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#the geek dojo
jaycewrites-192000 · 22 days
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In Every Timeline [Chapter One]
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Taglist- @ameliabs-world
(If anyone else wants to be tagged, just let me know ^w^)
A young girl at the age of ten, makes her way home from school. She didn’t live too far away from her school, so she didn’t mind the walk to and back. In fact, she found herself enjoying the walks. It gave her some alone time, some time to herself, some time to think.
It was nice.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long. Today, some middle schoolers decided to give her a hard time. She was stopped by two older boys, each of them trying to come off as intimidating.
“You lost little girl?”
“Where’s your little friends? Or, maybe…Don’t tell me you’re one of those friendless geeks!”
“I bet! Just look at her!”
She inwardly sighs at their attempts at scaring her and hurting her feelings. Though, what they said wasn’t entirely wrong. She really didn’t have any friends. It was hard to make friends at her school. Or rather, it was hard for her to make friends. She just gave up after a while.
She wasn’t sad about it or anything. She was doing just fine.
“Can you please get out of my way?” She finally speaks.
“Huh? Trying to order us around pipsqueak!?”
“Annoying little brat! We outta reach you a lesson!”
The two took a step closer to her. This time the sigh left her. She wasn’t a great fighter. She was only ten after all. But she did deal with her fair share of bullies, and she was able to take care of them on her own.
This was no different. Just two dumb bullies in her way.
The first one raised his fist and aimed it towards her face. She quickly dodged before deliver a punch of her own to his stomach. She wasn’t sure if he was actually hurt from it, or if it was just shock that made him stumble back. But she didn’t waste time as she did the same to the other, this time, kicking him in the gut as hard as she could.
“Damn you!”
The girl quickly tried running past them, but was grabbed by the arm and yanked back.
“Hold her still.”
One of the boys cracked his knuckles as he spoke. “We were just gonna let you go with a light slap on the wrist. But now you’re gonna get it! How would you like a few broken bones!?”
Just as he said this, fast approaching footsteps could be heard. And before she knew it, the one threatening to harm her was being kicked in the head. He was sent to the ground roughly, unconscious.
Standing above him, was a boy around her age. With a bored expression, he turned to the one holding her. “How lame. Picking on a little girl.” He muttered before rushing towards him. He jumped up into the air, and delivered the same devastating kick he dealt the first one.
He landed with ease, and turned to face the girl. “You alright?” He asks. The girl blinks before nodding her head. “Ok. See ya.” The boy says before starting to walk off.
“Wait a second!”
The boy stopped when she called for him. “What?” He asks. “How…How did you do that?” She asks him. “Do what?” The boy tilts his head. “The flying kick you just did!” The girl says, pointing back to the still unconscious middle schoolers.
“Oh that.” The boy says, placing his hands in his pockets. “I take martial arts classes with my grandpa.” He explains. “Can I do it too?” Her question confused him.
“Where is your grandpa’s dojo? I wanna take lessons too.”
“What? No way, you totally suck at fighting. It’d be a waste of time.” He says with a frown. The girl furrows her brows. “I do not!” She argues.
“I saw you trying to fight back against those guys. You barely left a mark on them. Then you tried to run away like a coward.”
“But there were two of them!”
“Which is why you shouldn’t have tried fighting them. Especially if you don’t know how to fight in the first place.”
“Then isn’t that even more of a reason to let me practice at the dojo? Then I can do those cool kicks like you do and I won’t have to worry about guys like that again.”
The boy sighs and starts walking away again. “No way. It would take you forever to get on my level.” The girl followed after him. “Like I said! That’s more of a reason why I should take lessons!”
“I already said no. And stop following me!”
“Not until you tell me where the dojo is!”
“No!”
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This kind of back and forth between the two would go on for at least a week after that. It was by some stroke of luck that the boy went to the same school as her. So, she’d make sure to follow after him and try her best to convince him to let her take lessons with him.
But every time, he turned her down.
One day, she decided to follow him without him knowing. Sure it was creepy, but she was only doing it to find out where he was taking martial arts classes. After that, and after applying to join, she’d leave him alone. By then, she would have done what she had sought out to accomplish.
Her plan had proved to be successful, as she trailed him to the dojo. She waited for the boy to go inside before waiting outside. She didn’t mind the wait. It would be worth it if she could learn how to fight like him.
“What are you doing out here?”
The girl looks to her left, there stood a young man with jet black hair. A cigarette hung loose from his lips, and even from where she stood, she could smell a hint of motor oil off his clothes.
“I’m waiting.” She answers simply, causing the man to raise an eyebrow. “Waiting for…?”
The girl looks up at the dojo. “I wanna learn how to fight. But that dummy won’t let me!” She pouts. “What dummy?” Asked the man. The girl opened her mouth, only for it to fall close again. What…was that boy’s name?
“Uh. He’s short, and has blonde hair. And he does really cool kicks.”
“Oh, Manjiro?” The man asks. “You friends with him?” The girl shakes her head with a frown. “I don’t like him! He’s a jerk! He said it would be a waste of time for me to learn how to fight. I’m not good at it, sure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn!”
The man nods. “I agree.” He says before taking one last puff of his cigarette, then tossing on the ground and stepping on it. “I’m sorry about my little brother. He can be a pain sometimes.” Brother? This guy is that jerk’s brother? But he seems really nice.
“My name is Shinichiro Sano. Who are you?”
“Y/n L/n.”
The two talked for a while before the doors of the dojo opened, letting some kids out. Among them, was Manjiro and some other boy he was talking to. Manjiro seemed to have noticed Y/n, as an annoyed look crossed his face. “You again.”
“Who’s that?” Asked the taller boy with him. “Some brat.” Manjiro answers. “Hey!” Y/n scowls. “Manjiro, why don’t you think Y/n can take lessons here?” Asked Shinichiro. “Cause she sucks.” Manjiro says, as if Shinichiro should already know. “She’ll just get herself hurt.”
“Hm. I think that’s a great reason to let her try.” Said Shinichiro. “What do you think Baji?” The other boy hummed. “I guess? I mean, couldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll talk to Gramps about letting you take lessons.” Shinichiro tells Y/n, making her grin. “Thank you!” She beams.
Manjiro rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He says as he walks ahead. Baji gives Y/n a small wave before hurrying after him. “Hmph. Jerk.” Y/n mutters, watching Manjiro leave. “Don’t worry.” Shinichiro starts.
“He’ll get use to you soon.”
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Luck must have been on Y/n’a side. Shinichiro’s grandfather accepted her into the dojo, and lessons began right away. And just as Shinichiro said, Manjiro, or “Mikey” as he liked to be referred to, slowly got use to her being around.
But he was still a bit of a jerk.
As for Shinichiro, he couldn’t be sweeter. Y/n really grew attached to him, she would go as far to say he was like an older brother to her. That gave her even more of a reason to show up for lessons.
Y/n became friends with Emma as well, she was really nice to her when they met. Y/n was hesitant at first, but slowly opened up to her. Whenever Y/n wasn’t taking lessons, she was hanging out with Emma.
As for Mikey, he too eventually grew more comfortable with Y/n. Turns out she wasn’t completely hopeless after all. At some point, those two set aside their little dislike of each other, and became pretty good friends.
Y/n would get to hang out with him and his friends, in time, becoming friends with them as well. And being the only girl in a group of boys, their behavior and mannerisms rubbed off on Y/n. Among the group she had to admit, Ken, or Draken, was her favorite.
He was surprisingly mature for his age, only being beat by Mitsuya. And that was only by a little. As for the others though, they were just a bunch of boys. But back to Draken-
There was a point where Y/n had grown to see him as an older brother. He was nice but could get stern if he needed to. And he was a great protector. Y/n could understand why Emma liked him so much.
Y/n would have saved that big brother title for Shinichiro, as he was a great brother to the Sano kids. But honestly, she saw him as more than that. She'd go as far to say, he was almost like a father figure to her.
It was just Y/n and her mom back home, as she and her husband divorced a couple years ago.
Shinichiro kind of filled that emptiness that Y/n's dad left her with. He was always so caring, always looked out for her, always wanted to know how she was doing. He’d even let her hang out at the shop while he worked. It was quite the sight. He was so focused, and he did his job well.
He was just the coolest.
Y/n really cared about each and every single one of them. Which is why, it was all the more difficult when she had to say goodbye.
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Mikey had noticed Y/n's behavior had changed lately. Y/n was less talkative, less active. She didn’t want to do much of anything with anyone. It was weird. So of course, he decided to confront her about it.
He caught Y/n on the way to Shinichiro’s shop.
“You’re acting weird. More than usual. What’s going on?” He asks. Y/n shrugged. “It’s nothing.” Mikey rolled his eyes. “You expect me to believe that? Tell me.” Y/n suddenly stop walking, Mikey did as well. “Well?” He pries.
Y/n's shoulders began to tremble, soft sniffles came from her as tears filled her eyes. Mikey was slightly surprised by this. She never cried in front of him, or anyone, before. “Y/n?”
“I’m moving away.”
“What?”
Y/n wipe away her tears, sniffling before repeating herself. “I said, I’m moving away. Away from Tokyo, away from Japan all together.”
“Why?” Mikey asks, trying to ignore that funny feeling in his chest. “It’s because of my mom’s work. We’re leaving in a week.” Y/n tells him. Mikey fell silent, the only thing that could be heard was her sniffles and soft cries.
Everyone found out eventually, and they were just as upset as Y/n was. But there wasn’t anything anyone could do. She was leaving, and she didn’t know when, or if, she'd be back.
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Ok! First chapter done! Chapter two is already in the works as this is being published, so hopefully you guys will get to read chapter two soon.
I hope you all enjoy this series!
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chaoticdaydreamss · 11 months
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Yandere! And Normal Leo dating hc’s 2012
Normal:
•Rather is the big spoon protecting you or you facing him while cuddling or snuggling because he wants to be close to you.
•100% will dance with you in the dojo, or just listen to music with you in general
•Has a DEDICATED playlist to you, of songs he knows you like or song that remind him of you. •Protective, just no matter.
•He loves kissing you, his favorite is your forehead, neck, and lips. They just are different then his so he enjoys them
•For sure will get you a promise ring for Christmas or your anniversary. And it would be your favorite color and his together.
•Probably enjoys horror movies or romance, and while watching on of them he’ll probably get a bit more protective, also hand over your shoulders all the way or you in his lap.
•Tried listening to one of your bands or favorite show/fandom and actually got into it and you two would geek out.
