╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter twenty-two
I'm back in your arms, but
everything's changed, now
we've been to hell and back
again

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

ALYSSA SAT ON the arm of the couch of the LaRusso house, her legs extended in front of her and her arm pressing into Demetri's shoulder. She sighed, slightly adjusting the cream sweater she was wearing that was paired with a red plaid skirt with a pair of shorts underneath because it was a little short, black tights, and black combat boots.

Sam had invited everyone in Miyagi-Do over for a Christmas party, but the party wasn't partying like it should have. All of them were just sitting there in silence while Sam paced in front of them, honestly looking a little anxious.

"Well, this Christmas party's turning out to be ho-ho-horrible," Demetri stated.

"Yeah, Sam," Chris agreed. "I thought you said your parents are gonna be out for the night. So why aren't we throwing a rager?"

"There's a keg on the way," Sam replied. Alyssa raised an eyebrow — she didn't buy it. "It's just gonna be a few more minutes."

"Can we at least put on a Christmas special?" Demetri complained. "I'd even watch that creepy one with the little elf dentist." He then noticed Sam's confused expression. "Yeah, I'm that bored."

"Hey, do not diss Rudolph like that," Alyssa protested, hitting his shoulder. She shook her head. "Unbelievable."

The doorbell suddenly rang.

Sam got a smile on her face. "It's here."

Alyssa turned around. She watched as Sam opened the door, only for Miguel, Bert, and Mitch to enter. Protests immediately sounded from Demetri, Chris, Nate, Stiven, and Jared, and they got up from the couch to rush towards the door. Alyssa rolled her eyes and got up from the couch as well. She crossed her arms across her chest.

"'Sup, Miguel," Alyssa said.

Miguel waved at her. "Hey, Als."

"Oh, hell no!" Chris exclaimed, his gaze right on Mitch. "You gotta be kidding me."

Mitch glared at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked at Miguel. "This isn't a keg party." He ripped of his glittery green Santa hat. "I bought this hat for nothing."

"Wait, you Parent Trapped us?" Demetri asked, his eyes flickering between Sam and Miguel. "Why?"

"Oh, wait a second," Alyssa voiced. "I see what you two did. Ooh, you're smart." She then gasped a little. "And neither of you told me about this plan? What the fuck, that's not friendship."

"Look, I know we haven't always gotten along, but Cobra Kai is the bigger threat now," Sam insisted. "To all of us."

"We think we'd stand a better chance against them if we joined forces," Miguel added. "Two dojos are stronger than one." Murmurs of disagreement started to sound throughout the room. "Look, I know we've all done shitty things to each other."

Chris stared at Mitch. "Yeah, like breaking Demetri's arm."

Mitch took a step closer to him. "You guys started that fight."

"After you almost got me fired!"

"God, I hate your stupid face so much," Bert told Nate.

"If you died, I wouldn't even attend your funeral," Nate responded.

"This isn't gonna work," Miguel said.

"It has to," Sam argued. "We have one last chance to make things right. Alone, we're nothing. But if we work together, we have a shot. If we can't get over the past, the fighting will never end. We have to confront our enemies. This rivalry has to stop. One way or another."

Alyssa let the words sink into her head before she slowly nodded. If Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang (which was an interesting choice) actually worked together, they had a stronger chance of taking down the poison that was Cobra Kai. She had her own feelings about what would happen with Hawk if Cobra Kai was taken down, but maybe it would actually knock some sense into him.

They all moved further into the LaRusso house, settling down in the living room, the very same living room where Alyssa and Sam had bonded over High School Musical 2 an ice cream. Alyssa rested her hip on the wall behind the couches, listening to Sam and Miguel, who were standing in front of them. It seemed like nobody except her was actually getting the point the two of them were trying to get across.

"I don't know how to say this any plainer," Sam began. "Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do have to work together."

"Even if we wanted to team up, it'd never work," Chris protested. "I was in Cobra Kai, and their style mixes with ours like . . ."

"Oil and vinegar?" Nate suggested, making Alyssa tilt her head at him.

"No, not salad dressing. I would say like the British Bulldogs and the Hart Foundation."

"They were friends, dipshit," Mitch stated.

"Not at WrestleMania Three, Penis Breath," Chris shot back.

"Okay, you can't call me Penis Breath. Only they can call me Penis Breath."

"Why are you okay with anyone calling you Penis Breath?"

"You know what?" Mitch questioned. "Screw this. Come on, let's go."

"Hey, pussies!" Demetri then yelled as Mitch and Bert went to leave.

