he’s grabbing Eli by the shoulders and shoving him up against the wall.

“You fucking ungrateful brat,” he spits out, his words poison. “I did it all for you, you know. Everything I did was so that I could finally protect you. And this is how you thank me? After I’ve been getting my ass kicked over and over again so you wouldn’t have to worry about bullies anymore?”

Eli is surprisingly unfazed. “And where was I when you were learning to be such a good protector, Demetri? Getting shit on as a tool to motivate you? Nobody bothering to check how I felt about that? A real good bodyguard you turned out to be.”

“And yet Kyler and his little posse haven’t bothered you once. Who do you think that’s thanks to?”

“Miguel too. You don’t get all the credit. And anyhow, not like it matters when your Senseis would just as soon take the same cheap shots.”

Demetri just curls his lip. “Don’t get mad at me because you were too weak to survive Cobra Kai. Because...what, a middle-aged karate teacher hurt your feelings? I’d like to see how you go about taking a real fist to the jaw.”

Demetri raises a fist as if to demonstrate. Eli flinches, anger and defiance suddenly completely gone as his eyes widen in horror.

“You’d actually hurt me?” he asks softly.

Demetri slowly lowers his fist, realizing the answer as soon as he sees the terrified look in his friend’s eyes.

“Consider this your warning, Eli,” he spits out, with as much venom as he can manage. “Don’t mess around with Cobra Kai, or things are going to get ugly.” He smirks--a little sadistically, he has to admit. “You saw the tournament. Well...you’d better believe that’s the least of what I can do.”

When a downtrodden Eli shows up at Daniel LaRusso’s front door, timidly requesting to learn karate, far be it from Daniel to turn away a new student. Eli’s sob story about how he’s being bullied and threatened by his best friend only makes the new sensei more determined to take him under his wing--Daniel is no stranger to bullying, after all.

The next time Cobra Kai goes on an outing to the mall, Demetri catches Eli in the food court, eating with Samantha LaRusso and that kid whose ass he kicked at the tournament--Robby Keene, was his name? Mr. Lawrence’s kid. This seems...odd. How would Eli have met them?

An unexpected wave of jealousy rips through him. How did shy little Eli manage to make other friends? Let alone with an ex popular girl, of all people. Nonetheless, he figures this might be a good time to make sure his ex-friend isn’t trying to start any more shit with Cobra Kai.

He catches Eli in the deli line, sliding up behind him and purring, “Oh, I hope you haven’t been poking your nose where it doesn’t belong, have you, Eli?”

Eli turns and glares at him with a venom Demetri didn’t know the other boy had in him. “Why, Demetri? Scared your precious Cobra Kai is going to lose all its coolness cred if it gets out how shitty you all are?”

Demetri seethes with anger again, and before he knows it, he’s shoving Eli out of the line and ramming him up against one of the pillars on the edge of the food court. The crowd of eaters around them “Oooooh”s, but Demetri ignores them. He raises a fist again, fully prepared to follow through this time. “I’d watch your mouth, if I were you.”

Eli just curls his lip, more defiant than Demetri’s ever seen him. “You don’t scare me, Demetri. I know who you really are.”

The Cobra Kai pledges start to loom behind them, ready to provide Demetri with backup if needed. Eli notices and scoffs. “Wow, siccing your goons on me too? Way to set up a fair fight, Demetri. You’re so badass.”

Struck by a sudden desire to prove him wrong, Demetri socks Eli in the jaw before he can think better of it. He pauses afterwards, momentarily shaken by what he’s done.

To his dismay, Eli’s horrified shock is short lived before he laughs darkly. “Well, you’re not the only one who knows karate now. I joined Miyagi-Do.”

Demetri just scoffs. Ah yes, a little karate training and Eli, of all people, is going to kick some major ass. “All right then. Let’s see what you got.” He takes a step back, allowing Eli to try and get a hit in.

When the fight breaks out in full force, it’s vicious. Eli throws the first hit, but it’s weak--he’s out of practice since abandoning Cobra Kai. Demetri has him on the ground in seconds, throwing punches and kicks with a speed and rage he had no idea he had. Eli barely has time to get up before he’s getting his ass handed to him.

What Demetri doesn’t count on is Eli’s new dojomates coming to his rescue, getting the smaller boy behind them and executing a near-perfect synchronized fighting routine. Even with his lackeys helping him, Demetri is completely annihilated--nearly unconscious on the food court floor within minutes. The last thing he sees before he passes out is Eli staring down at him, blue eyes wide with horror.

When word of the incident at the mall gets back to Moon, shit hits the fan--to put it lightly. Yasmine is with Moon when she confronts Demetri, but she doesn’t say anything--just stands glaring with her arms crossed while Moon goes off at him. “How could you treat Eli like that? He’s your friend!”

“Not anymore.” Demetri curls his lip. “He joined Miyagi-Do. He’s made it pretty clear where his loyalties lie now, and it’s not with me.”

“Who cares about Miyagi-Do?” She retorts. “He’s still your friend! Our friend! And I don’t like the way you’re bullying him.”

Demetri scoffs. “Don’t you get it? He’s just a pathetic nerd who can’t handle the fact that I’m cooler than him now. All he wants to do is drag me down to his level again, I guarantee it.”

Moon’s gaze is more poisonous than he’s ever seen it. She turns to Yasmine. “Tell him, Yas,” she says, her tone dangerously quiet.

Yasmine sighs. She says--with notable hesitation, Demetri notices--“If you don’t stop bullying Eli, we’re through.”

Thrown off, Demetri laughs harshly. “What do you care? You don’t even like Eli! I see those...disgusted looks you shoot in his direction, when you think we won’t notice.”

Yasmine bites her lip. “That doesn’t matter. Moon is my best friend. If she’s not okay with this whole...thing, then neither am I.”

“You’re not fucking serious. You’re dumping me because your bleeding-hearted friend told you I wasn’t being nice enough to a guy you can’t stand?”

Yasmine pauses, but ultimately stands her ground. “I’m sorry, but if it’s between you and Moon, it’s going to be Moon. So her word goes. So either stop with this whole stupid feud with Eli, or we’re finished.”

“I...” Demetri can only stare at her, shocked. He never could have imagined getting this ultimatum...and yet here he is.

He must have hesitated a second too long, because Moon grabs Yasmine’s arm and starts to pull her away. “I think that’s all the answer we need,” Moon hisses.

“Wait!” he called helplessly after them. Yasmine turns around once as she walks away, but only to spit “It’s over!” over her shoulder. As if for good measure.

Kreese finds Demetri circling a punching bag in the back of the dojo, spinning around it and throwing kicks and punches faster than cobra strikes. Seizing his opportunity, he advances. “What’s wrong, son?”

Demetri turns, tensing. He’s still wary of the man, but to hell with it--it’s not like he has anyone else to talk to. “Fight broke out with Miyagi-Do, and we lost. Pathetic, I know. Please don’t rub it in.”

“Cheer up.” Kreese smirks. “The fight isn’t over until you say it is.”

Demetri just sighs. “No use going in for a rematch. They’re strong. I couldn’t take them again on my own.”

Kreese’s smirk widens. “You’re a smart kid. There are other ways to fight back, you know. You don’t always have to beat them into the ground.”

As he leaves, Demetri lets that sink in.

Well, Demetri is nothing if not tech-savvy. May as well make some use of that Yelp Elite status. He spends hours setting up dozens of sock puppet accounts, programming them to post terrible review after terrible review blasting everything he can think of about Miyagi-Do. The encouragement of violence in youth (Eli had technically punched first, hadn’t he?). The weak, subpar fighting style that broke down as soon as it was challenged by serious fighters. The pretentious, culture-appropriating sensei. Daniel LaRacist indeed.

During the Coyote Creek excursion, Demetri finds himself pitted against Miguel, fighting in the world’s most intense game of what essentially boils down to Capture the Flag. Demetri, about to get the better of Miguel, finds that he can’t help but gloat about his little online attack. Can’t be long before a one-star dojo goes out of business.

When Miguel seems to take issue with it, saying the whole thing is mean-spirited and over the top, Demetri can’t help but scoff. Miyagi-Do has been plenty clear in declaring war--their little battalion at the mall proved that. Demetri wishes Miguel wasn’t still too caught up in pining over Sam LaRusso to realize that.

Miguel, meanwhile, decides this dojo war of sorts is getting out of hand. It turns out Demetri isn’t the only tech-savvy student in Cobra Kai--Miguel designed their website, after all. With a little bit of basic internet coding and some rudimentary hacking, he manages to access the sock puppet accounts Demetri made and take the bad reviews down. He even goes so far as to go over to the Miyagi-Do dojo and personally apologize for how Cobra Kai has been acting, telling Robby Keene that he found out who blasted the bad reviews and took them all down. “We’re not all assholes.”

Come Moon’s end-of-summer party, Demetri is surprised to get an invitation. He hasn’t seen her or Yasmine since they both chewed him out, and Yasmine ended things. But perhaps this is a show of good faith. Maybe Moon wants to be friends again--and maybe that means Yasmine’s come to her senses too, and might be willing to talk things out.

Moon welcomes him when he arrives, previous animosity gone for the moment. “Hey, thank you for inviting me. I’m...sorry,” he starts. “Of how we left things off. I was an ass to you and Yas.” “It’s alright,” Moon replies cheerily. “I invited you because...well, I’m hoping that before school starts, we can stop all the fighting and be friends again.”

His heart sinks as he sees Sam LaRusso lead a stream of kids through the door, Eli trailing at the end, and he realizes exactly what she means. The Miyagi-Dos are here.

He sits forlornly on a couch with Mitch and Aisha, thinking about how much worse this night just got. He brightens, however, when he sees a shock of blonde hair at the door not long after. So Yasmine came after all.

Moon grins in delight, calling over to her. Taking a breath, Demetri stands up and approaches the two girls, determined to smooth things over with them both.

He’s not surprised to see Yasmine make a beeline for Moon, not noticing him for the moment. What he isn’t expecting is for Moon to sweep Yasmine into her arms, kissing her full on the mouth.

Demetri stops in his tracks. The girls turn to him a few seconds later, seeming to notice him for the first time. They look at him expectantly, as though waiting for him to finish walking over to them. Or say something, and not just stand there gawking stupidly.

“Uh...are you two...um...like...uh...” All he can do is shuffle closer and gesture abstractly, not able to find words. Yasmine blushes and looks away, while Moon tucks a hair behind her ear, her smile strained.

“Yeah. It’s new,” she admits, laughing nervously. “We’re, um...”

“Girlfriends?” Yasmine offers, looking up and smiling at Moon with uncharacteristic shyness. Demetri can’t help but bristle--shyness she never showed him.

Well, far be it from him to be judgmental. Even if Yasmine broke his damn heart just now, Moon is still his friend. He gives them a strained smile. “That’s...that’s great! Happy for you two. No shame in uh...trying out something like that.”

Demetri excuses himself and sulks back to the now-empty couch, mind racing as he sits down. Is that why Moon was trying to encourage Yasmine to break up with him? Was it even about Eli at all? Did Moon just want Yasmine for herself? It seemed unlike Moon, but who could say?

And Yasmine...had she always wanted Moon, too? Is that why she seethed every time she saw Eli shooting lovestruck glances at her friend?