•If you enjoy cooking then he will. He will love doing anything as long as your with him
•Geeks about space hero’s and you listen and find it cute. So you started watching I if you didn’t already.
•Durning winter will wrap you in a blanket and try to make you warm.
•Vents to you sometimes. But he asks before
•He also listens to you when you need to get things off your chest.
•If you watch a kid show or a show for younger people then he would watch it with you smiling at you getting all excited and knowing the whole theme
Yandere
•There isn’t a chance you won’t get kidnapped.
•Watches from a far or has Donnie use tracking devices so he can keep you ‘safe’
•If you haven’t met already then he would just stay in the shadows and try to make it do something will happen so he can come to your rescue.
•If you already knew him he probably would be more Protective.
•Imagine his obsession for space hero’s, x10
•Has a hero complex for sure
•when he does kidnap you he feels so guilty but he knows it for the “best”
•He would kill anyone that hurts you, besides Splinter, his brothers, April and Casey
•if you haven’t eaten while you were kidnapped he probable would force you to eat, sence he doesn’t want you getting weak.
That’s all I have right now, took me too long to get this out, it’s probably crappy but eh, had some ideas
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mooncalfe-art · 8 months
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Hey, Sophie. Finally got to see issue 141 and gotta say I geeked out when Mikey mentioned getting the Splinter Dojo back. I know the turtles have a history with moving places, but I loved the idea of them trying to rebuild it again! <3
Fingers crossed!! Thanks for reading! :D
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voidaxolotl · 1 month
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I see everyone putting up opinions on the new live action Avatar: The Last Airbender so, might as well put mine up too!
Spoiler warning, my good friends! So be cautious!
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Bottom line is, I do enjoy the show, it’s better then the live action movie but I feel no where close to the original show. But lets be fair, bringing back ATLA in retelling the same story as a live action WOULD be hard. It’s all stuff we’ve seen before and lets be honest most of the people watching the live action know the story of the Gaang like the back of our hand. Those in charge had to find a way to give us the characters and story we love while making it entertaining for us still, and while a good amount of us would have been fine with the script basically being the same (this HAS been done in a couple animations to live action things) they had to account for the many more who wouldn’t actually watch the whole series because of it being the same. So, new story(ish) and changing the characters around. So lets talk characters!
Starting with Sokka
They made Sokka more of a “big brother” protector instead of a “sexiest warrior” protector. (Heck, we can even see a couple girls in his “army” in Wolf cove) Probably because he learned he needs as many able bodies as he can with all the “men” leaving, he learned what Pokko learned in episode 8.
But I do miss seeing our boy humiliated by Sukki, their new relationship feels like a watered down version of the original, with Sukki being more like a diet Sukki. She’s not the same kind of girlboss who flips over and teaches Sokka, instead Sokka is an awkward turtle duck who gets pinned while stretching and is spooked off.
We get a more intimate training scene which I think was cute, but we miss out on “This dojo is for Kyoshi Warriors only” and “I would be honored if you taught me” (as well as Sokka in uniform, miss that) I can’t hate the new Sokka, he’s compassionate and protective to his sister, he hides how much he loves Momo until episode 7 (god that hug he gives that stupid lemur-), and most of all being the one in charge of his village is brought up more and feels more heavy on his shoulders then in the original which I like. He was left in charge at a young age but the original didn’t dwell on it, while this one has shown us more impact of it (his talk with Yue (both as a fox and in person), his talk with the Mechanist, ever argument between him and Katara) he also feels more in the “big brother” role which I enjoy. Yes, I miss our original sarcastic strategist, but I feel like they’re laying more groundwork and background for all of Sokka’s brilliance
“Its a war balloon”… “it doesn’t look like its for battle just transportation”….. “Because I made it”
Like- YES! Show off more of our boys brain and need to protect! Show us how deep his shoulders drop due to the wait his father dropped on them! Show us his knowledge of anything being used as a weapon!
We don’t get to see how he interacts with Jet, or ribs against Zuko, or much of his planning which I’m quite peeved about, but them showing me Sokka geeking over inventions and acknowledging both his achievements and burdens does make it a bit easier to take in this new version.
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mydarlingvioletta · 4 months
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There are many martial arts that draw inspiration from the natural world, such as 蛇拳 (shéquán = snake fist) which mimics the beautiful fluid movements of the snake and allows practictioners to strike like a viper.
But you may be wondering, why haven't I heard of any martial arts styles inspired by non-human primates? The Chimpanzee has the most analogous body structure and DNA composition to humans and they are known for their proficiency in sparagmos. Where is the style of boxing that utilizes ripping off genitals, slingin' poo, and eating faces?
Come on down to local mall where you can find me in the hallowed yet barren carcass of the Think Geek store. Bring $50 and if enough of you come by we'll head down the street to Sensei Tanner's Karate Dojo to use those chumps for training.
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belphegor1982 · 1 year
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Sam’s chapter this time! As usual, link to the AO3 version in the reblogs if you prefer to read and/or comment there ^^
Jigsaw Pieces
Chozen, uneasy
Daniel, adrift
Amanda, sleepless
Sam, shaken
Johnny, fixing things
Daniel, not alone
Sam spent much of the plane ride home asleep, despite the anxiety gnawing at her guts. All Mom said was that Dad was attacked and got hurt, which was barely enough to go on with and clashes with everything she knows about her dad.
Apart from sparring, she’s only seen him fight a couple of times, and she’s never seen him lose. His official ‘rematch’ with Johnny was the main event and it ended in a double knockout. Before that, there was the morning of the school fight, when she was at Johnny’s apartment thoroughly hungover and Dad barged in and both men traded blows; and then after that, the night of the home invasion, when she raced after Dad to the strip mall in front of the Cobra Kai dojo and found him and Kreese standing in the middle of broken glass.
The last two hardly count, though. The second time only lasted until Sam and Robby both took a hold of their respective dads and broke up the fight.
As for the third…
It should have been over by the time she and Miguel run out of the car with the engine still running. It looked over. Kreese was down, looking actually scared, and Dad was on his feet in front of him, still in a fighting stance.
The cuts on Dad’s face and the blood on his shirt – standing out against the stark white – spooked Anthony afterward. What spooked Sam was the way Dad was shaking imperceptibly for a while after he backed down, and the expression on his face, like someone who just slipped off a mountain trail and caught themselves just before they fell into a ravine. Like if she hadn’t been there, if she hadn’t shouted at that very second, he might have fallen. Sam really, really doesn’t want to go into the implications of that.
The point is, Dad doesn’t just lose – not a fight, anyway. She’s not a little kid anymore, she’s way past the ‘my dad can do anything’ stage, but if there’s one thing Dad is consistently good at, it’s karate.
So what happened to him that made Mom do such a one-eighty and immediately book them a plane home leaving at four in the morning?
It looks like Anthony has been wondering the same thing, because as they get out of the plane and wait for the luggage he asks her in a low voice, “Do you think they had, like, knives or guns? I mean, it’s Dad. There’s no way he just lost, right?”
“I don’t know,” Sam whispers back so their mom doesn’t hear. And because she’s the big sister – and she wants it to be true – she adds, “But I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
The look Anthony shoots her for a second is equal parts relief and scepticism. Then he shrugs with a quick lopsided smile that looks just as fake as her reassurance ended up sounding.
“Yeah. Totally. Hey, uh… I was thinking of trying to make a pancake or two for breakfast when we get home. Key word ‘trying’, obviously, but… Do you think you could help? Be my spotter, kinda?”
Sam can’t help a snort, amused. Her brother has changed while she wasn’t looking, from a mouthy little asshole to… Well, he’s still a sarcastic little shit, but he can be awkward and quiet and even kind when he tries. And he is trying. Case in point: this, him wanting to make Dad’s pancakes when he used to be the one scarfing them down without a word of thanks for so long.
Also, well. At his age Sam was changing too, from the awkward geek who used to be into karate into a coward who’d do anything – even throw her best friend under the bus – to trail after Yasmine like she was Regina George. If Anthony is indeed changing, he’s changing for the better. She likes this new version a lot more than the old one.
As it turns out, today is not the day Anthony is making his big pancakes début. Instead they get mochas and sandwiches from the nearest Starbucks with other sleepy, rumpled people waiting for their connections.
And then it’s into an Uber and straight to the hospital.
The ride is almost completely silent. Maybe that’s what unnerves Sam the most. If Mom can’t bring herself to smile and say something gently snarky that’ll translate to It’s okay, it’ll be all right, if Anthony keeps his phone in his pocket and doesn’t say a word, either, then things are not all right. Not by a long shot.
Not that she needed that spelled out.
It has to be Cobra Kai, she thinks, so loudly she’s irrationally afraid the thought will tumble out of her head somehow. It has to, because who else could it be?
Chozen is waiting for them when they get to the hospital. Mom leaves Sam and Anthony with him and goes on ahead to ask about Dad.
In the beginning Sam didn’t know what to make of Chozen Toguchi. Anthony said he heard Mom call him an ‘Okinawan assassin’ once, but she didn’t believe it – no way Dad would’ve invited him into their house if the guy really was some kind of killer. Either Mom was joking or Anthony heard wrong.
So a couple of days after he arrived, she confronted him, sort of. Strike first, like Johnny said, but (a belated realisation) the way Aisha meant.
“How’d you come to know my dad, exactly?”
Chozen smiled. It was a really good thing the smile reached his eyes, because otherwise he would’ve looked kind of scary.
“We fought to death when about your age.”
Which… was not the sort of conversation Sam expected to have over breakfast cereal, but there you go. It was her own fault for not picking a better time and place, anyway.
“Are you serious?” she asked, staring at him across the table like she could burn the truth out of him with her eyes somehow.
Chozen stared back for a few seconds. Then he laughed. His whole face looked softer for it.
“Very serious,” he said, mirth still dancing in his eyes, before sobering up. “I was coward back then. Man without honour. But also proud, stubborn. Your father accidentally exposed my cheating, so I attacked him. Challenged him to duel – and lost.”
“But why?” Sam insisted, still staring, this time out of disbelief rather than suspicion. Did Dad seriously spend his teenage years collecting karate rivals like Pokémon cards?
Chozen shrugged.
“I had head pretty far up my ass then.” (That surprised a snort out of her.) “Daniel-san showed me mercy, though. And last year, we met again and we became friends.”
“Okay,” said Sam slowly. “Also, I meant to ask, uh… What do you do for a living? I mean, my brother seems to think you’re some kind of hitman. Don’t tell him I said that,” she added swiftly.
This time it was Chozen’s turn to snicker, but his smile stayed up in his eyes.