Alyssa blinked in shock as she watched Demetri stand up. Well, she certainly wasn't expecting that.

"This is exactly what those assholes at Cobra Kai want. Since you were one of them, you're an asshole, too." He gestured to Chris. "So were you. So was Ally, and she still can be if you get on her bad side."

Alyssa shrugged. Fair enough.

"So was I," Demetri continued. He then paused and thought about it. "Well, at least I wanted to be one. But now Cobra Kai is the worst collection of assholes in the Valley, run by the king of all assholes. So if by merging with Eagle Fang — weird name, by the way — can keep us all from getting shit on anymore, then we'd all be assholes not to do it. I — I'm sorry for all the assholes. I usually take pride in my grandiloquence, but it's an emotional time."

"Inspirational, Dem," Alyssa commented, watching Mitch and Bert sit back down on the couch. "Become a motivational speaker, you'd be great."

"I'll consider it." He then looked at Miguel and Sam. "Now . . . where do we start?"

Obviously, trying to merge two dojos that had Senseis that absolutely loathed each other would be tough. Which is why Alyssa and the rest all gathered around Sam's table in her kitchen, creating a list of things that they wanted to see in this new dojo.

"We're all in agreement that our new combined dojo should train at Miyagi-Do," Demetri announced. "But deadlocked on a new name, gi design, post-training snacks, and Sensei dispute resolution protocol. And, of course, we also have Ally's point, emotional support animals."

She nodded. "We really all need therapy."

"Okay, not good, but still, it's a start."

Suddenly, a cat started to meow outside. Alyssa's eyebrows knit in confusion as she looked to the door.

"Aw, I think your cat wants to come in," Bert voiced. He stood up and walked towards the door. "Here, kitty, kitty."

Miguel looked at Sam. "I didn't know you had a cat."

"She doesn't," Alyssa replied. She then gave Sam a suspicious glance. "Do you?"

"No," Sam answered. "I would've told you if I did."

Suddenly, Bert's body flew through the kitchen window, shattered glass and broken wood flying everywhere. Bert crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain.

Alyssa gasped and ran forwards, her shoes crunching underneath the broken glass as she bent down. "Bert!"

"Bert, what happened?" Miguel inquired.

Bert picked up his head, and Alyssa's mouth stayed open in shock, placing a hand on his cheek to inspect the bleeding slashes across his face. "No cat."

Movement suddenly came from the open door. Alyssa looked up, only to see Hawk walking through the door, followed by Kyler and other people from Cobra Kai.

"Oh, Jesus fucking Christ," Alyssa muttered.

Kyler looked right at Miguel. "It's payback time, 'Rhea. Let's go."

Alyssa helped Bert stand up and pushed him behind her back, allowing him to join the rest of the Miyagi-Fang's (?.) She, however, stayed in her place as Hawk approached her slowly. Her eyes narrowed as she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. He got close to her, so close that their chests were only separated by an inch. Alyssa didn't move. Hawk didn't move. It was just them, stuck, either of them daring the other to back down.

She then reached up and took out her hoop earrings, as always when they were about to fight. Alyssa clenched them in her fist for a moment before slamming her palm on the table, the metal clanging against the wood. Hawk's face set in determination, and Alyssa raised an eyebrow.

"Ally," Demetri quietly called, but she ignored him.

"Thought you said you were laying your armor down," Hawk said.

"Not when you break and enter into my best friend's house," Alyssa responded.

Kyler blinked. "Break and enter?"

"Are you stupid?" She gestured to the broken window. "You broke." She then gestured to the open door. "You entered. If you know what's good for you, leave."

The front door suddenly slammed open. Alyssa turned around, only to see Tory walking in like she owned the place, another Cobra Kai that Alyssa couldn't bother to know the name of and Rickenberger right behind her. Her eyes slid worryingly to Sam. Considering what happened the last time Sam had seen Tory, Alyssa assumed this wasn't going to end well.

"Heard you were throwing a party," Tory said. "Hope you don't mind if we crash."

"Tory you don't have to do this," Miguel insisted.

"It's too late. This ends tonight. No mercy!"

"Oh, today was the wrong day to wear a skirt," Alyssa mumbled, but mentally praised herself for remembering to wear shorts underneath.

All at once, fighting broke out. She felt somebody from behind her grab her arm roughly, effectively pulling her away from Hawk. Alyssa ripped her arm out of their grasp and turned, only to see it was somebody from Cobra Kai. She spun herself around and kicked with all her might, her foot colliding with his stomach. He stumbled backwards, and this time, she punched. He fell to the ground, left to be trampled by everybody else fighting.