...had she even ever liked Demetri at all, or was he just a cover-up for the fact that she was...lesbian? How was someone as feminine and fashionable as Yasmine a lesbian, anyways? All the lesbians Demetri saw on tv cut their hair boyishly short and had about 5 nose rings and walked around in leather jackets and combat boots.

His thoughts are interrupted by the last sweatered boy he wants to see taking a seat at the other side of the couch, glancing nervously at him with darting eyes. What did Eli want? And why was he so nervous? He’d been unduly bold as of late.

“You seen the new Doctor Who trailer?” Eli mutters.

Something about the nonchalant way he says it--like this is the olden days, when Demetri always felt like shit about himself and had no one who tolerated him but Eli--makes Demetri’s blood boil. He scoffs. “I have better things to do than watch nerd crap like that.”

A short silence. “Capaldi regenerated,” Eli offers finally. “I know you weren’t big on 12.”

No more Capaldi? Demetri turns to look at Eli, interest suddenly piqued.

“What’s the new doctor like?” he asks before he can stop himself.

Eli grins. “She’s a badass.”

“She?” Demetri finds himself grinning back. “How progressive of them. Welcome to the 21st century, Doctor Who.”

A sudden giggling catches his attention, and Demetri looks to where Yasmine and Moon are sharing a chair across the room, tangled up in each other’s arms and trading soft kisses like they don’t have a care in the world. He tenses.

Eli seems to sense his discomfort, and sighs. “Hey, I’m sorry, man. If it helps at all, I liked Moon a lot, too.”

Demetri just scoffs. “Yeah, but I guess it doesn’t matter now. They just have to be gay, right?”

Eli gives him a strange look. Demetri shuffles uncomfortably, realizing what he’s probably thinking about. The...incident, 4 years ago. Demetri glares at him, hoping to banish the thought before it arrives. None of that meant anything--they were just dumb kids. Dumb kids doing dumb shit that didn’t matter.

“I don’t know, I mean...if they’re happy together, shouldn’t we just be happy for them?”

Eli reaches out and squeezes his shoulder, and Demetri hesitates. Their special touch. Eli still remembers, even after everything that’s happened.

For a moment he’s overcome with longing, wishing things with Eli could just go back to how they used to be. Back when he knew no matter what hell he went through at school, Eli would always be there to pick him back up again. But then it sinks in what Eli’s really trying to say.

Be happy for them. What a bunch of Miyagi-Do bullshit. Just accept his sad little lot in life, just like he used to do. Go back to nerdy little Eli at the bottom of the food chain, doomed to spend the rest of his youth admiring pretty girls from a vast distance.

He never wants that to be him again.

“Oh, fuck you, Eli,” he spits, grabbing Eli’s hand and yanking it off of his shoulder. Eli freezes, looking like he’s just been slapped.

“What, so I’m supposed to do like you, moping and pining and hoping a pretty girl will look my way if I wish hard enough and just sucking it up when she doesn’t? Well, I’ve had plenty enough of that--I’ve been on the top. And I’m going to be on the top again. But you? You’ll always be pathetic--you and your entire sorry excuse for a dojo.”

He gets up and walks away, bristling with an anger he can’t even fully place anymore.

As Eli watches Demetri go, he realizes he’s finally had enough. Demetri doesn’t want to patch things up? He just wants to keep being an arrogant shithead? Fine. But Eli’s not about to take his prodding and insults anymore.

Eli makes his way over to Moon--still his friend, despite the unreciprocated feelings--and Yasmine, strikes up a conversation with them. Yasmine, he notices, is being notably nicer to him--probably at Moon’s request. They get to talking about sexualities, and Eli accidentally lets a little something slip about Demetri.

When they were 12 years old, they had kissed. It was Eli who suggested they practiced kissing, to get ready for all the girls they would inevitably date. However, a bit of choice wording and it sounded like Demetri had planted one on Eli out of nowhere...and Eli, of course, hadn’t liked it one bit, because he was totally straight. “You can’t tell anyone, though,” he pleaded the girls, big sad eyes every bit as convincing as he had hoped. “Demetri doesn’t want it to get out that he’s...you know. Gay. He’s worried it’ll ruin his reputation.”

Moon nods sincerely, but Eli can tell from the almost imperceptible smirk on Yasmine’s face that she has other plans. If there’s one thing he’s learned about Demetri’s ex over the last few months, it’s that even trying to be a better person, she can’t resist a good bit of juicy gossip.

And from what Eli gathers...two girls dating? No problem, as long as they’re hot and popular. At least creepy guys can fetishize it. But guys liking other guys? Now that...Eli has a feeling that won’t go over well.

As soon as Eli excuses himself, Yasmine gets to work. A few whispers at the snack table when Moon isn’t looking, and news of Demetri’s supposed orientation spread like wildfire.

Demetri, meanwhile, is determined to prove Eli wrong. So what if Yas doesn’t want him anymore (or never did, the mean voice in his head keeps prodding)? He’ll find another hot girl to have on his arm. He’s a top Cobra Kai fighter, after all--it’s not like it’ll be difficult.

He saunters over to a group of girls, leaning up against the wall in what he thinks has to be a very suave way. “Hey ladies,” he says. “Name’s Demetri. I’m sure you’ve heard about me--seasoned Cobra Kai fighter, finalist in the All-Valley tournament. But no need to be intimidated--if any of you beautiful ladies ever need a hand with anything, I’ll--”

“Take it off of the nearest dick to help us out?” one of the girls cuts him off. They all break out in snickers. “No thanks.”

Demetri freezes. Why would they think...?

Then he realizes there’s only one person who could have made them think he was into that sort of thing.

He tenses. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but--”

“We’ve heard all we need to,” another girl says, eyeing him up in disgust. “Not interested in getting it on with someone who’s probably had his cock up another guy’s ass, to be blunt. Gross.” Before Demetri can say another word, the girls are gone, turning and slinking hurriedly off into the crowd.

Every time Demetri tries his luck with another girl, he gets similar rebuffs. And every time, he seethes a little more. Fucking figured--timid little Eli couldn’t take the fact that Demetri had worked up the confidence to win over a girl and he hadn’t, so he had to ruin Demetri’s chances with every other girl so he’d feel better.

Besides, Demetri remembers that day from 4 years ago. He remembers that Eli was just as into...all the stuff they did.

Unfortunately, before Demetri has a chance to go over and confront Eli about the whole business, the cops show up. He’ll just have to wait until school, he figures.

Meanwhile, word gets back to Sam that Miguel showed up at her door, apologizing and promising he took all the bad reviews down--apparently Robby didn’t relay any of this to her. When Miguel admits to Demetri about the drunken kiss, Demetri chuckles, slapping him on the back. “My man! Trying to build up a whole harem here, are we?”

Miguel sighs, looking sullen. “I cheated, dude. That’s shitty.”

And then comes the PA announcement. Tory Nichols is starting shit, and Demetri can’t pretend he’s not intrigued to see where this goes.

As soon as the fight breaks out, Demetri is overcome with adrenaline. He whips through the crowd, spinning and throwing kicks and punches like explosive flashes. All he can think of is Eli, Eli, little Eli...oh, when he finds him, there’s going to be hell to pay.

And it doesn’t take long--of course Eli is the one who tries to pull a teacher in to stop the fight. The fucking wimp.

When Eli makes a run for it, Demetri can’t help but smirk when he leads him straight to the computer lab. How very typical, for someone whose hero is Steve Jobs. He grins, something frighteningly sadistic bubbling up inside of him.

For a second it almost scares him, how badly he wants to drive his foot into Eli’s chest.

“Little Eli Moskowitz!” he taunts, before he can stop himself. “Cowering away in the computer lab, just like the little nerd he is. Can’t hide forever, outer. I know damn well what you told them about me.”

He tries door after door, continuing in a singsong voice as he goes. “Oh dear me, what would they say if they knew you enjoyed it too, Eli? Well, I guess they won’t believe me now. But I know. I know you’re no better than me.”

Ever since they were kids, Demetri has been the speedier one. They used to race across the playground at recess, pretending to be Quicksilver and the Flash, but Demetri always came out ahead. Long, gangly legs tended to do that. So when Eli turns to see Demetri in the doorway, and he makes a run for it, he doesn’t get far.

Demetri grabs Eli around the waist and throws him against the wall, whipping kicks and hits into his stomach and thighs faster than he can block. Demetri hardly notices the bruises forming, or the bleeding cuts.

It’s then that Eli does something Demetri doesn’t expect--flips the script, as it were. As Demetri reaches out to strike again, Eli surges forward and grabs him by the shoulders, flipping him around and pinning him against the wall. Maybe Miyagi-Do specializes in defense, but they still taught him how to throw a good hit or two. He throws defense to the wayside and starts raining punches down on Demetri--sloppy, uncoordinated, but something the “Strike First” Cobra Kai student is entirely unprepared to defend.

When his chest is stinging and his head throbbing, Demetri can’t take anymore. Eli was a lot more...well, powerful than he expected. At his first opportunity, he turns and books it. Maybe this isn’t a fight he can win after all.

Eli doesn’t chase. As angry as he still is at Demetri, he can’t stop thinking about the mars and bruises and cuts that appeared across Demetri’s face and skin as he punched him, mirroring his own, and he feels sick. He can’t hurt Demetri anymore, no matter what Demetri thinks of him now.

Demetri just makes it to the staircase when he sees Miguel motionless on the floor, Robby Keene looking over the railing. Sam LaRusson hovering over him. He runs to Miguel’s side, world crumbling around him.

Turns out he showed mercy, just like Mr. Lawrence always said to. And look where it got him. When John Kreese offers him a place in a new Cobra Kai, determined to make the Miyagi-Dos pay for hurting Miguel, Demetri isn’t about to say no.

In his grief, it seems like the only option.

Season 3

On the first day back at school, Mitch is quick to remind Demetri that there are other girls in the world besides Yasmine. Surely it won’t be too hard to work his charms on some of the freshmen--after all, word about that little incident with Eli when they were 12 can’t have gotten across the entire school, can it?

“Well, hello, ladies!” he purrs to a passing group, leaning against the wall in the most nonchalant way possible. “Welcome to West Valley High. I know freshman year can be intimidating, high school classes and new people and all, but if you ever need help with anything, I’m--”

“--the scrawny little gay kid who ran his pussy ass away from the world’s easiest fight?” one of the girls finishes scornfully. “Yeah, we know.”

As they walk away, he notices one shoot a flirty smile at a passing Eli, surrounded by his squad of Miyagi-Do losers. “Ooooh, you’re famous now, E!” he hears Chris say, and his blood boils all over again.

Ah. So everyone knew about Eli’s little triumph.

Mitch saunters over, and Demetri follows his lead. “Got something to say?!” he snaps.

Demetri’s eyes lock with Eli’s, and he glowers down at him. Eli’s face is tight, expression almost...sad.

Not like he’d expect anything less from that little crybaby.

“Oh, little Eli,” he chides. “I’d like to see you try and hide behind security.”

“I don’t need to,” Eli mutters, not breaking eye contact.

“Everything all right here?”

At the sound of the counselor’s voice, Eli does something unexpectedly bold. He sidles up to Demetri’s side and presses into it, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “No, Counselor Blatt, we’re all friends here!” he says, offering that shy little Eli smile that made every adult in a nearby vicinity go mad with protectiveness.