“I teach karate back home, in Okinawa.”
“You’re a sensei?”
“Hai.” Quiet pride in his voice. “Miyagi-Do. Miyagi-san and my uncle learned karate together, long time ago. Now, my turn to pass knowledge.” His eyes twinkled. “I am no hitman, Samantha-san. Just here to help good friend.”
Sam nodded, a big part of her relieved, a small part disappointed.
“So you’re not gonna fight Cobra Kai.”
Chozen’s eyes hardened. “We see about that.”
They haven’t talked much since then, but there’s something about him Sam can’t help but like despite her initial misgivings. Maybe it’s the accent; it always seems to tap into some of her earlier memories, of being tucked in Mr. Miyagi’s lap while he reads her picture books and calls her Sam-chan, even before he and Dad started teaching her karate. Or maybe it’s because she’s curious about what kind of sensei he is. The only karate teachers she’s known were Mr. Miyagi, Dad, and Johnny, after all. Now that she’s made her peace with her decision to get back into it – maybe even teach Anthony a few things if he’s serious about learning – she wonders what Chozen’s teaching would be like. He has both more and less chill than Dad and Johnny in different ways, so that’d be interesting.
Right now, though, Chozen doesn’t look chill. He’s clearly worried behind the would-be reassuring façade some adults are better at than others.
“Terry Silver,” he says when both siblings ask him what happened at the same time.
Anthony frowns, looking confused, and Sam asks sharply, “What?”
“Terry Silver lured Daniel-san into trap and defeated him in combat.”
“Wait wait wait,” says Anthony, “the giant dude with the white ponytail?”
Chozen nods. Anthony blinks.
“But… he’s just one guy,” he says in a small voice. “I mean, sure, he’s tall, but… there’s just one of him.”
He looks subdued and lost and Sam’s heart breaks a little at the hint of disappointment in his voice. He was so convinced that the only way Dad could have lost a fight was for a whole team of ninjas to jump him or something.
“How’s Dad?” Sam asks, gripping the strap of her bag very tightly.
It’s a question she probably should have asked first instead of What happened, but she dreads the answer to this a lot more.
Chozen pauses. She can’t tell whether it’s because he’s hesitant about telling them or because he’s trying to be as precise as possible.
“Not good,” he says finally. “He has concussion, sprained shoulder, lesion to trachea. Lot of bruises, too. But that’s not what—”
“Okay,” says Mom, materialising behind Sam and making her start a little. The long night and the worry are getting to her: she looks pale and drawn, especially without her usual makeup, and her eyes are too bright. “The good news is, Dad’s going to be all right. He’s in bad shape, but nothing… well, nothing life-threatening.”
“And the bad news?” Anthony asks, still looking as rattled as Sam is feeling, brows knitted together.
Mom’s mouth does that thing she does when she wants to wince, but also doesn’t want to show it.
“They want to keep him under observation for a couple of hours more, just in case. We’ll take him home around ten.”
Sam glances behind her mom like that’s all she needs to do to see her dad. A reflex. He’s rarely not been there when she’s needed him.
“Can I see him?”
“He’s asleep right now, honey,” Mom says softly.
“I won’t wake him up, I promise. I just…” She stops, purses her lips, and sets her jaw. “I just need to see how he’s doing.”
Mom gives a quick smile and reaches to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind Sam’s ear. It’s a small gesture, fairly useless (that strand of hair is never staying put), but even on edge Sam recognises it for what it is: comfort, unobtrusive. She’s grateful for it.
“Okay. Come on.”
When Sam looks through the window before she’s allowed into the room, she’s relieved to find that Dad looks almost normal compared to the picture her brain’s been building up for hours in spite of herself. There’s no blood, no stitches, no bandages. He’s breathing on his own, too, which is a relief after what Chozen said about his windpipe getting damaged.
…but then, as she tiptoes around the bed, she spots the bruising around his throat and on the other side of his face, and she grits her teeth. The anxiety churning in her stomach since Mom woke her up last night hits her again, full force.
Somehow, it gets even worse when Dad wakes up and gets discharged. He limps badly, like he’s having all of his bad knee days all at once, he moves wrong – as if just one misstep will be enough to knock some bones loose – and he doesn’t talk at all.
And that’s scarier than the bruises.
Sam has seen her dad loopy on painkillers when he had his tonsils taken out. She’s seen him grumpy and listless with fever the last time the flu hit him badly enough he had to take a few days off from work. And she’s seen him break down and sob after Mr. Miyagi’s death. She knows he can be tired or angry and also a bit of a dork, and she’s well aware he’s not invulnerable. But… Dad is also the one who would pick her up and set her on his shoulders so she could be taller than everyone. He’s the one who taught her how to put her whole heart into what she does, how to take a fall so it doesn’t hurt, and how to get back up when she’s down, even when it’s hard, even when she’s afraid. He has six full inches on her and although she knows he’s not a very big guy, in her mind he’s always stood tall and strong, like a tree.
She never thought he could look so breakable.
The house is unusually silent. Mom takes Dad upstairs to rest in their bedroom. Anthony foregoes the pancakes and shuts himself off in his room. Chozen absconds to the home dojo, and Sam doesn’t know if that’s because he needs to work out some stuff or because that’s where the only objects approaching weapons in the whole house are stored – the sais, the staves, the nunchucks – and he’ll use everything he can to protect their family. Everything, everyone is scattered, like someone kicked the board and half the pieces got lost.
And Sam, still feeling like the world’s been turned upside-down, not knowing what else to do, sits on her bed and wishes she weren’t so helpless.
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dreamyzworldlove · 8 months
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Your thoughts on barbie 🫴
hi al sorry for the late reply i was busy pretending to be dolls from 2010
also i saw this movie a week ago so idk how great this’ll be but
over all i really liked it!
one, loved that they used practical effects and that there was real sets and backdrops instead of just. cgi-ing every thing! like the fact that the houses and slide were real are everything to me
i think barbie land in general was really well done! not only the aesthetics, but the way the actors move and interact with eachother! their dialogue especially definitely reads as a kid playing with their dolls with how ken heals immediately and him wanting to go to barbie’s house but he’s unsure what theyed do their. also when ryan goslings ken flipped i could totally see a kid rotating their doll around like i did when i was younger. the fashion was also very top tier
THE WEIRD BARBIES I LOVE THE WEIRD BARBIES me being a nerd i knew every single one of them and was geeking out when they were on camera. i wish they would’ve kept kens cock ring tho
i loved the reference to bratz with sasha and her friends ( and her nick name being bunny boo) and i think it was a cute homage
i liked kens story line with the patriarchy (and the horses) and to me it felt a lot like growing up with guy friends and watching them grow up into patriarchal assholes??? if that makes sense. and how he needed to learn how to be his own person outside of barbie. i don’t think ken is bad just a little lost and misguided <3 also i love the phrase mojo dojo casa house it’s been on repeat ever since i heard it
i think the weakest point of the movie for me is will ferrell as the ceo. i think at this point in his career will ferrell only plays one role and it’s will ferrell, and it’s been so over done at this point that it was very unfunny. also the idea that the ceo of this doll is just a goofy guy that loves barbie and doesn’t care about making money rings as unrealistic in a way that doesn’t fit this movie, which could’ve been fine if it was funny but it wasn’t ;/. also i feel like they never really resolved anything with the board of men?? like the point out that it’s an issue but by. the end of the movie nothing changes with them?? like idk it would’ve been cool if margo’s barbie took control of the board, symbolizing hee new autonomy and her taking charge of her own narrative but oh well.
quite honestly i felt like the themes and messages of feminism were quite surface level on a first watch?? like they were quite basic to me but seeing as so many people especially men who watched the movie and didn’t get it maybe i’m being too harsh
i really liked all the scenes with ruth, especially the one where her and barbie are in the void (???) and there’s a montage of women. that made me emotional lol. i think the movies more existential themes are done a lot better than it’s gender ones
this was a bit of a mess lol but tldr i think the movie was good! it was trying to do a lot and in that there were a few things that went unresolved but overall even though it wasn’t perfect like i wanted it to be it was a good, fun , watch.
thanks allison<3
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ao3feed-liushen · 10 months
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cable management
read it on the AO3 here
by UnicornioBlues
Liu Qingge has had enough. This is the fifth time he's tripped over the same wire just today. He bends down to plug it back into the outlet. Now that he’s thinking about it, this isn’t the only wire he trips over in the dojo. Ever since they've upgraded the internet and added a computer, the wire situation has truly become a mess.
"Hey Teacher!" Yang Yixuan greets him loudly. Liu Qingge's about to warn him about the wire he's walking over when the other trips over it, unplugging it…again.
"Oops."
Words: 1145, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Series: Part 4 of Liushen Week 2023
Fandoms: 穿书自救指南 | Scumbag System (Cartoon), 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: M/M
Characters: Liǔ Qīnggē, Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū, Liǔ Míngyān, Yáng Yīxuán
Relationships: Liǔ Qīnggē/Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū
Additional Tags: LiuShen Week, Liushen Week 2023, day 4 tied up, liu qingge wishes thats what he was, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dojo owner Liu Qingge, Geek Squad Shen Yuan
read it on the AO3 here
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buffyfan145 · 2 years
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Also thanks to the Netflix Geeked Twitter account for posting a manip of Stingray from “Cobra Kai” during his “Dungeons and Dojos” game (I posted about this too and the “Stranger Things” connection a few days ago) and putting a pic of Eddie Munson playing “Master of Puppets” over top the figure of Stingray’s bard character he named Metallicus!!! LOL :D I forgot about that in my last post and that Stingray said “he plays the most bodacious tune you ever heard”!!! LOL Again this filmed last fall but that whole “D&D” thing fits “ST” so well and the timing of it all is awesome.
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weirding-way · 6 months
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(a conversation at the dojo.)
[S]: So what have you been doing with your time off? [Me]: Well, I went to a convention last weekend. [S]: What kind of convention? [Me]: A gaming convention (PAX). [S]: Oh, that's right, you're a geek. [Me]: A geek who can kick your arse. [S]: Yeah, I forgot about that part.
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redbugcamisetas · 10 months
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Se Draco participasse de Cobra Kai, provavelmente ele seria retratado como um adversário formidável para os protagonistas. Sua personalidade arrogante e seu talento natural para o combate certamente o colocariam em destaque. Draco provavelmente se juntaria ao dojo Cobra Kai, liderado por Johnny Lawrence, e se envolveria em rivalidades com os personagens principais, como Daniel LaRusso e seus alunos.
