Imagine having to use abuse to keep people around you, I mean I can't but you surely fucking can
you exhale heavily as you feel auryn's hand wander down your back in a clearly possessive manner, his fingers burning into your skin. your body tenses for just a millisecond as auryn's hand skates a little too low, your fingers gripping your phone a little tighter. you're texting your miyagi-do friends to prevent an anxiety attack, or listening to music that's actually more to your taste than whatever loud rap garbage kyler had put on, but thankfully moved elsewhere. you're wearing layers despite the warm night, in kyler's lake house that's practically bursting at the seams with people, kids from east valley had been invited by kyler too, so it's not just a cobra kai party. kyler hadn't invited you, because why would he invite someone he's been bullying pretty viciously & considers to be a loser, since you didn't fight back against his tormenting for months. not to mention, you're a member of the miyagi-do dojo, the enemy—you're just auryn's plus one tonight.
specifically, jughead, sulien, shadow, gray, chase & light had reservations about you going to the lake house without any backup, thrown directly into the lion's den, but you told them you'd be fine. your boyfriend wouldn't let kyler or his friends hurt or bully you.
auryn keeps his other hand clutched around his vape which smells gross, so it makes you crinkle your nose, but at least he has the courtesy to not blow the vape-smoke directly at you, instead turning his head. he's most likely a little high on something else—on what, you're not sure. every time you've asked, he kept brushing you off, so you've stopped.
the party has moved from the main part of the house to the lake, so it's rare you have a moment of quiet with your boyfriend.
❝ auryn. ❞ you whisper to your boyfriend nervously. his hand keeps wandering too low. you're worried someone is watching you—tory had seen miguel kiss you, & then sam, which then set off a bomb of epic proportions, so sue you if you're a little paranoid. he stops, but his hand maneuvers towards to your thigh instead. it's only a little better.
you glance up from your phone when you hear someone enter the house from the basement door that connects to the kitchen. auryn's expression doesn't change, even as he lays his eyes on @taughtpain . you don't acknowledge robby, pretending like he's not even there, going back to typing on your phone. when robby turns around to look at them, auryn's hand gets a hair more tighter on your thigh. his fingers feel like they're burning your skin. he doesn't look away from robby.
❝ hey, eth, ❞ auryn's voice is light even as he places his phone & vape onto the arm of the chair, glancing at you, & you can't get a read on his emotions anymore—he'd been calmer with you, but now he seems annoyed... did you do something wrong?— ❝ go down to the water for a minute, go be with your sister & talia. ❞ it's not a request. you know it isn't. ❝ tell kyler i'll be down after i talk to our fearless leader. ❞ the nickname is full of mockery, which you catch.
you look nervously at him, frowning slightly while staring into auryn's eyes. you make a point to not look at robby, even as your mind repeats his words in your head.
surely robby wouldn't attack one of his own...
❝ um... okay. ❞ you murmur hesitantly, beginning to pull away from your boyfriend to give them some privacy. maybe they have cobra kai business to talk about.
auryn's other hand suddenly whips out, yanking you backwards by your waist. your eyes widen as his grip tightens considerably, not wanting you to leave him—not yet, anyway. he wastes no time in pulling you down into a kiss, one that makes fire erupt in your bloodstream. your phone slipping from your fingers in surprise. dark brown eyes slip closed—you completely forget about robby standing feet away. your brain effectively short circuits by auryn's intense kiss, but you only remember he's there when you remember where you are; that this isn't your house, this isn't your couch, this isn't your party. you & robby aren't friends anymore.
for the umpteenth time, you ignore that thought as it buzzes through your head, slowly pulling away from the kiss. your entire face is warm, a tiny smile crossing your lips as you look fondly at your boyfriend, & he squeezes your thigh. it causes warmth to coil in your gut. you walk away, auryn watching you fondly, sitting up properly on the couch. you look back at him.
❝ i love you. ❞ you murmur. this is the second time you've said those three words to him, the first being a week ago.
the very edge of his smile turns a degree sharper; he fights the urge to immediately look over at robby, gauge his reaction to ethan's words. ❝ i love you, too, ethan. ❞ he replies seriously, but his tone is incredibly fond. this is the first time he's said those words back to you.
your heart skips a beat in your chest, eyes widening as your boyfriend's words soothe every instinct in your human vessel & eldritch form. you almost want to walk over to him again, kiss him again & melt in his arms, but you don't. you'll kiss him later in private; auryn clearly wants you to kiss him now. it's so he can prove something to your ex best friend... not that you know that part.
your face goes warm, soft & tender ( the exact way you USED to look at robby ). you walk out of the house, the screen door closing gently. from the closed windows in the living room, auryn can see you move towards the lake, your hands in the pockets of your—well, auryn's—hoodie. he watches you walk away until you're out of eyesight & earshot.
the smile fades from his face instantly. he takes a few moments to listen to the quiet house, even as he's suddenly rising from the couch. he walks out of the house, towards where everyone else's vehicles are parked in front of the house. the gravel crunches under auryn's feet as he moves towards his vehicle. he doesn't have to turn around to know that robby is following after him.
after pulling off ethan's blue sweatshirt & tossing it into the back of his car ( along with his vape ), he closes the door, fixing his hair. he turns around to face robby again, his eyes cold. his body language goes from calm to hostile in a millisecond. his eyes hold no warmth. with them being outside & no longer in the lake house, they're much further away from the group. the risk of someone overhearing their conversation by walking into the house just dropped significantly in likelihood. they're all down at the lake... including ethan. his boyfriend.
❝ i was trying to pull ethan upstairs so i could fuck my boyfriend in peace. way to cockblock. ❞ he grumbles, jaw clenching as annoyance sweeps through every inch of his body. ❝ what the fuck do you want? ❞
❝ imagine having to use abuse to keep people around you, i mean i can't but you surely fucking can. ❞ robby's voice is dark.
he pauses for just enough time to be caught off guard, then blinks. his expression contorts into one of genuine surprise. ❝ did i just hear you correctly? ❞ he questions, shoulders tensing just a touch. ❝ you're seriously accusing me of abusing my boyfriend? ❞ auryn's cadence is flawlessly surprised.
even theo would be impressed by auryn's acting. he's scarily good at faking whatever emotion he needs to when he needs to; he pulls off the caught-off-guard, slightly defensive stance perfectly, like this is the first time ever he's been confronted like this by anyone. he's not reacting over-the-top like a typical abuser would, but he's not nonchalant about it; he's not relaxed in an attempt to undermine a blatant claim as serious as him domestically abusing his boyfriend.
( it's correct. keene hit that nail on the head. )
❝ i don't know what you're talking about, ❞ auryn continues calmly. he keeps his eyes locked with robby's, his voice slowly becoming annoyed, ❝ but i don't appreciate you accusing me of something like that. i love ethan, so why would i ever want to hurt him? ❞ his gaze turns a degree more scrutinizing; he looks at robby up & down like he's analyzing him. for a second, his hands clench into fists at his sides, then unclench. his face morphs from surprised to cruel & smug—that's the real auryn slipping through the carefully crafted mask he wears around you.
his next words are venomous. ❝ you should respect his decision that he's dating me & move on. he clearly doesn't want someone like you in his life anymore. i mean, not that i can blame him for it. ❞ he says coldly. ❝ he's already chosen me. the fact that you were too much of a fucking quivering pussy to make the first move on eth certainly isn't my fault. ❞ with the way his body minutely shifts, adrenaline spiking through his body, he's clearly expecting the king cobra to strike. he's ready to defend himself, to hit him back. it's what he wants: he wants robby to snap. he can use it to his advantage.