Eli’s arm is tight around his neck--like a chokehold. But, Demetri notices after a few moments, it’s shaking--the grip almost frantic. Like he’s scared of when he’ll have to let go.

Odd.

Demetri turns, and his and Eli’s eyes lock. He tries to give the shorter boy the most intense, seething glare he can under his forced smile, but Eli returns the look with equal intensity. Demetri jostles his backpack his backpack and thumps him on the chest, feeling an odd compulsion to touch his old friend right back.

Maybe he missed feeling Eli’s body underneath him. But that wasn’t a thought he could afford to spend a lot of brainpower on right now. “Yeah!” he says. Of course we’re still friends! Of course you didn’t fuck up my love life and humiliate me to the entire school because you couldn’t handle the fact that I was getting some and you weren’t!

When the counselor chides them about having somewhere to be, Eli just nods, murmuring, “Yeah, of course, Counselor Blatt. Sorry.”

As Eli pulls away, he pats Demetri’s shoulder a couple times. Small, almost imperceptible, but there.

Demetri can’t tell if it’s serious--if Eli still cares--or if it’s just a cruel mockery of their old touch. He’s not sure he wants to know.

When Demetri runs into Samantha LaRusso in the hospital and she insists she wants to help, he hardly expects a whole fucking fundraiser gleefully using Miguel as their poster child. As though the Miyagi-Dos weren’t the ones who put him in the hospital in the first place. When he catches a glimpse of the carwash while driving Mitch to practice, he decides he’s going to do something about it.

Beating up the kid is an easy fight, getting the money with Mitch and the others a sinch. Maybe at some point he would’ve felt bad for this--pummeling some short kid and then taking his charity money. But all he can think of is Miguel, his best friend, lying in a white gown and hooked up to wires. Because of this kid and his stupid “peaceful” dojo.

Peaceful, Demetri’s ass.

When Demetri walks into the cafeteria the following Monday, he’s not sure what he expects to see at Yasmine and Moon’s table, the place where he would be sitting, under different circumstances--but it definitely is not Eli Moskowitz with his hair dyed bright blue and spiked up. Miyagi-Do blue. Apparently all that coolness cred he felt he got from “scaring” Demetri off in the school brawl has gotten to his head, and he’s playing out his new “badassery” up to 11. He’s showing something to Yasmine and Moon, and they’re smiling and giggling. Yasmine, of all people, is smiling at nerdy little Eli’s antics.

Demetri squints, and sees that Eli’s showing the two girls a comic book--he recognizes the copy. It’s Eli’s limited edition Captain Marvel comic book, signed by Kelly Sue DeConnick herself. Demetri remembers standing in line with him at a con to get it a few years back--he’s pretty protective of the thing.

And now he’s using it to impress girls? Because apparently Yasmine and Moon are into that kind of thing? Oh, but of course Yasmine couldn’t be into nerd shit when DEMETRI was dating her, could she?

And those gooey eyes Moon is giving Eli, her little giggles--Demetri doesn’t like them one bit. What, now Eli’s worth her affections--now that his “nerdiness” is cool? Aren’t she and Yasmine a stupid item, anyways?

Deciding he’s going to put a stop to this, Demetri saunters over, lunch tray clutched so hard his knuckles are turning white. Before the group can react to his presence, Demetri picks up his chocolate milk carton and dumps it all over Eli’s stupid blue hair, making sure to get plenty on the rare comic book in front of him.

“Oh, I hope that wasn’t important, was it Eli?” he taunts, voice thick with mock sympathy. “That sure would be a shame.”

Eli turns to look at him, eyes wide with heartbroken shock. For a moment, the anger doesn’t set in.

“I had to wait in line 5 hours to get that,” he says quietly. “You know that.”

“Sure do.” Demetri smirks. “And it took all of 5 seconds to completely ruin. How tragic.”

Eli tenses, eyes darting around for a couple seconds. Demetri starts to walk away, his point made, when he feels an iron grip on his wrist. He turns to see Eli smirking at him, clutching his arm with more force than he ever thought possible from the once-timid boy.

“Careful there, Demetri,” Eli sneers. “Coming all the way across the cafeteria to bother me when you’ve got your cool Cobra Kai friends to hang out with? People might think you’re a little...obsessed with me.” Yasmine and Moon snicker, and Demetri bristles as he realizes the implication.

“Although I shouldn’t be surprised since you love obsessing over other boys, don’t you?” Eli goes on, like his point isn’t clear enough. “Y’know, I feel bad for Yasmine. I mean, any idiot could tell she used you as a beard, but I had no idea it was a mutual thing.”

Demetri tenses, willing himself not to lose his cool. “Really letting that little victory get to your head, aren’t you, Eli? Honestly, I was going easy on you. Now I know not to next time.”

It’s at that moment that Sam LaRusso decides to show up, sliding up next to Eli and glowering up at Demetri. “There won’t be a next time if I have anything to say about it,” she retorts.

Demetri can’t help but scoff. Of course Sam LaRusso would be all too eager to defend her little pet nerd now, even though she was all too happy to laugh at him with her mean girl friends a year ago. “I’m not scared of you,” he says. “Like you’d start any fight daddy couldn’t bail you out of. Or that doesn’t end with your ex boyfriend getting thrown over a railing because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.”

It’s a low blow, but Demetri doesn’t care. It’s hard not to look at this girl and see part of the reason Miguel might never be able to walk again.

Sam LaRusso shoves him just as the godawful counselor is sauntering over, but to hell with it--maybe Demetri could spin this to his advantage.

“She hit me, Counselor Blatt!” he cries out, pointing at Sam. “Attacked and physically assaulted me, completely unprovoked!”

“That’s not true,” Eli mumbles, eyes darting. Flawlessly slipping back into the poor little Eli role in a way that never fails to make Demetri seethe. “It wasn’t unprovoked. He started all this by destroying my limited-edition comic book for no reason.”

Demetri puts on his most convincing remorseful face and sighs. “Look, that was an accident. I just tripped while I was walking and my milk spilled. Anyhow, if your book’s that valuable, you probably shouldn’t bring it into a school cafeteria where people are more than likely going to spill food on it.”

He’d like to see the dumb counselor argue with that.

“Look, I don’t want excuses. I just want you all to respect each other.”

“Oh, absolutely.” Demetri turns to give Eli a forced smile. “Nothing but 100% respect in this environment going forward, I assure you. Sorry if we caused any problems.”

Please, just anything to make her leave.

With one last warning to Sam LaRusso, the counselor is gone. Demetri turns to the two Miyagi-Dos and smirks.

“To hell with respect,” he sneers. “Your lot hardly deserve it.”

It doesn’t surprise Demetri when Eli and his little gang of Miyagi-Do losers decide to start shit in gym class. What he isn’t expecting is for Eli and his stupid blue hair to start running next to him--right after he’s tried and failed to catch Yasmine’s attention after scoring a goal.

He’s been thinking about her all morning--was Eli right about her? Did she only use him as a cover-up?

...would no one ever want to date him for him?

Well, maybe if he won Yasmine back, he could disprove that. If Moon was going to be hanging off of Eli’s arm before too long, chances were her and Yasmine’s relationship’s days were numbered.

Whatever Eli is about to say, Demetri can already tell it’s not going to help.

And it doesn’t. “Wow, Demetri. Few guys are so bad in a relationship that they manage to turn their girlfriend gay. I hope you feel accomplished.”

Demetri balls his fists. “Say that again. I dare you.”

“You really did have a good thing going with her,” Eli sighed, voice laced with condescending pity. “It’s a shame she decided she could do better than some belligerent Cobra Kai douchebag.”

And then suddenly Eli lunges for him and tackles him, knocking him to the ground just as easily as Demetri once did to Eli at the mall.

Not that it ended up mattering all that much--Demetri was able to talk the Cobra Kai’s way out of trouble in the principal’s office, just as he so often could. Nonetheless, it seemed Eli was hardly turning out to be as much of a pushover as he thought.

When Mitch and the guys invited Demetri to go to Golf N Stuff--fuck around for a bit, cause some mayhem--he wasn’t about to say no. The thrill took over, running around, snatching tickets and prizes away, throwing them in the trash--he almost felt as powerful as Kyler must have, all those months ago when he tossed the lesser kids’ backpacks in the garbage. Is this how it felt, to be on top? To have everyone else too scared to mess with you?

Because Demetri loved it.

What he wasn’t counting on was Sam LaRusso and her little posse arriving to confront them in the laser tag arena--including Eli, face hardened and ready to fight.

Things seemed to be going pretty poorly--that was, until Tory Nichols and the backup arrived. That reduced Sam LaRusso to a sniveling mess, and finally it looked like this would be an easy finish.

Demetri found himself only stalling for a second when the way cleared for him to go at Eli. Something about the sudden terror on the other boy’s face made him hesitate, but not for long. Eli threw a weak punch, and Demetri quickly flipped him onto the ground, pulling his arm up behind him.

“No, please, stop, Deme, stop! It’s me!”

Deme...

Eli’s old nickname for him.

Demetri pauses, and suddenly he feels sick. Deme...Eli’s nickname. Eli.

Wasn’t all of this for Eli? To protect Eli?

And now here he was, about to hurt him. The one thing he swore he was going to stop everyone else from doing.

And then comes the goading cries from Tory, Mitch, and the others. Do it! Finish him! He deserves it!

He deserves it.

And then Demetri remembers what happened to Miguel when he didn’t take his chance to finish the fight with Robby Keene. Suddenly Demetri’s running out of the end of a hallway again, seeing Miguel’s motionless body lying on the stairs, and the rage and horror and mind-numbing devastation hit him all over again.

“Demetri, finish him!”

In a split second, Demetri makes his decision. Eli’s arm snaps in half.

All it takes is one terrible, pained scream from Eli for Demetri’s entire world to come crashing down on him. What the fuck did he just do?

He can’t even hear the other Cobras, gleefully congratulating him and sneering at the “pussy” on the floor. All he can hear are Eli’s pained sobs.

He’d seen Eli cry before, but never like this. Never thanks to him.

When everyone congratulates him next practice, Demetri barely hears. He’s just numb. All he can see is Eli, curled up and crying on the dirty cement floor. When Tory tells him she didn’t think he was going to do it, all he can manage out is that Miyagi-Do had it coming for hurting Miguel.

And as if his week can’t get any worse, here come Kyler and his goons sauntering into the dojo like they own the damn place. Demetri does his best to convince Mr. Kreese this is by no means a wise idea, but the sensei will not hear of it.

When Kyler and Brucks realize who he is, it only makes Demetri more livid. “Oh shit, it’s the yogurt backpack kid! Lip’s little friend! I thought he moved away!” When a fighting ring is formed, giving the new recruits a chance to “earn their spot,” Demetri is all too ready for combat.

He’s horrified at how quickly Brucks takes down Mitch, how quickly his friend is ushered out the door. It was bad enough to see Bert go, but this...this is different.

He can’t remember the last time he’s felt more alone.

When Kyler steps forward, looking for an opponent, Demetri volunteers before anyone else can. Mr. Kreese shoots him a surprised look, but he doesn’t care. This fucko has been making his life hell for years--he can already tell this is going to be therapeutic.

Demetri doesn’t hold back. The fight has barely started before Kyler’s had enough. A few fast hits and his lip’s already bloody, and he’s backing away. “No...please stop...”