Lançamento! Camiseta Draco Kai. https://www.redbug.com.br/camiseta-draco-kai-masculino
redbug #redbugcamisetas #redvote #camisetas #tshirt #estampas #geek #nerd #culturapop #lojaonline #games #cartoon #anime #manga #filmes #series #HQ
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doodledojo · 6 years
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Its your last chance to get some of my geeky T-shirts from Teepublic before Christmas, so get yourself over there now!
http://tee.pub/lic/DoodleDojo
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cow-smells · 3 years
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Owe you one: Demetri x Reader
Summary: Y/n is on a mission to get that good geek D OR, Demetri tutors the reader. Reader sees it fit to pay him back.
A/n: Definitely not my finest piece of work but I had to let it out of me (: its my first smut. can you tell?
also please don’t repost this anywhere  :)
Words: 1678
Warnings: smut
Standing in the crowded hallway, Y/n scanned the crowd of students until her eyes set on her target.
    “Demetri!!!!”
Demetri was visibly startled, not used to having his name screamed out like that, surely not by a girl – most definitely not by Y/n. Y/n was one of the most popular girls in school and having her call for him, so publicly no less, made Demetri's cheeks flush.
They had been hanging out almost daily lately after a teacher suggested Y/n ask Demetri to tutor her in algebra, a subject she hated until the memory of it started tying itself with the lanky black haired boy.
At first they would study in the library but after quickly becoming friendly, the study sessions moved to either ones house. As time progressed Y/n began finding that she would find excuses in the guise of studying to seek Demetri out during the day, just to talk to him about anything at all.
Although she did use their study sessions to... well, study, Y/n couldn't help when her mind would wander elsewhere occasionally. When they'd both be perched on her bed, house empty but them, nothing but books between them... Y/n would lay a hand on Demetri's thigh, or sit a bit closer than necessary, waiting for Demetri to pick up on the hint; he never did.
    It was time to take matters in to hands.
    “Hey!” Y/n called as she caught up to Demetri. “Look!”
Y/n held up her latest algebra test, showing off a big B+ circled in red.
Demetri's eyes widened in surprise, his smile genuine. “That's amazing! I told you you'll do great!” he lay a shy hand on Y/n's bicep. It wasn't enough. Unashamed, Y/n held up her arms for a hug he couldn't deny.
Standing on her tippy toes, she held Demetri tight to her for a moment. “Seriously, thank you.”
She could swear it wasn't her imagination when Demetri was reluctant to let go.
Y/n slid her arms from around his neck to hold his shoulders. “Are you free today?”
Demetri thought; he was supposed to help Sam and Mr LaRusso fix up some stuff at the dojo but seeing as it was Y/n asking, looking up at him with her big e/c eyes and perfectly painted lips, he figured he could clear his schedule. “Uh, yeah.”
“Great. Could I come over? I wanna go over my mistakes, if that's okay with you.”
Of course it was okay. Demetri was crushingly disappointed once Y/n took the test and stopped meeting him every day, any excuse to spend time with her was more than welcome.
    Even if he was still too cowardly to make a move.
    “Yeah, sure. My parents should be working late today so, come by any time.”
“Okay,” Y/n bit her lip and brushed her hands off his shoulders. “I'll see you in a bit.”
Hours later, Y/n found herself in Demetri's painfully on-brand room. Closing the door after her she clicked the door to lock, even though it was just them in the meantime. She unhooked her bag from her shoulder, leaving it by the door.
Looking from the bag to her, Demetri asked, “What did you get wrong, anyway?”
“Oh, about that,” Y/n replied bashfully, slowly making her way closer to the boy, her hips swaying purposefully with each step. “I don't really care about the mistakes. I mean, sure, it's important and all, but...” Y/n reached Demetri, standing toe to toe with him. She reached her hand to grab the hem of his t-shirt, watching her fingers as she played with it – Demetri watching her. “I just wanted to get you alone. I never actually got to repay the favour, or say thank you.”
Suddenly looking up, Demetri found the girls face achingly close to his. If only he would lean down and close the gap... his mouth went dry.
“So,” Y/n eyes met Demetri's. Getting on to her toes, hands propping herself up on his abdomen, Demetri felt her breath on his lips as she next spoke. “Thank you.” With that, she closed the gap.
    Demetri felt fireworks go off within him. The one girl he had been pining over for so long was finally his. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer.
Y/n let her hands climb around his neck, one holding on to his hair as she kissed him deeper. Demetri briefly wondered if this might really just be her way of saying thank you, as unconventional as it may be – but once he felt Y/n's soft tongue searching for his, he decided to take what she was willing to give.
Demetri bent down in attempt to somehow be even closer, relieving Y/n from her position on her tip toes. He didn't even notice than his dominance on her pushed her back a couple of steps until her knees hit the bed, toppling her over with him above her.
    This was a very new situation for Demetri.
He had only just experienced his first kiss and here he was already, holding himself over the girl of his dreams. Looking down at Y/n's perfect smile and rosy cheeks (notably avoiding creating eye contact with her cleavage), every cell in Demetri's body urged him to surge forward, to kiss, to touch – so he rightened himself back up, knees still caging hers between his.
    “I'm sorry,” he apologized, despite it being nearly the last thing he wanted to do – the real last thing he wanted to do being pressure Y/n in to something.
He certainly didn't expect it when Y/n took back the reins and nudged Demetri with her knee to a sitting position on the bed, hooking the same knee around him until she was straddling him.
Demetri looked at Y/n from where she sat comfortably on his lap up to her eyes, his lips parted with questions he couldn't word; his own eyes hungry.
“Don't be.” Y/n leaned forward – Demetri leaned in instinctively in hopes to meet her lips, only to be left hanging when Y/n swayed her attentions to the skin under his ear, kissing and biting her way down the curve of his neck. Demetri closed his eyes, his attention completely devoted to the feeling of her lips on his skin, a feeling he had fantasized over for so long.
Fingers threaded between the bed sheets, Demetri couldn't contain his satisfied groan when she bit at just the right spot – and then again when she scooted her hips closer to his, forcing him to notice what she had.
Sudden panic rushing through him, Demetri lay his hands on Y/n thighs as though to push her back – she chose to stay put. “Shit, I'm sorry.” Demetri turned an unbelievable shade of red, causing the girl to laugh. If it were possible, he might have turned even brighter. He searched her eyes for disapproval, but found no such thing.
Looking down at the provocation that bothered Demetri so, Y/n met his eyes again. “Don't worry about it.” she captured Demetri's lips one more time, rocking her hips before they parted. Demetri gasped. “Besides,” she returned to her assault on his neck where red bruises were already forming. Her hands found his belt, undoing it. “I still owe you one.”
    It was with great effort that Demetri managed to ask “Y/n, what are you -” before her fingers were wrapped around him, rendering him silent – with the exception of a breath taken gasp.
Demetri could feel Y/n's lips contort to a smile against his skin as she began working him, his head tilted back in euphoria.
He bit his lip in attempt to drown out a moan without success. One arm came to wrap around the girl, holding her tightly in place. Demetri was pulled out of his content state when she slipped out of his grasp.
Y/n sat on the floor between his knees. Demetri's heart dropped, afraid he might have indulged himself too much, scared her away or maybe had done something wrong. “Y/n, what-”
Relief washed over the boy once her hand was once again wrapped around him, this time accompanied by her tongue, licking base to tip.
Demetri could feel every nerve in his body set on fire, never having felt anything remotely like this before.
It took every good ounce in him to say what he said next.
    “Stop.”
Clearly caught unprepared, Y/n let go of her touch on him (Demetri had to hold in his objection). Her brows furrowed – she was worried. “What's wrong?”
It felt ridiculous, talking like this in such an exposed state when all he wanted to do was go on, but it needed to be done. “Y/n, you know you don't actually have to do this, right?”
Noticing the drop in his voice, Y/n smiled. “I know.”
    “Like, seriously. You don't owe me anything.”
“I know,” Y/n smiled mischievously. “It's just an excuse to do this.”
There was no holding back the moan the escaped Demetri's lips when she next took him in her mouth.
Demetri wasn't sure what to do with himself. He had felt so good he wasn't sure how to contain it all; his hands were gripping the sheets, his head went from tilted back in extasy to forward, watching Y/n.
Releasing one hand of its grasp, Demetri brushed back some of Y/n's hair, creating eye contact.
    “I need to know this isn't just a thank-you.”
Y/n stopped, righting herself. “It isn't. Think of this as an... I'm in love with you.”
“I'm in love with you too.” Demetri replied eagerly, his heart pounding. He groaned as Y/n returned to her work on him. “Have been, since, like... fourth grade.”
Soon enough, Demetri's moans and groans grew in volume and frequency, finally finding his release.
Y/n climbed back on to Demetri's lap, kissing him again. Demetri smiled, resting his forehead against hers. “I think I owe you one now.”
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cobrakaisupremacy · 3 years
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All I ever wanted | Robby Keene x fem!reader
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Masterlist 
Requested by: Myself lol
Plot: Robby has been dating this girl for months. They are about to finish high school together and the night of the prom is coming. She’s been acting weird the past two weeks, and he’s so scared she is going to break up with him that he has been the best boyfriend ever those days. Even so, she keeps acting weird until the day of the prom. When his favorite song plays and Robby asks his girlfriend to dance with him, they talk about what happened and he finds out the reason why she’s been acting like that.
A/N: My first one in English. It’s not my first language, so if you see any mistakes, you can totally tell me and I’ll change it. 
Triggers: - 
Word count: 3.068
A new girl arrived in the city, just at the time the war between the dojos was about to come to an end. She was shy and loves the geek universe, and it wasn't long before she met Demetri and became friends with him. He was responsible for telling her the whole story, always making his point of view as a Miyagi-Do student very clear. Thus, it was not difficult for Y/N to have a certain aversion for Cobra Kai and its members.
Still, as soon as her eyes saw Robby Keene for the first time, and all the antipathy became curiosity. He was so handsome with those ocean green eyes and she caught herself thinking how amazing would be his smile. She wanted to get to know him better, to understand his point of view and his life story, the reasons why he got to where he was and the reasons for the decisions he had made. 
When the Literature teacher sorted their names so that they could do the task together, they sat side by side and Robby noticed Y/N for the first time. She was beautiful and had a charming smile, but what certainly made him fall in love with her was her kindness and empathy. The fact that Y/N did not judge him for past mistakes, and although she had recently become friends with some members of Miyagi-do and Eagle Fangs, the new girl was willing to hear Robby's side of the whole story and believed in his attempt of redemption. 
