Chapter Text
“Thank you so much, sensei.”
Miguel had been a little afraid to go in for a hug, as Johnny Lawrence didn’t really seem like the type, but he couldn’t help himself; he was well aware that being gifted sensei's first gi was a cementing moment for their relationship and the sentimental part of him took over before he could stop to think about it.
It was so quick that he didn’t even notice how dizzy he got when he moved forward to initiate. It was the letting go that made him realize that something was definitely wrong.
He had only blinked for a second. It took one tiny, singular moment for the world to warp, for reality to twist into something unbearably new. He wasn’t aware of what he possibly could have done for it to happen, but trying to form a coherent thought caused a splitting headache.
Miguel did not expect the world to be different when he opened his eyes. Everything was brighter, the colors around him were rich and luscious– they were beautiful in ways that he didn’t know existed. The sun was more pronounced, he could feel breezes that hadn’t been there only moments ago, and it was as if he could hear every vibration that the world had to offer. It was overwhelming and he couldn’t understand why everything was suddenly… too much.
“Sensei?” He asked, voice faint and shaky. The gi that rested atop his shoulder was suddenly heavy; his own weight was suddenly heavy. He reached for his sensei’s forearm, but his grip was weak.
“Are you alright, Diaz?” Johnny asked. The man was seriously starting to worry, not necessarily just for the kid, but also because he was a little terrified of Carmen Diaz. It was starting to look like he would be carrying the kid home for the second time this month. It was not a good look.
Johnny managed to grab Miguel’s arms before he completely collapsed. “Jesus, kid. Let’s get you home.”
–
Robby was a mess, a filthy, horrible, anxious mess. He had to muster all of his strength just to get home and then literally pass out when he locked his front door. He awoke with a violent migraine, covered in a thick sheen of sweat, and a completely new understanding of both himself and the world around him. He wished that he’d left the curtains open earlier this morning, but how the hell was he supposed to know that the darkness was going to change?
He grew up hearing the stories about the way people change. He heard that it made you “whole” and that it supposedly turned your world into something amazing. It was supposed to change the way you experienced the world–that everything could somehow become better, brighter, and bigger, if that were possible.
Robby Keene vehemently disagreed with that sentiment.
The walk home was torturous– his stomach churned with a newer, overwhelming strength, the sun was so bright it felt like his retinas were burning, and his skateboard was so heavy that he decided to ditch it in a bush a couple blocks from his apartment. Everything was bigger and brighter, but he couldn’t believe that anyone could consider that better. He didn’t even know who the fucking guy was, only that he was quite literally Robby’s own replacement.
So he stayed on the floor, hoping that the cold stone tiles might help rid him of the worst headache he’d ever experienced. It was like everything was reborn; the light was too bright, the dark was too dark, and the pain was too much.
He didn’t mind the way the world sounded though, at least not while someone in the building played his favorite song. It was far enough to almost be relaxing– enough to stop the hot tears that he hadn’t even realized were running down his face.
Robby let the soft vibrations of the new world lull him to sleep, trying to ignore the image of him that was trying to invade his mind.
–
“Miggy baby, what do you mean?”
Miguel wasn’t too sure exactly when he got home. He opened his eyes to a world he didn’t understand and suddenly he was laying on his couch with a bag of ice on his forehead and a towel over his eyes.
Apparently, he had passed out and Mr. Lawrence carried him home. He was burning up by the time Johnny got him to the apartment, and his mom was pissed. It didn’t help that the very confused Johnny Lawrence couldn’t find a way to explain what had happened. The kid had been fine and then suddenly he wasn’t.
The issue wasn’t quite ignorance, but rather naivete– Johnny Lawrence had yet to experience it, and frankly, so had Carmen– Rosa Diaz, on the other hand, was smug and excited the moment Carmen translated Johnny’s freaked-out explanation. She had experienced it a very long time ago, and it was easy to recognize the symptoms, as weird and broad as they could be.
“I- I don’t know, everything’s just… I feel different.”
“Todo cambió?” [Everything Changed?]
“I… guess so. Si, Yaya. Why?”
He didn’t move, still too exhausted from whatever ailed him earlier in the day, but he watched as his mom sat at the other end of the couch. “Listen, baby. Yaya thinks that you, you know…” She leaned in, “Changed.”
Carmen whispered the last word, as if it would stop the only other person in the room from hearing the obvious. “Do you know–”
Miguel’s face scrunched up in confusion; he was almost offended, of course he knew what it was. Everyone knew what it was.
“I’m not a little kid, of course I know what that is. That’s literally all people talk about.” He said, a little too roughly for his own comfort. His face dropped and he shook his head in confusion. “Sorry. I still don’t feel good. I didn’t mean to…”
And then it hit him. “Wait, what do you mean? ¿Qué quiere decir eso?”
He squinted at the sight of his mother jumping from her clearly uncomfortable seat on the couch. The sudden movement hurt both his eyes and his temples.
“Oh my God Miggy, I can’t believe it! Who was it?! Who did you meet?”
He frowned, shutting his eyes roughly and swallowing, cringing at the overwhelming dryness in his throat. “That’s the thing. I didn’t meet– I didn’t even see anybody. I was hugging Sensei when I felt weird and then I opened my eyes and…” His voice faded as he spoke. Miguel couldn’t finish the sentence; there was a painful abyss in his throat where his vocal chords were meant to be.
Huh. Feelings were worse too. He didn’t realize he was crying until he felt his grandmother’s fingers gently rubbing his scalp– that was when an unearthly sob forced its way out. She used a cold hand towel to gently dab his tears away and the relief almost made it worse.
“You know what? I’ll pick up some Denny’s for dinner today, yeah? Do you want a milkshake, baby?”
Carmen couldn’t bear looking at her son in his condition. The sadness was heavy on his face and he was frowning in a way that made her think he might never smile again; it was like the hurt oozed out of him, bleeding into the air to make itself known.
She smiled softly when he nodded and murmured a barely coherent “Please.”
—
Robby thought he was dying. It’d gotten so bad that his mom actually stayed home for the first time in forever, bringing him cold water and pills while she changed the wet hand cloth on his face.
The horrific sickness that he had caused was suddenly the best thing that had happened to him in years. He smiled at the feeling of his mothers cold hand against his forehead.
“Robby, I need you to be honest with me right now. Did one of your friends dare you to lick the handrail at school or something?”
He let out a breathy laugh, coughing as the air scratched at his dry throat. “No, I just caught a bug or something. I’ll be fine.” He smiled, but it quickly faded when his mother stood up from the couch. The thought that she might decide to leave him alone made him want to cry.
“Fever seems to be cooling down, babe. How about you go take a fresh shower while I make some soup, yeah?”
Robby probably would have jumped with joy had he not been in so much pain. “Oh. Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks mom.”
As the world around him started to calm and his mom finally seemed to want to stick around, he thought the whole soulmate thing might not be so bad.