And suddenly Demetri’s back in the library, on that afternoon that seems like an eternity ago, watching Kyler grip Eli by the throat. Hearing him sneer “who would ever want to kiss THAT shit?” like Eli was the most disgusting thing he’d ever seen. Feeling absolutely powerless, hand clutching the back of a chair as he burned with rage that had nowhere to go.

Well, he wasn’t powerless now.

And before he knows it Demetri has Kyler pinned to the ground, landing punch after punch to his face. Because, he realizes, at the end of the day, who gives a fuck if Eli’s on the other side?

That’s still his Eli, even after everything. The same Eli he stood by for over 10 years, the same Eli who he wished so long that he could protect from everything, the same Eli who felt like he had to constantly hide a tiny red line on his face because his peers collectively decided--for no good reason at all--that it was ugly.

And maybe he couldn’t make those people hurt the way he wanted to then, but right now...well, he could hurt at least one. And that was enough.

He doesn’t stop until Kyler is practically pulverized and his hands are drenched in blood. After throwing his last punch, he smirks, leaning down to whisper into Kyler’s ear.

“Now who’d want to kiss THAT shit? That’s right, asshole--I remember.”

Demetri kicks Kyler’s limp form as he walks away. He shoots Brucks a glare as he falls back in line--just for good measure.

When Miguel comes back to school, Demetri’s one of the first to greet him at the door. “Cobra Kai’s still going strong! It’s going to be great to have you back!” He’s a little confused as to why Miguel seems so hesitant, but he doesn’t worry too much about it--they can sort through all that later.

Miguel’s certainly taken aback by the clunky cast he sees on Eli’s arm when he runs into him in the hall--but perhaps even moreso by the fact that he has both shamelessly dyed his hair blue and spiked it up in a mohawk and is currently walking the school hallways with Moon on his (unbroken) arm. As it turns out, once word got back to Moon that Yasmine was the one who had shamelessly whispered around the school about Demetri being gay, she had broken things off with her. And, with his new “coolness” upgrade, she’d taken quite a liking to Eli.

Not like she had any way of knowing he’d been planning on Yasmine’s cruel gossip, after all.

But the cast, Miguel quickly learns, has a much darker backstory than anything he could have expected.

He wastes no time confronting Demetri about it in the lunchroom. “I heard what happened with Eli. How could you do that?”

Demetri’s stomach clutches. He scowls, determined not to show his discomfort.

“Wow!” He scoffs. “We go to all the trouble of getting payback on those assholes for getting you thrown over that railing, and this is the thanks we get?”

Miguel shakes his head, horrified. “Dude, who cares what dojo Eli’s in? He’s our friend! And in any case, it’s not his fault what happened to me. What the hell were you thinking?”

I don’t know. I don’t know. Demetri’s face hardens. He can only imagine how angry Mr. Kreese would be with him if he caught him showing any kind of weakness. Any kind of second-guessing.

But he can’t help it. Glimpsing Eli in that cast for the first time...

“Look, the Miyagi-Dos were the ones who picked a fight with us,” Demetri retorts. “We just had to do what we had to so they’d back off and leave us alone. We had to finish the fight.”

Miguel pauses, looking pained. “This isn’t...this isn’t you, Demetri. You’re letting Kreese get in your head. He’s trying to manipulate you, get you to...obsess over revenge so you’ll hurt people. But I know you, and I know you don’t want to. Eli, or anyone else.”

Demetri clenches his fists. “What would you know about how I feel about Eli?”

“Look, I can’t claim I know what’s going on between you two,” Miguel amends. “But you have to believe me--Kreese is dangerous. He’s using you. He doesn’t care about you, Demetri. Just...come to Sensei Lawrence’s new dojo. Please. Things can be like they used to. You don’t have to be in this...this war.”

This gives Demetri pause. “He...made a new dojo?”

Okay, so he’s still not Mr. Lawrence’s biggest fan--the man is an asshole at the best of times. But to be able to train with Miguel again...to be able to be badass without being expected to be some soldier...

He can’t finish speaking before Brucks’s voice rings out through the cafeteria. “Look everyone, Lip’s got a dick in his hand!”

Demetri looks up to see Eli being held by the cast, eyes darting around as the entire cafeteria bursts into laughter. Involuntarily, Demetri bristles.

And there it is again, that feeling of being the helpless kid in the library as Eli’s taunted. And even after all this time...he still hates it.

Miguel turns to him, shaking his head. “So these are your friends now? I thought you were better than that.”

And just like that, Miguel’s gone. Gone from the Cobra Kai table, gone from Demetri’s life.

It makes him wonder if he’s making a huge mistake. But he knows he can’t back out now--not when he’s this far in. Who would even want to take him back? Probably not Miguel and Mr. Lawrence--despite what Miguel said, Demetri knows there’s no way he’s going to forgive him so easily for hurting their other friend. And certainly not Eli.

What makes it even worse is seeing Eli later that day, curled up against some lockers with Moon. Moon is tracing over his cast in colored sharpie, slowly transforming the dick pic into a beautiful landscape and night sky. Eli is bragging about how the arm-breaking didn’t hurt that bad.

Demetri remembers when that soft little smile was reserved only for him, and a pit starts to form in his stomach.

Well, no use bitching. You did this to yourself.

It seems like the world is out to just make Demetri’s existence in Cobra Kai as shitty as possible these days. Mitch and Bert are gone, Miguel isn’t coming back, Brucks is being a royal douchebag like always, and perhaps worst of all, Robby Keene shows up at the dojo. Demetri tries his damndest to appeal to Mr. Kreese about how outrageous this is--this is the kid who paralyzed Miguel in the fucking first place, what’s the point of dojo-wide revenge if they just take in the main culprit like an old buddy? But of course Mr. Kreese spouts some nonsense about how they need all the help they can get for the All-Valley, and sometimes you have to be allies with people you aren’t the biggest fans of, blah blah blah. To make matters worse, Tory--not a friend exactly, but probably the closest thing Demetri’s got to one left--is getting far too chummy with Robby for Demetri’s taste.

Maybe Demetri’s insane, but it seems like more and more ridiculous shit is being handwaved in the name of...what? Winning a karate tournament? Getting revenge for a kid who’s already recovered, and doesn’t even seem to want it?

When word gets back to Cobra Kai that Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang are teaming up, Kreese sends the students on a special mission: Show the other dojos that even with their combined forces, they’re no match for Cobra Kai. It seems like a waste of time to Demetri--why antagonize other dojos just minding their business? It’s not like there was anything worth fighting for in this dumb war anymore, considering Miguel was on his feet again (literally AND figuratively). Nonetheless, Demetri finds he’s itching for a good fight--it’s been way too long since he’s charged into a full-fledged battle.

Maybe this will help him get it out of his system, if nothing else.

When the fight breaks out at the LaRussos, it doesn’t take long for Demetri to be overtaken by the thrill of it. Just like he was at the school fight. Just like he was at the tournament. He’s zipping through the house, landing kicks and punches left and right. And it feels good. With everything having been so awful lately, he can’t remember the last time he’s felt more alive.

And then he lands a fierce kick, and Brucks chest-bumps him. “Hell yeah! kick some ass! Dumb losers never had a chance.”

Brucks. The same kid who laughed when he saw Eli starting to cry about the comments he made on his lip. The same kid claiming Kyler tossing his backpack into a yogurt-filled trash can was “brute.” And now here he was trying to be buddy-buddy with him.

Everything comes crashing down on Demetri at once.

Miguel’s speech, saying Kreese is manipulating him. Saying Kreese doesn’t care about him. Kreese cherry-picking what does and doesn’t count as vengeance--hurting Eli, someone who had nothing to do with Miguel’s fall, does, but teaming up with the kid responsible for said fall apparently does not. Demetri’s friends being booted from Cobra Kai one by one, just for not being strong enough.

The sound of Eli’s screams and sobs in a dark laser tag room.

Miguel was right, wasn’t he? Kreese never cared about getting payback for him. He only cared about starting a war for his own sadistic pleasures.

Demetri hears grunting and whimpering, and he looks up to see two of the other Cobras kneeing Eli in the chest over and over. Pinning him into an arm bar.

“Yo, ‘Mete!” one calls out. “Free shot!”

Eli looks up, gaze full of fear and pain. Bright blue irises glinting with welling tears.

Once upon a time, Demetri made a promise to himself that he would stick with karate, aggravating as it may be, so he would never have to see that look on Eli’s face again. It’s time, he figures, that he finally made good on that.

His face contorts into a snarl, and he runs to Eli. Eli closes his eyes and scrunches his face, bracing for a pain that never comes.

Demetri kicks one Cobra to the wayside and smashes the other into a glass table with perhaps more force and adrenaline than he’s used all night.

When he turns to Eli, the other boy backs away, eyes still wide with terror. Demetri feels sick to his stomach, and the tears come before he can stop them.

“God, Eli, I’m so sorry,” he splutters. “I’m so fucking sorry, for everything. I don’t know what I was thinking, and it was all so fucked up, and--”

“Demetri.”

“--I’ll never hurt you like that again, but if you don’t want anything to do with me now, I totally understand, and--”

“Demetri.”

“--I was so awful to you, and I didn’t listen to you, and I should’ve been there for you, and I’m such a piece of shit friend and--”

“DEMETRI!”

Finally Eli raises his voice enough that Demetri pauses. “...yeah, Eli?”

“Please stop talking. I forgive you. Now are you going to shut up and help me finish this?” He raises a hand, as if to initiate their old handshake. An olive branch.

Demetri grins so wide he thinks his face is going to break, and he grips Eli’s hand like a lifeline. Something to finally pull him out of the darkness. “Yeah.”

They’re a lethal fighting team. Between Demetri landing speedy hits and Eli protecting him and shielding them both with his bulked-up form (where did he get all that muscle? Demetri wonders), they dispatch half the Cobras in minutes. Whatever rush Demetri was feeling fighting when he first got here is nothing compared to fighting with Eli.

When they stop the fight between Tory and Sam, Tory wastes no time voicing her disdain for the ex-Cobras. “You’d better watch your back,” she spits at Demetri, and he feels a chill run through him. Turns out this girl is terrifying when she’s not fighting on your side.

Eli intercepts her as she leaves, staring her down defiantly in a very un-Eli-like manner. “You’d better watch yours,” he growls. “Touch him, and I’ll end you.”

Demetri glances over in surprise. When did Eli get so bold?

Well...he thinks he could grow to like it.

Season 4 (because fuck it)

Demetri is hardly expecting Mr. LaRusso and Mr. Lawrence to forgive him, never mind let him into their new dojo. But life has a lot of pleasant surprises in store for him, it seems, after the shitshow it recently put him through. It’s also possible Eli (and maybe Miguel too) but in a good word for him.

Demetri can’t stop apologizing to Eli. Seemingly every day, he finds a new thing to apologize for. Eli gets aggravated with it before long, having to reassure Demetri at least 50 separate times that he forgives him for everything. Nonetheless, Demetri refuses to stop--because he’ll never stop being sorry.

Or trying to find new ways to make it up to Eli. Going easy on him during sparring. Buying him lunch after practice. Helping him perfect some of the most badass Cobra moves.

Things end between Eli and Moon. Eli can’t fully elaborate on why--he just tells Demetri something didn’t feel quite right. The spark died out, like Demetri’s adrenaline rush slowly seeping away toward the end of a fight. That, and, Demetri gathers, something seems to have been distracting Eli from his girlfriend as of late.