It was inevitable! The two fell in love and spent the rest of that day talking, either in person or through messages on their cell phones. 
Soon there was a first date, and a week later, he asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes, of course. Y/N was already the person responsible for making Robby want to become a better person. He wanted to deserve to be with her. Some aspects in his life were still not perfect, like his relationship with Johnny, which was still complicated, and his mother who was still in rehab, but having Y/N by his side made things easier, so he promised her an unforgettable prom. 
However, after five months of a beautiful and pleasant relationship, Y/N began to act completely different. It was two weeks before the prom, and Robby could barely be with or speak to his own girlfriend. She avoided him, didn't answer his calls, every day there was an excuse for not spending the afternoon together, and she no longer came by surprise at his house with some candy made by herself. That was certainly not the Y/N he knew and loved so much.
And then Robby remembered his relationship with Samantha, and how she hadn't gotten over Miguel even when they were together. Had a love from Y/N ‘s past returned and that was why she was acting that way? Didn't she love him anymore? Had Robby been bothering Y/N so much with his troubled life and then she had grown tired of him and his problems? He couldn't blame her if that were the case, he just wanted her to be honest, and she definitely wasn't being. 
As much as she was a sweet and shy girl, Y/N always had strong opinions and knew how to impose herself, so why didn't she break up with him at once if that’s what she wanted? Maybe she was planning to break up with him in front of everyone in the middle of the prom. No, she wouldn't be that cruel. Not the Y/N he knew. Anyway, Robby remembered that horrible feeling of losing someone he loves, and he didn't want to lose Y/N . Thinking about it, he decided to be the best boyfriend he could and that she deserved. Perhaps she was facing some problem that she was not yet ready to share with him, and as a good boyfriend, he should respect and give her all the love and support that was necessary. 
He left loving little notes in her locker, but she didn't respond. He bought her favorite chocolate bar and gave it to her during a class, but she just thanked him with a simple smile and put the package in her case. Robby even tried flowers, and showed up at her door with a white rose, which was what he could afford at that moment, but her mother answered the door and said she was not there. He tried to call and text, but she didn't answer. 
Robby then decided to open his heart and sent one last voicemail. 
“ Ok, I got it that you don't want to answer me, so I will respect your space and leave you alone. But I am worried. And I want you to know that I'm always here if you need me. And I mean it. If you want to chat, watch a Marvel movie or even if you want to punch me in the face, I will be here to take it. I love you. Don't give up on us. ” 
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
The next day, Robby was surprised when Y/N appeared in front of him. Her eyes filled with tears, she just hugged him in silence, to which he immediately reciprocated by holding her close. He closed his eyes to enjoy the moment, and the two of them stayed hugged in the corridor for long minutes. The bell for the first class rang. 
“ I'm sorry to be acting like an idiot. I have a problem that I still don't know how to deal with. ”  Y/N said, her voice trembling like she was ready to cry. 
“ You know you can count on me for that. ” Robby assured. 
“ I know. ”  She whispered, letting some tears drop by her face. Robby holds her hand.  “ I didn’t give up on us. I just hope you don’t either. ” 
“ Why would I do that? ”  Robby asked, confused and frowning. It was he who had spent the past two weeks trying to show how much he cared about her. Y/N was the one who was ignoring him. 
“ Let's go to class, Robby. The prom is tomorrow and I want to enjoy the day. After that, we can talk about it. ”  Y/N said, kissing his mouth. She took her boyfriend's hand and guided him to the classroom. Even though he wanted to ask, Robby kept his concern to himself and decided to do what she asked. 
At least his Y/N was back, and they could enjoy the prom as he had planned. 
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 
The next day, Robby let Y/N enjoy her day with her friends. The girlfriend had tol him that she would be with Moon and another girl from her math class. They would take care of nails, skin, hair and the whole spa day that a girl dreams of doing before the prom. 
The night was slow to arrive, but as soon as it was on time, Robby showed up at Y/N’s house. His girlfriend went out the door and his mouth opened, in shock with such beauty. Y/N was more beautiful than ever, stunning. It was impossible to stop looking at her, and Robby thought about how jealous he would be to see other guys staring at her. Because, of course, he wouldn't be the only one who found Y/N completely wonderful that night, but he would be the only one who would have her attention and her heart.
“ You look wonderful. You’re the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. ”  Robby said, eyes shining and pupils dilated. Y/N felt her cheeks blush and expressed the widest, brightest smile possible. Still, there was something saddened about her countenance, that only someone who knew her as well as Robby could notice. However, he said nothing. They had agreed to have fun that night, and he was prepared to make her the happiest and have an unforgettable prom. 
“ Thank you, my love. You look as handsome as always. ” Y/N put her hand on Robby's face. “ I love your eyes. Especially when they look at me this way. ” 
“ I’ll look at you this way for the rest of my life. Or at least, as long as you want me around. ”  And then he kissed his girlfriend, being careful not to smudge her lipstick. 
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 
They arrived at the prom, and as Robby had expected, the two attracted many looks. They were beautiful together, no one could deny that. Y/N held his hand tightly, as if she was afraid something was going to happen, and once again Robby stopped himself from asking anything. This was not the time to bring up the subject, and he had promised that he would wait for the prom to end before they could talk. 
He thought she would feel more comfortable if she was around with her friends, so he suggested they stay close to where Moon was. He had to swallow his pride, since his girlfriend's friend was with Hawk. Samantha and Miguel were also around, which made the atmosphere weird, but Y/N seemed to be fine talking with Moon, and Robby would endure whatever it took to make his girl happy that night. 
However, his efforts seemed to be in vain. He offered a drink, she didn't want to. He asked what she wanted to do, she said she just wanted to stay there. That was when, finally, the band started playing a song that he loved, and Robby saw the perfect opportunity there. 
“ Babe, let’s dance? ”  He asked, and soon he realized that she was going to deny it, he interrupted her.  “ Before you say no, I want you to know that this is one of my favorite songs. And I’d love if you pay attention to the lyrics. It’ll be even more special if you dance with me. ”  Y/N couldn't resist those bright green eyes, and Robby's sweet, passionate smile. She smiled together and held out her hand to him.  
The two walked to where the other couples were dancing. Robby put his hands on his girlfriend's waist, and she rested her arms on his shoulders. They were close enough, and as soon as the music started, Keene whispered the lyrics as he looked her in the eye. The words he said along with the song were full of meaning for him.
“ You know I'd fall apart without you
I don't know how you do what you do
'Cause everything that don't make sense about me
Makes sense when I'm with you ” 
Robby hummed, and at the same time, her eyes sparkled. A smile could be noticed on Y/N’s lips, and he smiled together when he noticed his girl was happy. He pulled her a little closer and couldn't resist leaving a kiss on the corner of her mouth. The music continued, and as soon as the chorus started, he whispered the lyrics again looking into her eyes. 
“ ‘Cause I wanna wrap you up
Wanna kiss your lips
I wanna make you feel wanted
And I wanna call you mine
Wanna hold your hand forever
And never let you forget it
Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted ”
Y/N’s eyes were full of tears, and she ended up letting one run down her cheek. Robby quickly dried  it with his thumb, keeping the other fingers on his girlfriend's neck. He continued the next part. 
“ Anyone can tell you you're pretty
You get that all the time, I know you do ”
Y/N laughed and shook her head negatively when she heard that part, but Robby nodded and they both giggled. She didn’t see herself as pretty girl, but he saw her as the pretties of all. 
“ But your beauty's deeper than the make-up
And I wanna show you what I see tonight ” 
Robby tried to imitate the singer and the two laughed when the boy went out of tune. The chorus played again, but this time, instead of singing, Keene sealed his lips on his girlfriend's. They continued dancing and kissing until the chorus ended. When their mouths parted, their faces remained close. Their noses were touching, their eyes were open looking at each other, and Robby continued to whisper against the girl's lips. 
“ As good as you make me feel
I wanna make you feel better
Better than your fairy tales
Better than your best dreams
You're more than everything I need
You're all I ever wanted ” 
And it was at that moment that Y/N could not resist crying and let all tears escape. She was crying compulsively, and Robby didn't know how to react. He filled his girlfriend with kisses, asking her to calm down. Only when she managed to control her own voice did Y/N speak. 
“ Robby, this is so beautiful, but… I don’t know if you still gonna think that way after I tell you what I have to say. ” 
That was it, Robby thought. It was the end. She would break up with him, maybe confess that she had cheated on him, and he would have his heart broken again. He would be alone once again. Robby sighed and took the courage to ask. 
“ Do you wanna break up with me? ” 
“ No. But I think you’ll break up with me. ” 
“ Y/N, I know I promised that we would talk about it only after the prom, but look at both of us. There is no chance to enjoy this prom that way. Please tell me what's going on. ”  He practically begged. 
The girl was panting and her eyes were full of tears. Y/N sighed deeply, searching for a courage within herself that she knew she didn't have at that moment. But she couldn't do that to him anymore. Robby deserved to know what was going on.
“ I’m pregnant. ”  Y/N said, her voice trembling. She held the tears and analyzed him to see his reaction. 
Robby froze. He was paralyzed. His green eyes stared at his girlfriend, mouth opened, unable to say anything. It was certainly not the reaction she expected, but he could not have predicted it and could not contain his shock at the news. A whirlwind of thoughts crossed his mind, and Keene remained paralyzed until he saw her crying again. That woke him up to reality. Robby hugged her again. Y/N had started to cry again when she saw his reaction. At that moment, she was sure that their relationship would be over. 
“ Is that why you’ve been acting weird in the past few weeks? ”  Robby asked, hugging her. Y/N just nodded.  “ And do you think I would break up with you in a situation like this? You must think that I’m a piece of crap. ”  
“ No, babe, that’s not it. ”  She pulled away from the hug and looked him in the eye, worried that he would think she saw him as someone terrible, because she didn’t.  “ It’s just ‘cause… well, you didn’t have a good family structure, and I thought the fact that you’re going to be a dad could scare you. ” 
“ Well, I am scared. I cannot lie about that. But, love, that is not your fault. It needs two to get someone pregnant, you know? ”  He joked about it, and both laughed a little. 
“ I was so afraid of your reaction, afraid of losing you. I thought things were going to change for the worse between us. That’s why during this week I acted like that, I stayed apart. ”  So Y/N got up the courage and started to vent everything at once. Robby looked her in the eye, listening to her words and feeling the saddest to know that she was feeling that way all those days.   “ I was trying to get used to not having you in my life. And it hurt me every time you did something nice for me, like the little notes on my locker and the chocolate bar. I thought I wouldn’t have that anymore.  ”  And she started crying again. 