The only thing on Alyssa's mind as she moved on was protecting Bert and Nate. She knew that they could handle themselves, but then again, they were younger and a lot smaller than the rest of them. Her and Demetri helped Bert and Nate fight down the small hallway back towards the front door against two Cobra Kai's. Honestly, Alyssa only remembered a blur of punches, kicks, and the occasional pain from getting hit. It was like her body was on autopilot as she fought.

She snapped back into focus when one of the guys kicked Demetri into a chair. He then punched Alyssa across the face, making her get dizzy for a second. She blinked a couple of times, only to see that he had completely launched Bert and Nate into the Christmas tree. Its ornaments and presents scattered everywhere as it fell.

"No!" Alyssa shouted.

She grabbed the back of the guy's jacket and pulled him back. Alyssa instantly jumped up and kicked, the top of her boot hitting his chin. He stumbled back from the blow, and before he could recover, she took his arm, and using all of her body weight, she flipped him over and brought them down to the floor. Alyssa did a forward roll while letting go of his arm. She kneeled next to him, and just for good measure, she punched him across the face.

"Bert, Nate!" Alyssa called, standing up from the floor and running over to the two boys, who were laying in a heap on the floor surrounded by Christmas decorations. "You guys okay?"

Nate looked up, but his eyes widened. "Ally—"

Alyssa suddenly felt two unfamiliar arms wrap around her waist. Her feet left the ground, and she was thrown carelessly to the side. She let out a small scream as she landed on the floor, sliding across it. Pain shot through her side, and Alyssa looked up, only to see Rickenberger and one of his stupid friends standing above her.

"Hey!" Demetri's voice yelled. "Don't touch her!"

Alyssa pushed herself up so she was sitting, the glare on her face nothing short than venomous. "You know what, Rickenberger? You were right." Alyssa pulled her hair back away from her face and tied it into a sloppy bun with the hair tie on her wrist, leaving two pieces to frame her face. "Wearing my hair up is more practical, but only in the sense that it'll stay out of my way when I'm kicking your ass."

Before any of them could respond, she spun herself around on the floor, kicking Rickenberger's legs out from under him. He fell to the ground, and she stood back up raising her fists. Demetri then came out of nowhere and started to fight against Rickenberger's partner. Alyssa moved out of the way to avoid their punches and kicks. 

As fast as he went down, Rickenberger got back up. He pressed himself up onto his hands and lifted half of his body up, kicking Alyssa right in the stomach. She moved backwards in pain as he stood all the way up. Alyssa gritted her teeth and swung. Her fist collided with his chin, whipping his head to the side. She punched again, and again, and again, until he became disoriented.

While Rickenberger stumbled backwards, Alyssa snuck a glance to the fight right next to her. Demetri was still fighting the other Cobra Kai. He swung and missed, and the guy caught his arm, twisting it all the way back. Alyssa's mind spun with panic. No, not again—

"Demetri!" Alyssa screamed.

She reached out, ready to attack, but she had momentarily forgotten about Rickenberger. Suddenly, one arm locked around her neck and the other locked around her waist, lifting her feet up off the ground. Alyssa elbowed Rickenberger's side, but he took it easily, continuing to hold onto her.

"Hey, yo, Hawk!" Rickenberger said, constricting his arms tighter around Alyssa as she struggled against him. "Two free shots."

Alyssa's eyes turned pleading, and her voice was barely a whisper. "Eli."

Even over all the fighting, Hawk somehow heard it. Her voice echoed over the rest in his head — Kreese, Sensei Lawrence, Miguel. It shook him down to his core, and it seemed like a switch flipped in his brain.

He was the one who had burned them down. That was literally all him. Her retaliating by fighting with him, or joining Miyagi-Do, was just in response to him hurting her. He had never meant to hurt her. Deep down inside, covered up by his whole persona, was that truth. But Hawk didn't want to do this anymore. Not with Miyagi-Do, not with Demetri, not with her. He had lost his mind, but, like always, Alyssa managed to screw his head back on straight.

Remember who you are, Eli.

Alyssa watched as Hawk clenched his jaw, his upper lip quivering in anger before he started to sprint towards them. Her breath hitched in her throat as Hawk got closer and closer. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. This was it, this was where the old Eli would be gone forever, this was where Hawk would show his true loyalty to Cobra Kai by taking down her and Demetri, this was where Alyssa and Eli would end once and for all . . .