Most likely the approaching, high stakes All-Valley. Karate is Serious Business, as they’ve both embraced now.

Rumor has it Yasmine and Moon are trying again, Yasmine realizing for seemingly the first time how awful she’s really been and making an effort to be better. Moon makes her want to be better--more than Demetri ever did, he realizes. And maybe that’s okay--he and Yasmine probably just weren’t right for each other.

Then one day, after yet another one of Demetri’s long-winded apologies, Eli offers something other than an exasperated. “It’s okay. Seriously.” There’s a pause before Eli quietly says “I’m sorry too.”

“For what?” Demetri blurts out, baffled. Everything Eli’s done has paled in comparison to his own atrocities.

“For outing you,” Eli says simply. “That was fucked. And it wasn’t my place, even if I was mad at you.”

“It’s all right.” Demetri shrugs. “You were right, anyways.”

Eli gives him a strange look. “I was?”

“Yeah, I mean...” Demetri laughs dryly. “I don’t...like girls. I pretended I did, because I felt like I was supposed to. That’s what people expect you to do when you’re a top athlete and all that. But dating Yasmine, chasing other girls, it always felt...empty. Like I was just acting out a role in a play or something. And at the end of the day, I think...” He pauses. “I think I was always looking at you.”

Because the last few months have made him realize something. Training with Eli, teaching Eli how to protect himself, watching Eli step up and defend him from the mistrusting stares and the scornful whispers...

Just how much of the person he’s become is thanks to wanting to protect Eli. The fact that that was always how all this started.

“I love you,” he blurts out, before he can stop himself. “I know I did a shitty job of showing it, and I know you were with Moon and you’re not like that, but I need you to know, and I understand if you don’t feel--”

Eli cuts him off with a fierce kiss, pinning him up against the dojo wall with unexpected aggressiveness.

When Eli pulls away, he’s smiling softly. The same smile he gave Moon in the hall as she drew on his cast--the smile that’s once again all Demetri’s.

“I love you too,” he murmurs. “Why do you think I broke up with Moon? Every time I was with her...I couldn’t stop wishing it was you. She’ll never know me like you do.”

And Kreese had better look out because Miyagi Fang’s next big power couple is a force to be reckoned with--the snarky, frighteningly fast-attacking ex-Cobra, and the buff, blue-mohawked Miyagi-Do with more inner peace than anyone would expect.

SOME RANDOM SIDENOTES ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE PUTTING THIS ALL IN THE TAGS

~I’m sorry if anyone is OOC in this--I know Johnny is kind of a fuck, but he genuinely WAS pretty crappy to Eli at first and who knows if he would’ve treated him any better if he didn’t “flip the script”??? ~Dark/Evil Demetri is so fun but also so awful to write--I hope you like him being an absolute fuck because the Corruption Arc is REAL ~Yes, I DO in fact fully believe Demetri would go on a crazed revenge quest just like Eli/Hawk did out of his grief for Miguel--the boy absolutely loves Miguel and arguably would want vengeance as much as Eli if their roles were swapped!!! Because Demetri cares about Miguel SO FUCKING MUCH even if it’s not as obvious as it is with Eli but that’s a rant for another post ~I included YasMoon because fuck it, I thought it’d be interesting. That and, unlike the Cobra Kai writers, I am not at all afraid of what conservative audiences will say, so I am not afraid to make things as gay as possible. ~There’s a good chance I swapped Kyler and Brucks’ places near the end solely so I could have Demetri beat the fuck out of Kyler because I just really need that ~Yes, even without formally becoming “Hawk,” Eli could learn how to be a conniving manipulative little shit if he wanted to be. Look at some of the shit he pulls with the counselor in canon Season 3!!! Boy sure as hell knows how to play the victim. ~Honestly not sure if being outed as gay is better or worse than being outed as a bed-wetter, but I had to think of something that would pack the same kind of emotional punch. In Eli’s feeble defense, the West Valley High kids don’t seem like the types to be like...especially violent against queer kids (otherwise NO WAY would Moon and Piper have been able to be that open about their relationship), they’d just be assholes about it. So Eli wasn’t putting Demetri in legit danger here so much as just opening him up to a lot of ridicule. Which is still fucked, but hey, I DID warn you this would be kind of fucked up XD ~Maybe short, concise apologies work for Eli, bUT NOT FOR DEMETRI THE RAMBLER ~Dark Demetri chasing Eli through the school like a goddamn serial killer = 10/10 gave myself a big Spook writing ~Yes, Eli does still have (and always had) his “Hawk” traits, even without the formal “transformation.” I just think his “Hawk” side would be a little more subtle and subdued if he were in Miyagi-Do, but it’s still there for sure.

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darkforestimagines · 6 years ago

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Can you please do a Caius imagine?!?! In which Caius finds his mate in a near death condition and changes her, slowly and eventually the deeply fall in love with each other and they doing everything together like feeding, going on missions and Caius being overprotective and romantic towards her?!??

Hi there! This could easily be a real fanfic, so I’m going to cut it off. Let me know if you need a part 2 ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving theCullen’s and their weird hybrid baby, the Volturi made their way back acrosscontinental America to a small airport outside of Pittsburgh, where they lefttheir private jet.

The worst parts to getthrough were the farming areas. The Volturi would move at night, trying to stayon backroads to avoid leaving footprints in the snow. One night, in the middleof nowhere, they smelled blood.

“Dibs,” Felix said.Demetri smacked him and Felix flew backwards.

“No,” Caius said. Itfelt like his heart twitched in his chest. “Let me see.”

They continued on,reaching the scent after a minute. It was a human girl, terribly mangled,laying in a ditch. Her legs were broken, her bike a metal pretzel a few feetaway, also thrown into the ditch. Someone had obviously hit her, thought shewas dead, and rolled her body into the ditch. The snow was soaked with herblood, and yet Caius could hear the faintest of heartbeats.

“Caius,”

Caius’s head turned toMarcus. Marcus rarely spoke, and he looked more in pain than usual. “Hurry,” hesaid, “she is yours.”

The guard stood around,a silent semi-circle, while Caius stared at the girl. Her eyes were half-openbut unseeing. Caius pulled off one of her gloves and bit her wrist. Herheartbeat slowed to a stop.

“Master, press on herheart. Her body is too weak,” Felix said.

“Bite her neck. Youneed more venom,” Chelsea added.

“Shut up,” Caiushissed. He yanked her scarf away, biting into her neck. One hand moved to utoff circulation to her left leg, where she was losing the most blood. His otherhand moved over her heart, and he pressed gently, and retracted.

“Faster Caius.” Aromurmured.

At first it felt futile.Sure, Caius could feel the mating pull, but he wasn’t attached yet. But themore he had to work, the more he feared she was too far gone. But then her heartbegan to beat on its own, and after a few minutes, her eyelids fluttered.

“When she is morestable, we can have Alec put her out for the change,” Aro suggested. Alecstraightened, excited to use his ability and please the masters.

“We need to push onand find shelter. The humans will be more active soon.” Caius argued. He pickedup the girl.

~~~~~~~~

You had been bikinghome after work. You had to work closing, and the bar was unusually disgusting,so cleaning up took forever. You hopped on your bike to get home, riding in themiddle of the country roads, where the snow had been push down into a slick,flat ice. You had your headphones on, head on a swivel, enjoying how bright thestars were at night.

The car took youcompletely by surprise. They didn’t have their lights on. You didn’t evenreally know what happened, only that everything hurt, and it felt like you weredeep under water. You weren’t sure if your legs were still all attached: theyhurt like hell/

“Jim, you killed her!”

“Shut the fuck up andhelp me move the body.”

“Oh my god,”

~~~~~~~~~

When you came toagain, someone was lifting you. Your legs felt like someone had broken them witha sledgehammer, and then someone set you on fire.

Your eyes flutteredopen. Too dark. You let out a quiet noise, all you could muster. It felt likeyou were trapped inside the pain, but slowly you became stronger, until youcould let out a proper scream.

“Alec,”

And then everythingwas blank and painless.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up in a darkplace. There was lamps, oil lamps, and the walls were made out of stone. Therewere cells, everything looked old. It was damp, smelling like musk, like a basement,there were men standing in front of you, you backed up and threw yourselfbackwards into a wall.

“Caius, speak to her.She’s overwhelmed.” One of the men said. He had long black hair. They were allwearing robes. You remembered getting hit by the car.

“Is this purgatory?”You whispered. It sure as hell wasn’t heaven.

“You’re not dead,”said the blonde man. He looked younger than the other two, perhaps earlytwenties, like you. You glanced down at your legs, shocked to find that youwere not wearing jeans and sneakers, your work uniform, but a dress whichstopped at your knees. Your legs were bare, pale and unbroken. You looked atyour hands, pale and unmarked, not even a bruise from the collision.

“What the fuck,” youwhispered to yourself. You opened your mouth to ask another question, but were interruptedby a scream.

“Oh good, Chelsea isback with the snack.”

A beautiful femaleappeared, dragging with her a man. The female looked at you and then launchedthe man at you like a frisbee. You caught him, your mouth hitting his neck sohard it snapped. Instinctively you bit and drank. Your throat was on fire, likethe worst kind of spice, and the blood soothed the burn momentarily, onlymomentarily. The men watched you as you drank the human man dry, his cries longsilenced by your rough handling.

You dropped his body,wiped your mouth, and straightened. Slowly, the horror crept in, along with theburning in your throat.

“What did you do tome? What did I do?”

You tried to back up,but there was no where to go.

“Another, Chelsea.” Theblond man said. He turned to the other two. “Leave me with her, to explain.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

You were not happy tolearn what you were, who Caius was, and about the Volturi. You were disgustedwith yourself, disgusted that everyone around you had killed thousands andthousands of people.

You stayed in the lowestbasement, refusing to come explore the castle, afraid you would catch the scentof a human and kill them. Caius would stay with you through most of the day. Hebrought books and clothes for you, even setting up a makeshift bedroom. You talkedto him a little, but with each day it became less and less as the thirst grewstronger. Eventually, you wrapped your arms around yourself, focused on notrunning out of the basement to satiate your thirst.

Caius watched overyou, but it was painful for him. Finally he broke, and ordered Felix andDemetri to go into the country side and find you some animals to eat.

Somehow they broughtyou a live deer, releasing the stressed creature into the basement. You didn’tmove until Caius ripped its neck open. You uncurled in the blink of an eye andlaunched yourself on the creature, practically shoving your face inside of itin order to drink. You drank the creature dry before leaning back and lookingat Caius, your mouth red.

“You didn’t say Icould eat animals,” you said, wiping your mouth on your sleeve.

“If it is what youwill eat, I will provide it,” he promised. “But it won’t be the same.”

“I don’t want to hurtpeople,” you argued. He was quiet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a couple moremonths and many more forest creatures, you followed Caius up into the castle.Everything was beautiful and intricate and exciting, especially after months inthe basement. You weren’t sure how to admit it to yourself, but your feelingsfor Caius were growing. After trials, he would come to find you, venting abouthow reckless and stupid some of the other vampires were. You would closewhatever book you were reading and listen. Once, in the middle of a rant, you interrupted.

“Can I braid yourhair?”

“What?” he stuttered.