“ Y/N… How could you ever think that I was going to do something like that? Don’t you believe that I love you? ” 
“ I do believe in your love. I’m sorry. I was just so scared. I didn’t want anything to change between us. ” 
“ Hey, babe, stop crying. I’d never leave you in any situation. When I told you I loved you, Y/N, I meant it. I’ll always be here for you. ”  Robby assured, and one last tear came out of her eyes. They both smiled at each other and kissed passionately.  “ I always knew that you'd be the mother of my children. Of course, I hoped it would happen later, maybe after college, but it's not my fault that you’re so hot that I can't stop having sex with you. ”  Robby whispered, and Y/N felt her cheeks blushing. 
“ Robby Keene! ”  She spoke as if she was angry, but she was smiling. 
“ You feeling better? ” 
“ Yes, a lot! And you, how are you with the news that you are going to be a daddy? ” 
“ Still in shock. It's hard to believe. But I know that I have you by my side. And as I said in the song: You're more than everything I need. You're all I ever wanted. ” 
“ I love you, Robby Keene. ”  Her eyes were shining again, almost crying. But she had the brightest smile on her face, so the boyfriend smile as wide as her. 
“ Well, I promised you an unforgettable prom. Pretty sure we are never forgetting this night. ”  Both giggled before kissing again. 
Robby was sure at that moment that Y/N was the love of his life, and in the future, she would be his wife. The two returned to dance together, hugging each other and enjoying the rest of the dance. They decided to deal with the pregnancy issue later. Many problems would come, the parents' reaction, thinking about how they would afford to survive and what to do with the college. But, as he said, if he had Y/N by his side, then he had all he ever wanted. 
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Tagging: @miguelsc​ (Comment here if you’d like to be tagged on the stuff I’ll write) 
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belphegor1982 · 1 year
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So someone had to grab the writer by the scruff of the neck and make his chapter longer than the entire fic so far. Dammit, Johnny. (I mean who’s complaining, right?)
Jigsaw Pieces
Chozen, uneasy
Daniel, adrift
Amanda, sleepless
Sam, shaken
Johnny, fixing things
Daniel, not alone
Johnny is used to fucking stuff up almost as many times as he keeps trying to fix it. He isn’t used to having things this good and keeping them that way. Or maybe he just lost the habit, because what wasn’t shitty when he was a kid was admittedly pretty great.
But right now, Robby and Miguel have put all their bullshit behind them and reached something that might just be friendship one day, they actually had Olive Garden takeout dinner together with Carmen last night, the four of them, and this morning Johnny’s at the Home Depot with his son shopping for a new latch mechanism for his busted doorknob. Like an actual dad.
So maybe he’s just happy about it. Sue him.
“Okay,” he says, “so – remember the number that was on the latch?”
“Sure,” says Robby, taking out his phone. He took a picture of that latch before they left, when Johnny removed the doorknob to check the stamp, instead of just writing the number on a scrap of paper. His kid is a geek sometimes – or a nerd, a dork, or whatever – and that’s one of the million little details that make Johnny really happy because he’s finally getting to know things like that about his son.
“It’s, uh, 2-3/4.”
“That means the backset is two and three-quarter inches. So we’re gonna need one of those suckers there. Let me see the picture again –”
If he’s honest, he kinda sucked as a handyman, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know things. He did most of the work of turning an empty space into a badass karate dojo, after all, and even jumped through all the hoops to make it “up to code”. He can show his son how to change a doorknob. That’s a thing a dad does, right?
“Hey, cool, this one has two keys already, you can have your own right now. So if you want to change a lock, lesson one. The first thing you wanna do is check your screws. There’s always the risk of old paint ‘cause an old tenant thought the door needed a new coat, or a screw loose because some genius decided to kick your door open for no reason at all –”
Robby shoots him a look that clearly says You are such a doofus, but there’s fondness in there too and that is new. Come to think of it, it’s a little like the look Miguel gets sometimes in response to something Johnny just said when he doesn’t just fully go Sensei, what the hell. It took Johnny a couple of years to identify that look as I love you but I really don’t get how your mind works sometimes and he’s still not sure just how offended he’s supposed to be.
“I know how to change a lock, you know,” says Robby with that small smirk of his that Johnny knows he got from him.
Johnny squints at him.
“’That have anything to do with the two chucklefucks you used to hang out with?”
“Yeah.” Robby shrugs and looks down at his shoes for a second. “I mean, I learned on my own, but it came in handy then.”
Johnny nods and doesn’t press the issue, which Robby appears relieved about. But hey, if Robby can let go of the past and accept that his father wants a shot at being an actual dad, Johnny can not be an asshole and let that kind of sleeping dog lie, as well.
They’re both saved from having to break the moment by his phone blaring the chorus of ‘Run to the Hills’ from his pants pocket. The name on the screen is daniel larusso, so Johnny picks up and grins.
“Hey man, I was gonna call you later. Guess what: I went with your idea, and turns out a little Johnny Classic was just what the kids needed to get over their shit. They whaled on each other for a bit and got it out of their system like a couple of champs—”
“Sensei?”
Oh – wrong LaRusso.
“You can call me ‘Johnny’, LaRusso, I’m not your sensei anymore,” he says. Robby glances at him, eyebrows raised. Right – there’s probably still some bad blood between him and Sam. Maybe they could fight it out at some point, too, clear the air? “What are you doing with your old man’s phone?”
“I didn’t have your new number.”
And asking your ex for it would’ve been awkward, Johnny muses. He picked up Miguel in pieces the other day after the break-up. The kid got real quiet after a while, but not angry. “She said she wasn’t okay, Sensei, what else was I supposed to do? We’re just… gonna be friends now.”
Jesus. These kids are handling their relationship drama better than Johnny did when he was twice their age.
…Wait. Isn’t Sam supposed to be several states away right now?
“Hang on, yesterday your dad told me you were in Ohio with your mom. What’d he do, hop on a plane and play an apology song on a boombox?”
That was all the rage for a while in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s after that movie: fuck up with your girl, show up on her doorstep with a boombox to say sorry, and annoy the hell out of the neighbours like that’d make it all better. But now it’s like, nostalgic or something, and it sounds exactly like something LaRusso might do. Dork. (Johnny really hopes it worked.)
A corner of Robby’s mouth twitches. Johnny wonders if he even knows what a boombox is – most of the kids these days don’t seem to.
“No, we came back home last night,” says Sam LaRusso’s voice at the other end of the line. “I mean, this morning. There was…”
She trails off. Johnny frowns. The hardware store is way too noisy for a proper phone conversation, but he’s starting to pick up on a vibe. A weird one.
“Hey, LaRusso, you okay?”
“No,” she says again, and shit, there’s a break in her voice like she’s trying not to cry. “Dad got hurt.”
Johnny’s stomach drops.
“What? What happened?”
Whether because of the look on his face or the tone of his voice – or both – Robby’s eyes snap back to him and he goes sharp and tense.
“Cobra Kai,” she snaps, her voice trembling a little. “Well, Terry Silver, anyway. He… he beat him. Pretty bad.”
Shit.
Shit.
Johnny learned the hard way that Terry Silver is not just some old fart with a fancy car and a stupid ponytail. The kick that man landed in his ear made his head ring for days, and he won’t forget the rest of the beating he took that night at the old dojo in a hurry. In his fifty-two years of life, Johnny Lawrence has never been defeated so viciously. The only other person who came close to kicking his ass like that was Miyagi, on Halloween 1984, and Johnny was a kid, so that doesn’t count.
The sad part is, Johnny is pretty sure Silver would’ve done a lot more damage if Kreese hadn’t stopped him.
Kreese is in jail. Not that the son of a bitch would step in for anyone who wasn’t Johnny, anyway, in between two attempts at choking him to death. But LaRusso was alone – how far did Silver go without a safeguard?
“I’m coming over,” says Johnny without even thinking. “I’ll be there in ten.”
“Twenty, Dad,” Robby corrects him, “and that’s if the traffic is fluid on Balboa.”
“Yeah, twenty. Listen, Sam –”
He wants to say Don’t worry, even beat up halfway into the ground your dad will claw his way back up, and I should know, because I almost did beat him halfway into the ground when we were kids and he still got back up eventually – he’s a stubborn little shit, he’ll be okay. But then he thinks about the LaRusso who showed up at his apartment yesterday, unkempt, desperate and disheartened. It would have barely taken a breeze to knock that guy down.
Goddammit. Silver really chose his moment to strike, huh.
Robby is looking at him oddly, and there’s silence on both ends of the line, until Sam’s voice comes back.
“Yes?”
“Nothin’,” says Johnny, who still hasn’t figured out what to say. “I’ll be right there.”
He hangs up, pockets his phone, and his gaze falls on Robby.
Wait. He can’t leave his son like that. He’s done leaving his son like that. Robby deserves better.
But no amount of relationship drama could compare to the epic levels of awkward that would ensue if Robby Keene just showed up on the LaRussos’ doorstep, especially after all the Cobra Kai crap he pulled in the last six months.
Johnny runs his hand over his face and into his hair.
“Shit.”
“What happened?” asks Robby, both voice and eyes sharp.
“Silver beat up LaRusso. ‘Pretty bad’, according to Sam.”
Robby’s face does something very quick and very complicated. There’s a lot of conflicting emotions there, but what Johnny doesn’t miss is that shock isn’t among them.
(His son spent months in a dojo co-run by John fucking Kreese and a nutjob who delights in screwing with people’s heads and beating them up. Just as well Johnny still has room for more in his bag of nightmares. In hindsight, LaRusso’s obsession with keeping Cobra Kai away from all the kids in the Valley isn’t so stupid.)
“You should go,” says Robby finally. “I can take care of the doorknob on my own.”
Johnny narrows his eyes at him.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I told you, I know how to change a lock.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, Dad.” Robby gives his little half-smile, and this time the Lawrence smirk is absent. That guarded sweetness is all him. “I’m glad you and Mr. LaRusso are getting along now. I told you the two of you could actually be friends, remember?”
“You said we could learn a thing or two from each other,” Johnny points out. “There’ s a difference.”
“Am I wrong, though?”
Johnny stares at him for a couple of seconds. Then he smiles and awkwardly pulls an arm across his shoulders for a half-hug, relieved that Robby doesn’t even try to squirm out of it.
“No, you’re not wrong. Okay, got enough cash?”