But that didn't happen. This was where Alyssa and Eli would begin — or, well, begin again.

Once he was close enough, Hawk jumped up and kicked the guy holding Demetri, making Demetri stumble forwards and the guy fall backwards. Hawk landed behind Rickenberger and grabbed him roughly, causing him to let go of her. He then flipped Rickenberger over onto the glass table, which instantly shattered.

Alyssa fell due to her being lifted up off the ground. However, this time, a more familiar pair of arms grabbed her and pulled her away, tucking her into their chest to shield her from the glass shattering. She looked up, only to see Hawk looking down at her, his arms wrapped securely around her waist. Alyssa breathed heavily, their eyes locked on one another's.

Something changed, though. His eyes weren't cold anymore. They weren't blue like ice now — they were softer, like the ocean on a warm summer day. All of the hard features on his face had relaxed into something much calmer.

Alyssa didn't see Hawk staring back at her. For the first time in months, she saw the very same boy that she had known all her life, and the very same boy who owned her heart.

She saw Eli.

"I'm so sorry, Lys," Eli told her, and she could see the seriousness etched onto his features. "For everything that I've done and everything that I've said. You didn't deserve it."

"Yeah, no shit," Alyssa breathed out. "You were a dick. And that's an understatement."

She then noticed the position they were in. Even through the raging fight in the rest of the house, he was still holding on to her tight. Alyssa slightly stepped to the side away from him so that he let her go. She cleared her throat and absentmindedly smoothed down her skirt.

Eli looked at Demetri, who was standing there in shock. "Look, man, I'm sorry. For all of it. But do you two wanna help me win this thing?"

Alyssa looked at Demetri. The two of them seemed to have a mutual understanding — shit was still messy, but the fact that he was switching sides like this in the middle of a fight after he was all Cobra Kai for life meant the world.

Demetri grinned and nodded. "Yeah."

Alyssa got a small smile on her face. "I'm in."

She giggled slightly as she watched Eli and Demetri clasp hands — Binary Brothers, back together again. Suddenly, the guy that had been fighting Demetri came and swung at Eli. Eli immediately ducked, and with some momentum from Demetri, he swung low to the ground and launched himself upwards, kicking another Cobra Kai that was coming at them to the ground.

Alyssa ran up to the one still standing and kicked his side. It sent him into the metal gate against the opening in the wall, and he crumpled to the ground. Demetri took her hand and pulled her close, and like how it used to be, and how it should've always been, the three stood back-to-back with their fists raised. Three different enemies faced Alyssa, Eli, and Demetri, but nothing could beat the trio — especially now that they were back together again.

The one guy ran straight at Alyssa. He seemed winded from how he was on the floor, and she used it to her advantage. She lifted her leg up and kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards. Their little circle then rotated, and she was facing another one. She punched him right across the face. Eli then grabbed the one in the red jacket and launched him over to Demetri. Demetri held his arm out and hit the guy right in his neck, causing him to fly up in the air before hitting the ground.

Eli sent another one into the wall before the one who Alyssa had kicked originally grabbed Demetri and pulled him backwards. Demetri elbowed him, making him let him go. Alyssa punched his side, making him double over.

Alyssa, Eli, and Demetri shared a glance and nodded. Eli and Demetri spun themselves around, kicking the guy in the chest. Meanwhile, at the same time, Alyssa jumped up and kicked the guy in the stomach. At the force of their three combined kicks, he fell backwards onto the table, sliding off of it along with the decorations.

She was honestly feeling victorious. It was strange how over the moon she felt while there was a whole fight going on, but who could blame her? She was fighting well, Eli had come to her senses, and the original trio was working together like they used to.

Her momentary bubble of happiness was burst when she heard a yell. Alyssa looked up, only to see another guy charging straight at her. Before she could do anything, or the boys could do anything, the guy ducked down and captured her waist in his arms while he still ran. Alyssa stumbled all the way backwards until her back slammed into the wall. She grunted in pain from the impact, but the guy was pulled off of her, thanks to Demetri grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him away. Alyssa then wound her fist back and hit it right across his face before lifting her leg up and kicking him in the stomach. He crumpled in a heap to the ground.

Another Cobra Kai then ran right at her. Alyssa ducked down and rolled forwards on the ground before he could get to her. She pressed herself up onto her feet and blocked the punch he sent her way with her forearms. Alyssa turned herself around and threw a punch, but he blocked it, too.