“Can I braid yourhair? Whenever my friends would complain to me at home, I would braid theirhair. It would calm them down, and you always seem angry. Plus your hair lookedvery soft.”

“I don’t think it willcalm me down,” Caius said, but he moved to sit in front of you. You positionedhim and began a French braid. You were right on both accounts: his voicesoftened, and his hair was very soft.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You heard other peopletalking about how you were Caius’s mate before he brought it up to you. It wasn’tsurprising. Whenever he would return from a trip or trial, he would find youand tell you everything. You would take off his cape and toss it aside, and itfelt like he was almost just a normal man. He played with your hands while hetalked, and you played with his rings, or his hair. He often would put hisrings on you, and one day he came home with a ring for you.

“It’s so you don’thave to steal mine,” he said. It was thick and heavy platinum, an intricatedesign.

“Thank you,” you said.And you wore it forever.

#twilight saga #twilight saga imagines #volturi #caius volturi

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wingchunhobbit · 5 years ago

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Not a great day for the top minds of tumblr.

1. Women are scientifically weaker than men. They just are. I don't know why I need to say this.

2. Sports like MMA and other martial arts are seperated into genders because of reason 1 and because martial artists understand how kinesiology works. Valentina Shevchenko and Demetrious Johnson weigh almost exactly the same but because men naturally carry less fat than women, Johnson has high muscle/fat% in his body, making him both stronger and faster.

3. I also don't know why I nees to explain this but the way that an athlete gets paid is based off of how much money they can generate for the team/association or sponsors they work for, and much more people watch mens sports than womens sports. Many more men than women are diehard sports fans, and just as women want to see women do stuff, men want to see men do stuff. Crazy, I know. Womens soccer teams were mentioned. Okay, I'll bite. If we do some research we will find that the womens fifa world cup final garnered an average international viewership of around 82.18 million viewers. Wow, a lot of people! Except when you learn that the mens fifa world cup final garnered an average of around 1.12 BILLION people. Huh. Now I'm pretty bad at math but thats around 13.7 times more viewers, which means that the powers that be made around 13.7 more revenue. So that's why male soccer players are paid more.

call me ignorant but i genuinely don’t understand why sports have to be split up by gender.

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dememarquette · 8 years ago

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Intermission

“But...but that wasn't you," She stammered. "You were gone. You'd...you were gone by the time...It was just--”

I don’t know why that argument was on my mind.

Her body draped over my arms. Limp, bridal style and significantly colder than she was when I was pleading Charon, for the love of God, row faster. I don’t regret the argument. It was unfortunate that had been one of our last conversations, but right now all I want to do is understand. Does thinking of bodies like a vehicle help with grieving? Was she okay? Or was this how it was for her too: numb?

Just- numb.

In truth, I’ve never grieved. I’ve watched it. From the sidelines I’ve set a world record for funerals attended. But what I’ve observed doesn’t feel right for how I feel right now.

I walked through the streets of Los Angeles for what felt like forever in its twilight hours. Cars ran off the roads, fires blazed here and there, news coverage had no clue where to start. Screaming and crying filled the air when the supernatural suspense the world was strangled in was swept away, and the consequences fell like a hammer.

I don’t feel like crying. I feel like acting.

- -

I caught a mortician ahead of the curve. His office had a ‘For Sale’ sign out front that I had the honors of knocking down for him. Regrettable. My cringe after walking inside was painful. He had clearance stickers on his selection of coffins- everywhere. Gross.

Probably not as gross as storming in, bloody, with a dead body though, but now’s not the time for semantics. The owner caught one look at me as I turned to leave, and rounded his desk. Phone in hand, presumably for an ambulance: “What’s this- sir, are you alright?!”

“I am.” I said, monotone. Severity of the situation was hardly on my mind. Shock was funny like that. “She is not.”

Flustered, he stumbled for his words. “So you just-...brought her in?!”

“You don’t do walk-ins?”

“W-well. NO, but considering the circumstances...”

He was eager to help take her from my arms. Once on a gurney, he assured me she’d be safe and sound in the morgue. I dodged the questions on the hefty gash on her side, mumbling some excuse about a carjacking while on the verge of hysterics until he stopped his prodding. We decided it would be best to postpone the nitty gritty until I could get myself cleaned up. Reluctantly, I agreed there, only because I had other arrangements to make in the meantime.

That was only step one of a very lengthy process of showing Adria how it’s done. Lachesis had already given me some pointers on where to start with the headstone, and I was shooting for the funeral at the end of the week. The priest would be booked by Friday. My next stop, however, was the police station.

I decided to stay in LA for the time being. The last place we were together would be the first place anyone would look. Common sense, right? The variables just came when I didn’t know how it’d happen, or when. Would she be able to reach out? Reply? Is she even wherever she needs to be to do so? The lack of participation on both our halves on our first go-round of this game didn’t illuminate much. I didn’t let it get me down.

The next day I stopped at the reception desk, adjusting my cuff links. New suit, no blood this time. “I’d like to file a missing person’s report. Last seen in here Los Angeles two days ago. Here.”

I dropped a folder on her desk. After a brief visit to Kinkos, every photograph we took on my phone was printed in 8x10’s.

The clerk opened it up, skeptical at best. “These are very complicated times. While we understand your concern we are advising waiting a week unless there is more- wait.” She adjusted her glasses, peering closer at the prints. “Isn’t this the drug dealer from Macedonia?”

My eyes widened. Oh shit. How did I forget that?

“-Yes! Yes it is. Except she’s not a hooker- I mean drug dealer.” I leaned on her counter, trying to remember how my lawyer persona went. It didn’t feel natural to slip into when that memory had actually been so fond. “I lost her in the hustle when everyone started dropping. I’d like to file a report to see if anyone’s seen her. You know I can’t go back to Macedonia without some evidence one way or another.”

She frowned, although sympathetic. “We’ll do what we can, but you’ve got to understand law enforcement has their hands full at the moment. Everyone does.”

“I’m not asking for her face on milk cartons- unless you can do that? Then by all means, go for it, but all I want is it to be on record to search. Let’s make it happen.”

She frowned. Her concerns in its reliability were understandable, but I didn’t care. Adria’s name and photo wasn’t as important as the contact information I left with it. She’d know what to do with it.

Though leaving her with the last name of ‘Angel’ out of lack of creativity on my part didn’t help much with the hooker allegations. Oh well, we’d laugh about it later.

But- for now, that was all I had left. Once the report was filed, the world again felt empty. There weren’t any obvious trails to follow. Adria didn’t leave bread crumbs anywhere and there was hardly any protocol for finding dead people in the afterlife.

I considered returning to Hell.

I know, I know- it was the opposite of helpful. It felt entirely too soon but an alternative wasn’t there. Getting back into the rhythm of things was actually the perfect solution to not being in the condition to get back into the rhythm of things at all. I should know by now that I can’t stay still. If I wasn’t actively solving the problem, I fell into a destructive loop of fixating. I’d go over her death in my head hundreds of times. For God’s sakes, I knew she was mortal at the time! There was no excuse. If I was thinking, I could have blocked him. If I had taken the blade instead, I would have been fine. If I had been a better fighter, I could have taken him! If I made her stay outside the cave, she’d have never been in danger at all. Everything was a bunch of ‘if’s; it was enough to drive me insane. I learned quickly couldn’t sit around for a phone call.

(Hell- that’s even if she had my number. She probably doesn’t, ack. I didn’t need any more reminders that I am a very shitty friend.)

It was frustrating. But while I was in between breaks, I had to keep busy. I knew there was at least one thing I can do.

Luckily, things were wrapped up with the pizza kid fairly easily. As it turns out, the kid would be perfectly happy with a console that wasn’t even new anymore if and only if I gave him a ride to the local Gamestop for games to go with. He obviously drove a hard bargain. I couldn’t refuse.

We shook hands, and I bounced back to my office with a lone folder file.

Except, when I popped in- my office wasn’t there. All my things were gone. My shelves, desk, photographs- even the wallpaper was changed. A new name plaque sat on the desk where my gold plated one used to be. I didn’t even recognize whoever this guy was as a co-worker.

“What in the hell-?!” I wailed.

I stomped out into the hall to make sure I was in the right building when I just stopped short of smacking into the boss. Stoic, she didn’t flinch.

“Welcome back.”

In that instant, gravity crashed down around me. Three syllables had the power to make me realize a year of running around, and only one contract for a PS4 to show for it was dangerously under quota. The whole saving-the-world part wasn’t even a blip on the radar as far as Hell was concerned.

I spilled. “Julia- the contract. It lead me on a wild goose chase. One thing lead to another, and-”

“I know.” She replied, cool. I don’t trust her when she’s calm.

“You do?”

“Who doesn’t? Save your excuses. I looked into the contract when you stopped showing up to work without a word. The Shears of Atropos meant nothing to me until the deaths stopped.” I eyed her warily. “You- I still assumed to be dead when word got around that Heaven wanted it too.”

“...Thanks for checking up.”

She scoffed. “I had no time. Hell was undergoing its own renaissance, Demetri. No one had inhibitions. It was a free-for-all. You could have helped, but it was hardly needed.”

“What are you saying here? A newbie has my office now?”

“Yes and no.” She lead me out, closing the door behind us. The wood still had the shadow letters of my longass name where they couldn’t completely scrape off the stenciling. “You were immediately replaced when I concluded you were dead, I’d say roughly one month into your absence.”

I mulled over this, quiet. What all of this meant wasn’t yet obvious. I kept her pace as we moved down the corridor. The vast windows lining the outer wall served as a grand example of what she was talking about. Hell was so much brighter when souls of the damned moved on the edge of the cityscape, flaring in a massé like the sea.

“It wasn’t until your cameo on Ghost Chasers that I discovered you were still alive. Tacky, although damn gusty to kill Heaven’s ambassador on live television.”

I stopped cold in my tracks. “You can’t be serious. I didn’t KILL-”

“I know you didn’t.” She said, disgusted by the notion that I thought she believed that. “Of course I know you didn’t. Look at you-”

She gestured my being as if being innocent of homicide was akin to refusing to bathe.

“-But that’s what they think, and that’s what we’re going with.”

“Why?! So I can have a huge target on my back?”

“They’d kill you without a second thought regardless, don’t kid yourself. Were you listening?” She glared, resolving to dumb it down for me. “The Holy Kingdom is at war with much more than Hell. Before thousands of viewers, worldwide from every religion that is in peril, you cut down Heaven’s chances at attaining universal power. I want you to represent what you started. Enjoy your promotion, Marquette.”

“-Promotion? I don’t want to be a general or whatever you’re thinking.”

“Oh, no.” She barked a laugh that somehow offended me. “You are only good as a catalyst. Nothing more, simonist.”

(A slur for useless on this half of forth.)

“Then what are you wanting me to do? I don’t have the scissors; I never had them.”

“I don’t give a shit about the scissors. Just don’t fuck up what you started.” She grabbed me by the shoulders, and pointed me toward the window, facing one of her other buildings several blocks away. It was much nicer in the sense that the walls didn’t bleed. “Monopolizing the afterlife isn’t a chance that springs up often. You’re a flagship for something a lot bigger and better than yourself. Be a nice figurehead and stay out of the way.” A pair of keys dangled in front of my face. “I’ll come by for some statements once you are settled in.”