“Yeah, but I don’t need cash if I take an Uber. The new doorknob’s on you, though. The escape room thing was your idea.”
From the way the smirk is creeping back into his smile, he’s calling his dad a doofus again. That’s fair. The escape room thing was a bust. But that’s okay, because Johnny kinda loves finding out Robby can call him a doofus and still want him as a dad.
The best part about trying hard to fix a relationship is finding out the other person is actually trying as well, just as hard.
Johnny pays for the doorknob. He stays with Robby until the Uber pulls away with his kid in it. And then he fires up the Grand Caravan and probably breaks some kind of record and a couple of traffic laws getting to Encino.
Funny how life works. The first time he went to that house – on a stolen bike, because his car was a still smoking wreck thanks to LaRusso’s dumb cousin’s biker friends – he wanted nothing more than to kick LaRusso’s ass. And now? He’s also racing up that road at breakneck speed, and then he’s also standing in the driveway with clenched fists, itching for a fight – just like that first time – but everything else is radically different. He takes a deep breath before knocking, for one.
It’s Sam who opens the door, with Amanda standing inside and a Japanese man he’s never seen before, who must be the ‘Chozen’ guy Daniel mentioned when they were catching up yesterday. They would look oddly formal if not for Amanda’s expression – the kind that always makes Johnny want to punch the mirror when he meets his own eyes.
And that’s as much a kick in the guts as the way Sam’s voice broke a little over the phone, because this expression doesn’t belong on Amanda’s face at all.
Johnny mostly ignores the dude for now – although he does note that the guilt and worry on his face reflects Amanda’s – and speaks quietly, like the words have to force their way out.
“How bad is it?”
“Could be worse,” Amanda says, no louder, her voice slightly unsteady. “But, um… could be a lot better.”
“Can I talk to him?”
“I don’t know if he’s up for a lot of talking, but you can try.”
LaRusso, not talking? Things really must be bad, snarks a voice at the back of Johnny’s brain with more fondness than bite. Force of habit. There’ll always be at least a little bit of friction between them, and that’s fine. LaRusso doesn’t seem to mind, either, at least not anymore; Johnny ribbing him just gets a snort and a shake of his head when he doesn’t counter right back with a grin. That’s kind of a miracle, considering where they started from.
“I’ll take my chances,” Johnny says, even though it’s not exactly what he means. Looks like Amanda gets it, though, because she lays a hand on his arm for a second with a tight smile before walking away.
For some reason he hesitates a second in front of the bedroom door. Maybe what LaRusso needs is to lick his wounds in peace, not for his old enemy to see him at his lowest.
But then LaRusso has seen Johnny at his lowest a few times, too, and even though Johnny was tempted to tell him to go to hell – might have done a couple of times, he can’t remember right now – having him around wasn’t the worst he could endure.
So Johnny knocks once and enters without waiting for an invitation.
LaRusso looked like shit yesterday, unshaven and pinched with shadows under his eyes, but he still looked better than he does now. Even in the relative darkness of the room behind the drawn curtains – which Johnny recognises from experience as the first line of defence against a really bad headache – he can see the bruising on the side of LaRusso’s face, creeping down over his cheekbone and slithering around his eye. It might bring back an old memory of glaring at him and Miyagi from across the old Cobra Kai dojo the day after that fated Halloween night, if not for one very important detail: the eyes that were big and nervous but razor-sharp then are now bleary and unfocused.
“…ny?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” says Johnny in response to whatever that sound was that makes his own throat tight in sympathy. What the hell happened to him? “Can I, uh, come in for a minute?”
LaRusso squints at him, eyes almost screwed shut. Then he waves him in with his left hand.
Johnny closes the door, knowing all too well how much a single ray of light can hurt when your face looks like that. He plunks himself in the armchair near the head of the bed and looks – actually looks – at LaRusso.
There’s something wrong with his right shoulder, and even in the dark his eyes are reduced to slits, with lines of pain adding to the crow’s feet in the corners. The bruising on the side of his face admittedly is pretty spectacular, and there’s some more across his throat that Johnny is just noticing now, but from up close that’s not what stirs up something sour in his stomach. Even when he was a teenager who kept getting his ass kicked – and the teen version of LaRusso always seems tiny in Johnny’s memory, gangly even for a skinny kid, all big eyes and crooked grin and long noodle limbs – LaRusso has never looked fragile. Cracked, sure, but never actually broken. Johnny didn’t know that was even possible.
Something happened – not just a beating. The bruises go deeper than that. And if someone knows just how far down bruises can go even after they fade – starting with a foot to the face and especially an arm around his neck in a parking lot – it’s Johnny.
“So. What’s the damage?” he asks in a low voice.
LaRusso gives a slight one-shoulder shrug, his eyes still half closed. Johnny leans forward, elbows on his knees. LaRusso has to understand that this is important, that Johnny is not messing with him.
He has no idea how to fix this, but he’s gotta start somewhere.
“Hey, I’m asking ‘cause I don’t know. Your kid called me and said Silver beat you up. She sounded upset, I got worried – for all I knew he’d cracked your head open or something. What’d he do to your throat?”
“Foot,” croaks LaRusso, a hand on his upper chest then on his throat, just below the chin.
Ice grips Johnny’s stomach and creeps up into his ribcage. The sensation turns into fire as it reaches the tips of his fingers, making him ball up his fists.
From the pattern of bruises, this means that steaming pile of shit put his foot on LaRusso’s throat while he was down and let gravity and his own weight do the work. No mercy indeed. If LaRusso is here and not in a hospital it means he’ll be okay once he recovers, but that’s a fucked up thing to do, especially to an opponent who isn’t a threat. Johnny’s done a bit of research since last December on the consequences of chokes and strangles just in case Kreese decided to pull that crap on him again. Silver could’ve severely damaged LaRusso’s windpipe that way.
“Son of a bitch,” Johnny says, softly but completely earnest.
LaRusso does that thing where he nods and raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t look up. He won’t quite meet Johnny’s eyes. Johnny doesn’t know what to do with that. It’s starting to freak him a little.
“Don’t worry, though. No way we’re letting him get away with this. What’s Stingray’s address? I know he wouldn’t talk to you but he’ll sure as hell talk to me—”
LaRusso’s hand shoots out, catches him by the sleeve of his hoodie in a tight grip – his right hand, which makes his breath hitch as he goes paler for a second.
“Don’t,” he rasps out, his voice low-pitched and raw and breaking like a teenager’s. “Don’t, it’s not… You were right. I’m out. It’s not worth it.”
Johnny frowns. “What do you mean, ‘it’s not worth it’? Guy’s just beat you to a pulp, and what – you’re just gonna take it lying down?”
LaRusso shakes his head gingerly.
“Gonna l—leave well enough alone. For once.”
Johnny’s eyes go round. That’s – no. That’s just wrong.
“You – what? You’ve never left ‘well enough alone’ once in your life, LaRusso, even when you should have! And now all it takes is one beating to make you give up? I did worse to you back in the day and you still got all up in my face!”
Alarmingly, LaRusso doesn’t rise to the bait. Instead he tightens his grip on Johnny’s sleeve and takes a few uneven breaths.
“The kids. Said he’ll go after the k—kids.” He swallows and immediately gives a full-body wince, eyes screwed shut for a second. “That it’ll be easy for him to – to rope ‘em into Cobra Kai.”
“That’s bullshit,” says Johnny firmly, even as his heart breaks a little in his chest at that. Kreese – and probably Silver, too – did snare Robby into Cobra Kai easily. But that was because Robby, more naive than he wanted to be even after basically all the adults in his life had let him down one way or another, just went to the one guy who hadn’t disappointed him so far.
Sam LaRusso took the whole Cobra Kai is evil thing to heart long before Johnny realised the harm the Strike first, strike hard, no mercy motto was doing to his students. She also has a wholly different relationship with her dad; the way things stood between them then, Johnny knows Robby wouldn’t have been as worried about his father getting beat up to hell as Sam was when she called him earlier.
Sam is safe from whatever crap Silver might try putting into her head. And whatever the hell her brother is doing, as far as Johnny knows he’s never shown any interest in karate, so there’s that. Little gremlin’s probably better off geeking out on video games and snarking at people.
At least Johnny’s tone makes LaRusso look up and meet his eyes fully. That should be a win. It’s not. The expression in them is sending goosebumps all across Johnny’s shoulders.
“You don’t know him,” LaRusso insists in that awful raspy voice. “That’s what he d—does, he… I knew he… He gets into your head, okay? Makes you invite him in, and then… th—then if you don’t step back you d—don’t recognise yourself anymore—”
Sometimes Johnny wishes he hadn’t been stupid about losing Miguel to Miyagi-Do somehow when Silver and Kreese crashed their lesson six months ago and freaked the hell out of LaRusso, to disastrous results. Maybe then he would’ve listened to what LaRusso was not saying when he told him about the ‘85 All Valley over drinks later.
“LaRusso,” Johnny interrupts him – and then, because LaRusso looks all set to continue despite how his voice sounds, “Daniel, stop. Silver’s not getting to the kids. I won’t let him, okay? Made that mistake before, and look where that ended. Besides,” he adds, “our kids know better. Not just Sam and Robby and Miguel, I mean all our kids. Even the ones who never set foot in Cobra Kai. They know how it works, they’re not gonna fall for that – and Hawk, Bert, Nate, the others? They’re not gonna fall for that shit twice. Especially after they hear about what Silver just did to you.”
Daniel’s hand relaxes and falls. His eyes lit up with fear earlier, and now they look dull again, and Johnny doesn’t know which is worse. It’s not even anger or shame at having had his ass handed to him – which, well, is not a feeling Johnny is entirely unfamiliar with – it’s just… like he’s not fully there.
Johnny tries to catch his gaze, grab it and not let go. It’s way harder than it should be.
“I mean, if you think you’re the only one who got the shit kicked out of him by that guy, you’re wrong. He got the drop on me too one time, you’re not that special.”
That does the trick. Daniel’s eyes widen, scan him in alarm as though searching for bruises.
“You – what…? When?”
“Remember prom night? Shannon came to see me when I got home after I dropped Miguel off, said Silver had given Robby his fucking car for the evening to take his date to prom, no strings attached, just because he wanted to ‘make sure Robby was taken care of’. Even offered her a job and a new place, because why not.”
Johnny saw red then, and he still doesn’t regret for one second his knee-jerk impulse to go beat the shit out of the ponytail creep to teach him a lesson – only that Silver sucker kicked him. He can’t help feeling a little vindicated when the same red-hot anger flickers across Daniel’s face for a second.