Alyssa kicked, but the guy grabbed her ankle in his hand when it was about to hit his chest. She braced herself and ripped her ankle out of his grasp, kicking upwards. Alyssa bent all the way backwards as her boot made contact with his chin, and she pressed her hands onto the floor, maneuvering herself in a back walkover. She stood up straight again and raised her fists, but her kick sent him to the ground, groaning in pain.

Eli blinked. "Okay, I didn't know you became a gymnast."

Alyssa lowered her fists, breathing heavily. "I told you that when Moon taught me how to do a cartwheel it would be over for everyone."

"Yeah, you should see her now," Demetri cut in. "She's really flexible."

Every single one of the Cobra Kai's were down. The house had gotten quieter, besides the sounds of pain from those who had fallen. Christmas decorations were strewn everywhere, and multiple things were broken.

Alyssa blew a piece of hair out of her face casually, looking around at the damage in the house. "I don't think Sensei LaRusso is going to be particularly happy Rickenberger broke his coffee table."

"Ally, I don't think he's going to be happy about any of this," Demetri replied. "Sam's going to have to explain what happened."

Sam. Speaking of her, Alyssa hadn't seen her at all since the fight started. Well, that was worrisome.

Alyssa looked around, her eyebrows knit in confusion. "Wait, where is Sam?"

Eli looked around as well. "Tory's not here, either."

Alyssa's eyes widened. Everything Sam had been dealing with lately, all her trauma, had been because of Tory. Not to say that Sam couldn't hold her own — Alyssa knew she could. But Alyssa remembered holding a trembling Sam in that hospital room, scratches running down her arm, and how she had hid away from her that day at Golf 'n' Stuff. Tory had left Sam with physical and emotional scars, and now they were alone together.

She instantly broke into a run.

"Lys!" Eli protested, instantly following after her. "Lys, wait—"

The fighting in the house had died down completely, and the only sounds of fighting left were coming from outside. She hopped over Kyler's body that laid on the floor of the kitchen, flying past Miguel, who was very beat up.

"Als?" Miguel asked. "What—?"

"Sam!" Alyssa called, the sounds of fighting getting louder as she approached the home dojo. "Sam!"

She burst in through the door, Eli, Demetri, and Miguel right behind her. Alyssa saw Sam standing in front of Tory, who had her back against the wall. Sam had a bleeding lip and was holding a bo staff while Tory had no weapons but her fists.

"Guys, stop!" Miguel exclaimed.

"Tory, the fight's over," Eli said.

"It's not over," Tory protested. She then looked right at Sam, making Alyssa's eyes narrow. "This will never be over, LaRusso. You hear me?"

"You know where to find me," Sam responded.

Tory then focused her attention on Miguel and Eli, her fists lowering as she walked up to them. "Traitors."

It was obvious who she was talking to more, and from that, all Alyssa saw was red. She slightly stepped in front of Eli, her right shoulder blade pressing gently into the left side of his chest. Alyssa reached back, clutching onto his left forearm with her left hand.

Tory's eyes flickered from Alyssa back to Eli. "You better watch your back."

"He won't have to," Demetri argued. "He's got friends watching it for him."

With that, Tory left the dojo, probably to go gather all of her crumpled teammates. Alyssa turned back to the person in front of her, who had lowered the bo staff with a sigh of relief.

"Sammy," Alyssa voiced. She let go of Eli and walked up to the girl. Sam instantly dropped her bo-staff, sinking into Alyssa's embrace. "Sam, oh my God, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Sam confirmed. "You?"

"I'm fine." Alyssa squeezed her tightly before letting go, putting her hands on her shoulders to look at her face. "Your lip's bleeding, but other than that, you look like you're in one piece." She grinned slightly at Sam and gently punched her shoulder. "You looked like you were seriously winning that fight when we walked in. I'm proud of you."

Sam gave her a small grin back. "I'm proud of you, too. I mean, you did karate in a skirt."

"I did karate in a skirt," Alyssa agreed, letting out a small laugh. "No joke, I think that was one of the most empowering things I've ever done. Think I ripped my tights, though."

"She kicked ass," Eli said from behind her, making Alyssa look back at him over her shoulder. "You should've seen it."

Alyssa smiled softly at him. Eli responded with the same.

Sam glanced in between the two. "I wish I did."

Alyssa then focused on Miguel's bruised and bloody face, and her eyes widened a little. "Jesus, Miguel."

Miguel blinked. "You could've at least sugarcoated it a little."

"What do you want me to say? You look handsome? No, Miguel, you look like shit."