Nothing about this was alright. I’ve made it painfully obvious I’ve never been on Hell’s side where it mattered. Being a representative against Heaven was far from where I wanted to be in my life. In addition, being pinned for my friend’s murder (further proof to shitty friend theory) wasn’t high on my to-do list either. But looking now, at my new office in the distance, I could see a couple doors that were previously closed open up.

Renown spiritual anarchist could get me places.

- - -

Around the time I settled furniture into my new office in Hell, Craig gave me a call that the headstone was finished. I wiped my schedule for the day, and popped over for a visit.

Is it backwards that I cried over the headstone before I cried over her? Yes. Probably yes- definitely, but I couldn’t help it. Craig stole inspiration right from behind my eyes. It was a beautiful piece- GLISTENED in the sun, so much that you could not grieve your dead grandpa in that lot without mourning the loss of Adria via ‘AUGH GOD, why is it blinding me.’

Within the next twenty four hours, everything else fell into place. The funeral was conducted on a beautiful Saturday morning. The ceremony was small but I liked it that way for a change.

“See you, Adria. Soon.” I turned towards the priest, who was skeptical of the ‘soon’ bit. I chose not to elaborate. “Thanks, Father. I owe you one.”

And I left.

With all of that out of the way, the search really began.

- - -

My recent promotion offered leverage. I could get about anywhere I wanted to go under the guise of strategic necessity. If you could start and stop an apocalypse and slay an Power in the process, you were someone to rub elbows with. Granted- I never wanted to explore the lower levels of Hell, nor did I have a need to, but these were options now, and ones I fully planned to take advantage of if I had to.

My hopes, though, were that Adria wasn’t that far down. So I started at the top: purgatory.

“Well look who it is.” Familiar eyes blinked out of sync, over the cover of an outdated Vogue.

“Hey there, Croixuhr.” I planted my hands on her desk. “I hear you got a piping hot shipment of new souls in. Mind if I take a look?”

“Greedy, aren’t we?” She mused.

“That’s what the ID says, at least.”

“Too bad. Demons aren’t allowed to meddle with the souls. You know this.”

“It’s not meddling if it’s just a quick chat.”

“Oh sure,” She said, flipping the page in an ancient tabloid. I quickly lost her attention to a FRIENDS themed personality quiz. Limbo was determined to never have anything from the current millennia. “A quick chat, says the devil.”

I miss the days people just believed what I said half the time just because I was a priest. Nowadays it’s the complete fucking opposite.

“Hey now. I’m not here to recruit.” I say, tightroping on the very probable chance that news of my promotion had yet to hit this sector yet. “What do I need- to be monitored? I’ll agree to be fully babysat. I just need to talk to her, honest.”

“No. It’s against the rules.”

I leaned in, raising a brow at the page she was working on. All of the answers were already filled in, clearly secondhand. “What if I get you a new 6-month subscription to whatever you’re reading there? Hot off the presses, hand delivered monthly for just one visit, off the record?”

Her pen stopped, and her gaze slid over to her computer screen. We both knew it was one search away.

“A...D...R...” I prompted, with a cheeky grin. “I-A~”

“...Last name?”

My face fell flat. Why does this continue being a problem when you are trying to find a specific person?

“I don’t...know. Why don’t we look through them all. There couldn’t be that many that died two weeks ago, right?”

Croixuhr slowblinked at me. I could already tell the extra keystrokes were going to cost me.

“I’ll bump it to a full year.”

- - -

That was a glorious waste of approximately $75 dollars. I spoke to a couple Adria’s, heavily supervised. All lovely, bright shiny souls, and equally confused and terrified as to why they were being squeezed into a broom closet to talk to a demon. Unfortunately: none of them mine.

I thanked Croixuhr for her cooperation, and left her be until the 15th of every month.

The trail went cold after that. I considered diving straight into Hell, before I was bombarded with a queue nauseatingly long. Unlike Purgatory, Hell isn’t organized for efficiency. Rather, a garbage heap their damned indentured servants will ‘figure out eventually.’ Being on the other end of that during the Bubonic Plague, I could corroborate that. Even if Adria had been sent here, they were nowhere close to processing the mass influx of souls any time soon. It became a question of what would be more beneficial to do with my time. For that, I switched my sights back to the surface. A certain Greek witch became my next objective.

I consider that maybe I shouldn’t be going at this alone. Lachesis has a knack for appearing when we needed her most. Emphasis on the ‘we’ because the second I lost my Wonder Twin, she was NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

I looked everywhere. From Atropos’ mansion, to the parking lot outside Pizza Hut. I knew it was sort of futile from the start. I’ve never caught Lachesis at the same place twice aside from her shop in Germany or wherever way back in the day. That, and I understood they all might be in hiding from the whole ‘Heaven is going imperial’ schtick but I hoped I could draw her with intense feelings of dread and fate.

I, unfortunately, could not. So I did the next best thing: Googling.

There was a whole slew of articles about her and her sisters. None of them so much as the slightest bit helpful until I hit an ad. Lachesis: fortune-teller extraordinaire. In my desperation, it almost sounded promising. Almost.

The first clue that something was wrong was that I was lead to a circus.

The second: the flair. We can all agree the crone entirely squanders her omnipotence- this is too much. It was a tent. Bright teal fabric, with gilded tassels all framing a blinking themepark attraction labeled “LACHESIS.”

I stepped through the shower of beads. A middle-aged woman greeted me with her nose wrinkled. She might not be who I am looking for, but her manners were on par. “You are not Lachesis.”

“Read the sign.”

I read it, and yeah sure, that’s what it says. Along with a price list written out like a menu. Palm reading for two tickets, fortune for five tickets, tarot for ten...

“But maybe we should be less concerned with who I am and who you are.” She continues, pro bono. “A great evil follows you. This aura is stifling.”

“Imagine that.” I stole the seat across from her. “Must be the chain letter I opened. Anyways, maybe you can help. I am searching for my friend.”

I stuffed a wad of tickets into her jar.

“...A female, yes?”

“At least I think so.”

She closed her eyes, fingers dancing around a crystal ball whose mystical lighting effects obviously weren’t plugged in.

“I see her...”

“You do?”

“I see you two together…Dark room. Plentiful drink...The way you look at each other. You are both in love...yes?”

Love? My shoulders sank. Don’t try to kid me with any ‘we love each other as friends.’ My face fell flat when I realized this was another dead end. But who was I fooling? My hopes were only so high when I saw her peddling autographed books in the corner.

“Oh yes.” I say, response siphoned dry with sarcasm. “Passionately in love.”

“And you are worried you’ve done something wrong…That you will lose her to an old flame. You regret some choices you have made.”

I facepalmed. The vague gerrymandering between emotions was too easy to see when she was in the entirely wrong ballpark. “Yeah. That’s it.”

“But it will work out. She will forgive you…”

“I certainly hope so.” I stood up, ready to leave. I can’t believe I thought this would work for a second.

She grabs my arm, peering through the sheer veil over her eyes. “Wait. You want to find her, don’t you?”

I paused. “I do.”

“Your answer lies in Ashwater.”

“I have never heard of it.”

The cherry on top was the woman didn’t know what it was when I asked where it was either. Great.

- - - I tried to dismiss it. I tried to call her crazy. I didn’t want to get my hopes up for anything after she was so blatantly wrong about our dynamic and my priorities, but something was telling me Ashwater was significant. The thought festered. Hope, probably. She could have told me I’d find her in Elvis’ bathroom and I would have RSVP’d for a tour. Isn’t that pathetic?

Sigh.

I wrestled myself for a long while before I decided I was sane enough to give it a shot. Just one! It couldn’t hurt to try. If I assume going in I won’t find anything, then I couldn’t be disappointed. I am a natural cynic at heart, I could handle those odds. When I finally came to terms with that, I trusted myself to plug it into a search engine.

Google offered me a grand total of nothing. A parish in England with not even seven hundred people? It didn’t sound right at all. At worst, it’d take me an hour to run through myself but I didn’t waste my time. Instead, I switched up the game plan to look through Hell’s channels. To my surprise, a book result popped up. Not the kind you can order online, either.

I needed a snow jacket.

- - -

Now that I was a ‘big deal,’ getting a library card down in 9th wasn’t so hard. It sounds dorky in theory, but this is qualified VIP material. Hell prefers its minions to be stupid. If you can be let in, well.

Someone sees some potential in me. I shudder the snow off my shoulders.

The building is massive. It towers over the snowy wasteland that is the last circle of Hell. Some say Lucifer stole the Library of Alexandria to plant it here. I’d probably have to agree; it’s protected like it’s a high security prison, and smells like a mausoleum. I couldn’t walk two feet without feeling the creepy prying eyes of imps observing my every move.

I kept to myself. There’s an unnatural silence looming over this place. I’d pass other demons but no one dared utter a word. It didn’t feel prudent to even ask about the whereabouts on the text about Ashwater. It didn’t bother me too much. This felt like the closest I had been in awhile.

(I was reminded again about Hell’s sense of organization. I have a pretty good guess Melvil Dewey went to Heaven.)

I didn’t find the book on my first visit. Nor second, or third. Rather- scouring the library had become something of a hobby in my spare time. I had a map on my phone to keep track of where I’ve been and where to go next. It was quite awhile before I struck any sort of luck- but when I did, it was more than I could have hoped for.

I don’t know how I got away with squealing when I pulled it’s antiquated spine from the shelves. What is this, from the 1800’s? Who cares! Ashwater was plastered all over the first chapter. It was known in Hell’s circles as the residence of a then-popular cult.

They were notorious for their innovation. Under the guidance of some demon’s name I could never hope to pronounce, they constructed pathway. It was revolutionary in its time- and apparently, even today. All manner of the supernatural could come and go as they pleased. Pictures illustrated your usual pillaging, murder, sex, and scandal until one day it was locked up by some higher powers working for the other guys, and the cult was snuffed out.

I glossed over a lot of their practices. Dark, bloody sacrifices, lots of your typical cliche motifs except one line stood out in particular: their gate between worlds needed maintenance. What that meant to me is that it could still be open. It’s not Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, but something else entirely. Also a damn good reason why neither Lachesis or I could find her just yet.

I was kicked out when I shut the book too loudly; fuck it, at least I know where I’m going.

- - -

Ashwater was exactly what it promised. Gate between worlds- just not mine, but you wouldn’t catch me calling it a waste of time. I needed that. I needed to see her face, I needed to see her alive and well. The cop get-up was bonus points, HA.

I cackled to myself in the quiet of my office. Laughing, until tears leaked from the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t wait to tell my Adria. I should have grabbed a picture- I really should have. I knew I could go back if I really wanted to but...

I think I will focus on finding the real one first.

#after the events of Bait and Switch and Ashwater Visit #intermission #story #adria #Been wanting to get into the habit of posting more of my stuff lately

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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October 28th-November 3rd, 2019, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from October 28th , 2019 to November 3rd , 2019. The chat focused on Missing Pieces by Christopher Demetriou (Writer) and Stella Violari (Artist).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Missing Pieces by Christopher Demetriou (Writer) and Stella Violari (Artist)~! (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/missing-pieces/list?title_no=192867)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until November 3rd to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. What are your thoughts on the story’s format of telling everything in a long flashback? In what ways do you think this helps with the blackouts and story’s end?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Why do you think Scott was seeing Laura everywhere? Additionally, what was he seeing? A ghost, an angel, or an illusion? What do you think the symbolic purpose was for the story?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. What do you think about the story’s themes regarding death changing one’s perspective on life? Why do you think that was the needed catalyst for Scott to mend his relationship with Marcus?