"Thanks, Als. I'll remember to come to you whenever I need a compliment."

"Okay," Demetri swiftly interjected. "Sam, your house is kind of a mess. It looked like a Christmas tornado came in."

Sam sighed. "Of course it does. That's just what we need."

"Nothing says Christmas like fighting," Alyssa said, throwing her arms up in frustration. "'Tis the damn season."

"We can worry about that later." Sam dropped the bo staff and approached Miguel, staring up at his face. "We should all clean up. I've got first aid stuff. I have a feeling not just you needs help."

Together, Alyssa, Sam, Miguel, Eli, and Demetri walked out of the LaRusso home dojo. Sam and Miguel were at the front, Sam's hand placed on Miguel's arm as they went back towards the house. Meanwhile, Alyssa, Eli, and Demetri trailed behind. Things didn't seem so tense anymore between the three of them. Well, not completely. Two very specific members still felt a little trapped.

Alyssa tried her best to sling both of her arms around Eli and Demetri's shoulders, but it didn't really work too well because she was shorter than them. "So, I guess the trio is back."

"Like we never left," Demetri stated. "Our synergy is just impeccable."

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but if you aren't, I agree." She then let out a deep breath. "We should talk, though. The three of us. There's a lot of things we have to unpack."

Eli cleared his throat awkwardly. "Mostly because of me."

Alyssa, even though it was true, decided to move on from that — that conversation didn't need to happen tonight. "Hey, do you think my earrings are still on the table?"

"Why does it matter?" Demetri replied. "You have, like, five hundred different pairs."

"Yeah, but those were my favorite." Alyssa laughed slightly and removed her arms from around the two boys, her eyes scanning over Demetri's figure. "Anything broken again? Need any serious medical attention?"

"No, I'm okay. Maybe some bruises, but that's normal." He then glanced inside. "I should go help clean up, though. And make sure Bert and Nate are okay."

With that, Demetri went inside. That just left Alyssa and Eli standing outside the door of the LaRusso house. The air buzzed between them with something that Alyssa couldn't quite place.

Alyssa looked up at him. "Do you need any serious medical attention?"

"No," Eli answered. "You?"

She looked down at her knuckles, which were already starting to turn purple and had little specks of blood on them. "I honestly can't tell if the blood on my fists is mine or somebody else's." Alyssa paused for a moment to think. "I hope some of it's Rickenberger's."

Suddenly, without another word, Eli reached his hand to the back of her head. Alyssa felt her breath slightly hitch in her throat as he gently tugged the hair tie from her hair, releasing it from the loose bun she had put in during the fight. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and back, spilling across her sweater.

"Rickenberger's an idiot for saying that thing about your hair up to you," Eli admitted quietly, putting the hair tie on his wrist. "I'm sorry I didn't stop him."

Alyssa didn't really think about what she was doing. All she knew in that moment was that he was here, that he was back, that he had just said that. She overwhelmed herself with her own emotions, and for the first time in months, she just hugged him.

She reached up and threw her arms around his neck, pressing up onto her toes as far as her boots would allow her and resting her face on his shoulder. Eli didn't even hesitate for a second before wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer to him. Alyssa let out a sigh of content — fuck, she never realized how much his hugs meant to her.

"I've missed you," Eli admitted quietly by her ear. "A lot."

Alyssa held onto him a little tighter, her hands clutching onto the fabric of his red jacket. "I've missed you too, E. More than you know."

"It's been hell. Actual hell. I meant what I said, how I never wanted any of this. It's just, I was roped it, and it got to my head, and — and God, I'm just so sorry."

"Ally?" Sam's voice then called from inside.

At the sound of her name, Alyssa picked her head up from Eli's shoulder. She looked through the open door to see everyone gathering in the kitchen, medical supplies placed on the table.

"I'm coming," Alyssa responded.

Alyssa removed her arms from around Eli's neck and dropped back onto her flat feet. He unwound his arms from around her waist, but one of his hands lingered on her side over the fabric of her sweater. Alyssa looked back up at him to see him staring at how everyone started to tend to each other in the kitchen.

"Come on," Alyssa encouraged softly, stepping towards the door away from him a little. It was to urge him to come with her, but she couldn't help but miss the feel of his hand on her waist. "Let me show you Miyagi-Do's version of unity."

•─•°•❀•°•─•

AND WE'RE BACK TO TYPING ELI LET'S GO

also headcanon that's canon bc I said so: eli now keeps that hair tie on his wrist at all times