RebelVampire

1) My favorite scene in the comic is probably the one where ghost Laura realizes that she's dead. The emotions at that moment were unbelievably perfect, both between her and Scott. And like, the story was already sad enough. That really was a gut punch to find out that somehow, Laura never knew. It was trauma that hit really hard and I loved it for that. 2) Normally I'm skeptical of flashback stories, but I think in this case it really did aid how the story was delivered. Even without the blackouts, the format kind of allowed the story to skip around at a much faster pace than you would expect. Thus, despite being a drama, everything felt like it was always moving dramatically fast, even if technically only a few days passed in the course of the story. But I think when it came to the end, this is when the format really shined. Since at the end, we see that it was not just those 5 days where bad stuff happened and everyone moved on. The fact the end is older Scott really reflects just how his life instantly went to hell and changed forever never to be fixed. And I kind of think that captures how death feels sometimes. So in that way, having older Scott reflecting on everything offers a different perspective on life moving on than we otherwise would have gotten.

3) My favorite character is probably Scott. He's a really interesting character of contrasts. Has all the money and luck, but at the same time seems disconnected from it all. And ya know, there's the whole blackouts psychosis thing going on, which seeing him go through that is just overall an interesting journey. By the end, I was actually really upset along with him Laura was dead, cause I wanted Scott to be happy despite it all. But alas, it was not to be. 4) So while I call her ghost Laura, I am skeptical it was an actual ghost. Like I know Marcus said he could see her too, but everything is filtered through Scott's perspective. And well, Scott is the most unreliable narrator if I ever did see one. XD So I lean towards illusion. As for the symbolism, I do think she might have served as an important embodiment of acceptance. Cause while Scott seemed to accept she was gone, I really doubt he did, especially not in the first day or two. And I think Laura was the manifestation of that non-acceptance. Where despite logically Scott knew she was gone, his heart refused that Laura wasn't there as usual. Thus why Laura disappeared after she was buried. Cause burying someone kind of brings closure in certain ways (though not entirely). And with Laura buried, I think Scott finally took that final step towards accepting that she was gone, wasn't coming back, and that was that.

RebelVampire

5) My fave illustration so far is actually probably any landscape picture from the first episode https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/missing-pieces/ep-1-confessions/viewer?title_no=192867&episode_no=1 I'm always a sucker for landscapes, and flat out, I love the details on the mansion. Like that took a lot of effort to draw, but I am 100% sold on the design. Like there's even slight texturing on the walls and floors giving it character, and I just love that attention to detail. 6) This actually reminds me of a study that was done recently. Too lazy to find and link, but it talked about how our minds protect us by viewing death as something that only happens to "everybody else" but not ourselves. And while this study was focused on ourselves, I would argue this extends somewhat to the people around us. A lot of people just plain would rather pretend their family, friends, pets, and other loved ones are immune to death. And yet then it happens, and I think no matter who you are, it forces you to contend with that fact that 1) people are mortal and 2) life is never static and constantly changes. And I feel that's what the story shows with its themes. That even if we want things to be the same after someone close to us dies, it just cant be. And even if we don't want it to, the fact we have to change how we go about life is a driving force for changing one's perspective. Thus why it was the needed catalyst for Marcus and Scott. Until Laura died, both were static. There was no reason to change, and there was always the illusion there'd be time later to make amends, fight, etc. Whatever they wanted to do. But with Laura dying, whether they wanted to or not, they had to change, because their lives went from something that had Laura in it to lives that had no Laura.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. Do you think Scott and David deserved their vengeance? Why or why not? What part of their vengeance made the most emotional impact for you? In the bigger picture of things, what do you think we can learn from the story’s themes of vengeance?

snuffysam

I think one interesting aspect of this series relates to a couple questions that have been asked so far - that death can have both positive and negative aspects. Like, Laura's death caused Marcus & Scott to reconcile. Marcus finally began to accept David. But... there's also the vengeance that consumed and quite literally broke Scott. David was never able to have a loving relationship because of the weight of his actions. Like, the story is facing "death can be a chance to move on and start anew" off against "it's impossible to truly move past the death of a loved one", and it's like... i'm not sure there's a correct answer here. Like obviously the stuff they did to Mike was over the top, but... Revenge!Scott & David were right in that they never would have been truly happy had Mike actually escaped. Perhaps the answer lies in some middle ground, but, like... if they had captured Mike and turned him over to the police before evidence came in, would that have been right? And, like, what if Mike had just spent life in prison? Would they feel that justice had truly been served, and be able to move on with their lives? Or would Scott's desire for vengeance keep bubbling up regardless? Is there any scenario where David has a happy life with Nathan, or was that option taken away the moment Laura was killed?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. What do you think the blackouts say about who Scott is? Is it split personalities, parts of one whole person, or something else? Why do you think Scott’s tale of vengeance features this, and what does it say about people in general?

RebelVampire

@snuffysam I love that analysis of the story. It really is a story of contrasts about how death can be a new start but also potentially something you never get past. Although I would like to say that I think David could've had the chance. Even Scott said David wouldn't have gone along with it had they not been drunk. And I kind of believe him when they said that. I easily think there's a parallel world where David noped out, had a good life with Nathan, and Revenge!Scott killed Mike and went to jail or something like that. Which I am saying I don't think the opposite is true; that there's a scenario where Scott could've been happy and moved on. Cause the unfortunate thing about death, is you cant hit ctrl z on it. I don't think Scott could ever forgive Mike ever and no justice would ever be good enough.

RebelVampire

7) I think I enjoyed seeing David and Scott interacting the most. I kind of like all these little hints about the end in the way David interacts with Scott. And yet a lot of it just comes off as David just being kind of weird. And then the whole end just adds so much more weight to their interactions, that it's really worth a second read to just soak in everything that was a red flag. 8) I don't think Scott and David deserved their vengeance, but I'm also not one big on vengeance. Cause sure, Mike is dead and gone. But both of their lives were eternally ruined. It didn't help put Laura to rest (as she already moved on), it didn't help make Scott happier (as he completely broke himself, and it didn't help make David happier (as he lived with guilt forever). So in the end, they gained nothing, and someone else was added to the dead pile for that nothing. And additionally, because Mike wasn't brought to justice through the proper channels, nothing was learned by anybody else in society about how killing is bad and don't do it. And basically, yeah. For me those are the things we should learn. Vengeance is temporary satisfaction. It doesn't fix shit and just leaves everyone worse off. As far as the emotional impact, it was really the whole package and probably the conclusion. Cause again, they broke themselves for this. And I think to a degree, that's the saddest part. That while they could've learned to live with Laura's death, it's the other stuff that killed their souls.

RebelVampire

9) I love the details in the dialogue. To pull off the ending it did, the story really needed tight control, especially with David. And I love how it was executed. There was always that fine line between sensing something is wrong but also kind of wondering if you're being paranoid along with Scott or something. And I love all those little hints and pullbacks to keep you guessing. 10) If you ever listen to people who have killed spontaneously out of rage, you'll often hear them describe it kind of as a blackout. Some barely even remember doing the crime, and all they remember is the feeling of white hot rage. For me, this story somewhat parallels that. And in essence, all they say about who Scott is is that he's an angry person upset over the death of his wife. And I think that necessitated the formation of split personalities, as while not every case, there are cases where they form as a self defense mechanism. So while the first blackout was probably rage, the subsequent blackouts were a split personality thing protecting his mind from dealing with the debate about feeling justified vs. feeling guilty. As for what this tale says about people in general, I think it's that we all have the capacity to make poor choices and kill others. Like even if were nice people who give to charity, we all have the capacity for evil. And that sometimes this is good to remember, cause it reminds us to think our actions through before we act on emotional impulses and do stuff we can never take back.

Copper Mouflon

Hey, writer here. Been watching all the analysis you've done so far and just wanted to chime in and say omg!!! I absolutely love everything you've said! Both of you are right about what you've said. @snuffysam we did indeed not want to offer an answer to the questions posed. Just have the two "sides" collide and let the audience decide after they witness the outcome. @RebelVampire I love how you analyze the story and spot both the intentions and the hard work it took for us to achieve this end result! Makes me happy and proud to see people understanding all the messages and all the stuff between the lines and realizing there were clues throughout the story about the conclusion. I wanted this story to be one that as soon as you read it once you would want to go back and reread it this time knowing how it ends and seeing all the subtle clues we dropped in various episodes. If you want to ask me anything feel free! I thoroughly enjoyed all you've said so far. :D(edited)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Given the ending, do you think the righteous side of Scott will ever prevail and turn himself in? Additionally, why do you feel that side of Scott is getting stronger compared to his vengeful side that remembers events?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. Do you have any final thoughts to share overall about the comic now that it's finished? QUESTION 14. Overall, how has the story impacted you, whether emotionally, the way you view something about life, or the way stories are crafted? In other words, what will stick with you about this story?

RebelVampire

11) I think the comic's strength is just in how the story is told. I've talked about this to death, probably, but the small hints in foreshadowing and everything really make for great twists. Cause its the kind of twists where thinking back it's so obviously but it's handled so well that in the moment, you cant really see it. And those sorts of twists are hard to pull off. 12) Given Scott's age, I don't think so. I think Scott is likely to die before his non-revenge side manages to gain control and stay in control. Or, optionally, by that point people will just think he's so old he's gone senile and everyone will brush it off as some old man just having memory issues. As for why the non-revenge side is getting stronger, I think it actually has a lot to do with Scott's age. I'm gonna trigger warning here for anyone who feels uncomfortable talking about mortality. Skip this last bit if need be. As we get older, we're faced more and more with the fact of our own mortality. While we can ignore it, the older we get, the less time there is. And once you start hitting close to the average lifespan age, the more you realize that every year you're not dead is kind of a miracle. But that being said, this sort of stuff often makes us think back on life and reflect on whether we lived a good life or not. And I kind of feel like that's what's happening to Scott. He's reflecting and afraid he didn't live a good life after all and that if there are no consequences now, if there is an afterlife, there could be consequences there. So I think those fears are kind of overriding the vengeance side as the end draws near.

RebelVampire

13) My final thoughts are just that I hope more people read it. It is certainly mature with lots of dark themes, but the story is woven together really well and the narrative is kept super tight. Every scene has a purpose, and the comic is just the right length to keep you invested without dragging you along drama after drama. 14) I think what will stick with me the most is the blackouts. How people's brains protect them from themselves is not something I always think about enough. And yet here it was used to beautifully to create not only great themes of revenge, but also create a good twist ending. This is definitely something I'll remember for my own work. This story is a good example of how we can be our own worst enemy and flat out not realize that cause our brains don't let us. I think this is also something that will stick with me because, honestly, that's a little horrifying too. We always want to believe that we're in control of our minds, but that just is not the case all the time. So there's a lot that could be done with these ideas.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Missing Pieces this week! Please also give a special thank you to Christopher Demetriou (Writer) and Stella Violari (Artist) for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Missing Pieces, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/missing-pieces/list?title_no=192867

Christopher and Stella’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/coppermouflon

Copper Mouflon’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/CopperMouflon

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