“Except Shan can smell a rat a mile away and she’s stone cold sober now, so he only freaked her out. So she comes to tell me right away, says You need to handle this, and yeah, I do – I’ve failed Robby in all the ways a dad can fail his kid, but I’m still his father. He wants nothing to do with me, that’s fine, but that shady fucker does not get to ‘take care’ of my son and my ex like that. So I break into the Cobra Kai dojo – don’t look like that, it was mine in the first place, that’s not really illegal – and Silver calls on the landline like some movie villain, says to meet him at the corner of Magnolia and Lankershim. Apparently he wanted a trip down memory lane or something.”
“That’s—” Daniel mouths, squinting up at him suspiciously, and Johnny nods.
“Where the old dojo used to be, yeah. It’s just an empty space now. Anyway, I go there, and first thing I know, I get a roundhouse kick in the head. Coward bushwhacked me. I couldn’t even strike first, he struck before I could even see him. I mean, I still got a few good licks in, but that guy can kick, man.”
There’s a wry downturn to the corner of Daniel’s mouth – like Yeah, he does that – but no smug look, no silent I told you so, even though honestly Johnny might have let him have this one. It’s not like he wasn’t warned. He can still see Daniel in that bar, hands flitting around his whiskey glass to stress his point, brown eyes wide and earnest, saying I’m tellin’ you, Silver knows how to fight and You cannot ‘strike first’ with this guy, trust me.
And then he’d wanted to take over the kids’ training and scrap all the Eagle Fang offence, and Johnny had gone Screw that, you just think you’re better than me but you’re not, and from there the chain reaction ended up blowing everything to pieces.
God, they’d been so stupid.
“So, yeah. Oh, you wanna know the kicker, though? He just wanted to impress Kreese. Here’s a Johnny Lawrence all beat up, happy fucking birthday, I guess. He figured that if Miguel saw me beaten to a pulp, he’d be too upset to win the tournament.” Johnny shakes his head. “That would’ve been useless anyway. I screwed up with the kid all on my own – didn’t need to get kicked in the head for that. Just to make it all about me and put too much pressure on his shoulders, especially just before that last match. Some sensei,” he can’t help but mutter. “The only difference with Kreese is that at least this time I made it clear to the kids that No mercy was out of the question.”
Sympathy softens Daniel’s whole face in two seconds flat.
“Johnny,” he says gently, or at least that’s Johnny’s best guess.
Johnny waves it off because first off no, he doesn’t want to go there, and in any case Daniel’s voice box is in bad enough shape and he doesn’t need to make it worse.
“Anyway – Kreese wasn’t too happy about that, for some reason. We agreed to settle this at the tournament, he said, and I thought you knew better than to question me, like he was Silver’s boss or something. I was too out of it to catch the rest, but I think Silver didn’t like that at all. So maybe that’s why he paid Stingray to lie and say Kreese beat him up – because he was tired of playing second fiddle to Kreese.”
He suspects there’s a lot more to these two’s relationship than that, but to be honest, he doesn’t really care. The threat of Kreese has dropped significantly since he got sent to jail and good fucking riddance. Unless the two of them are still working together somehow – which Johnny seriously doubts, considering Silver apparently framed his old partner like some psycho in a gangster movie – now they can focus on taking down Terry Silver and Cobra Kai without John Kreese in the picture.
This shouldn’t be such a relief to Johnny, but it is. The fact that he doesn’t have to worry about his old mentor getting under his skin like he’s so easily done in the past does give him a clearer head and a sharper focus. His beef with Silver, beyond an ass-kicking, isn’t personal – that one defeat is nothing to the ongoing struggle to claw out every single remnant of John Kreese from his mind and that of everyone he’s ever touched. The urge to scrub the world clean of Strike first, strike hard, no mercy, to scrape out every trace of paint of the motto on that wall, to erase every imprint he’s made like he never existed. After that, well, maybe Johnny will be left with a hole in his soul but at least what used to fill it won’t hurt anyone anymore—
Johnny blinks.
…Shit. This is pretty much what Silver is to Daniel, isn’t it.
That’s why he was so hell-bent on stopping Johnny from resurrecting Cobra Kai in the first place.
Johnny tucks the realisation into a corner of his mind for the moment, because Daniel’s eyes shutter closed at the mention of Stingray as abruptly as someone pulling curtains over a window. He’s checking out again.
“Hey,” says Johnny, laying a hand on his forearm, “stop that. Okay, I’m not gonna go ask Stingray, but we gotta do something. I said Cobra Kai had to go, last December, and I meant it.” He gives Daniel’s arm a squeeze and lets go to lean back in his seat a bit. “Things just got… It was a lot after the tournament, you know? Robby left Cobra Kai, Miguel disappeared to Mexico, and then when we got back there was…”
He stops himself just in time, thinks it over for a second. He can’t tell Daniel about the baby yet – it’s too new, too fragile, too uncertain, and anyway Carmen prefers to wait until the next sonogram to tell anyone, just to be safe. I’m dealing with some family stuff, he said to Daniel yesterday; what he meant was I’m trying to get my son and the kid who’s pretty much mine as well to get along without trying to kill each other. A few weeks ago he would’ve meant I’m in way over my head because I’ve got another kid on the way and I have no idea how to not screw that up and figure out how to be an actual family.
But family isn’t necessarily about blood, and it can be so much more complicated than just passing down genes. Look at Miguel and Robby.
Unexpectedly, Johnny finds himself grinning.
“That reminds me – you know the ‘family stuff’ I talked about yesterday? I actually took your advice and you know what? It worked like a charm.”
Daniel’s eyes liven up again – from suspicion, but still, it’s a far cry from the earlier dull, unfocused look that’s so alien to him it spooked Johnny just a little.
“Remember you said that maybe, if we’d gotten the chance to really fight it out when we were kids, we might’ve gotten our shit together a lot sooner? You were right, man. I got Robby and Miguel to go all out on each other – no tournament rules, just beat each other up until they had enough. And after a while they just… stopped and talked. And now they’re okay.”
If Daniel had been his usual self, Johnny would have really enjoyed the various shades of What the hell that flit across his face at this. Confusion turns into alarm, then dismay, which fades into wariness. But the squint that follows is still a bit too narrow-eyed to not be chalked up to the headache, and that just spoils things.
“Are they?” Daniel ends up asking, obviously having put a lot of thought into these two words since long sentences are out for now.
“Yeah.” Johnny smiles, completely sincere this time. “They’re good kids, you know – they just had a lot of pent-up shit. Turns out they just needed the chance to clear the air and just talk. They only needed to… I don’t know. Tire themselves out first or something.”
Or scare themselves straight first. Johnny will never forget being rooted to the spot like an idiot as the fight escalated and the boys ended up on that balcony, torn between a growing fear and the voice in his head that repeated trust them trust them trust them like a broken record. He’d been right, in the end, but those terrifying few seconds just before Miguel and Robby came to their senses is something that he’ll never share with Daniel, or anyone else for that matter.
The look on Daniel’s face softens into an actual smile with a touch of the open fondness Johnny never quite knows what to do with when it’s directed at him.
“Told you you’d work it out,” he says in that too-hoarse voice that raises the hairs on Johnny’s arms, if only because he knows all too well what it feels like to sound like that.
But also it just might be the nicest I told you so he’s ever gotten, especially from Daniel LaRusso, so he shakes his head, amused and just a little touched.
Then he sobers up.
“I get it now, you know. Why you were so obsessed with taking down Cobra Kai even when it was just me and one nerd in a crappy lot in Reseda. You were afraid of what it’d do to kids if it took off. And… I guess you were right about that, too, look at how Hawk’s and Miguel’s first tournament went.”
Strike first, strike hard – Johnny thought he could twist that into something positive. And maybe he had, at least up to a point. But now he has enough hindsight to recognise there was no redeeming No mercy. That part was just fucked up.
“Don’t worry, though, I’ll be keeping an eye on the kids. Silver is not getting to them – not mine, and not yours. Not just Sam and the other one,” he adds, just to make himself really clear, “I mean all the kids.”
Something like fond annoyance flashes on Daniel’s face. For a second it makes him look almost normal.
“Anthony.”
“Whatever. I’ll make sure Silver stays the hell away from that little punk too.”
Daniel makes to shake his head, then freezes and screws his eyes shut again for a few seconds, breathing slowly. Johnny can sympathise. Concussions are no joke after all; between this and the throat thing, Daniel’s out of commission for the next couple of days at least.
But that’s not what worries Johnny the most.
“I’m gonna go. Rest up, okay? Then we’ll take Silver down. Give Kreese his bridge partner back, he’ll like that.”
This time Daniel doesn’t grab Johnny’s arm. He just stares at him, eyes still slightly unfocused, looking grimmer than Johnny’s seen him in a long time.
“Promise you won’t go after him.”
Johnny’s hackles rise. An old reflex.
“I can take him,” he snaps. “I just wasn’t ready last time. And there’s no way in hell I’m letting him get away with – with everything.”
“Promise,” Daniel insists in that raspy voice that hurts to hear.
While the reason behind that adds fuel to the fire of Johnny’s anger, it doesn’t turn into a blinding rage like it does sometimes. It’s deeper instead, slower, colder.
“All right, I promise,” says Johnny, mentally adding for now. It feels like one hell of a concession already.
That son of a bitch is going down, and sooner rather than later.
Daniel looks relieved, which makes Johnny irrationally angry. That’s not exactly a new feeling; their talent for getting under each other’s skin has only improved in the years they haven’t seen each other. Learning how to fit their own jagged edges against one another’s took hard work and many, many false starts. But being angry on Daniel’s behalf, now, that is new. The urge to punch someone’s teeth in feels the same, but also it doesn’t. Johnny has a feeling there’d be more weight behind his punch, and it has a lot to do with the unsettling impression of just plain wrong that follows him out of the bedroom.
Because Daniel LaRusso is a lot of things – he’s annoying, he’s compassionate, he’s self-righteous, he’s too damn smart for his own good, and no amount of cultivated car salesman smoothness or time spent in Encino country clubs can truly hide the mouthy Jersey twerp Johnny remembers – but what he is not is weak.
Whatever Silver did – whatever Silver said – it broke his spirit, and that is what is making Johnny’s fists itch to crash into that too-wide smile.
He has to clench and flex them a few times (a technique he learned from Miguel) and take a deep, controlled breath (a technique he learned from Daniel) before he steps back into the living room, where Amanda, Sam and the new guy are all sitting together, like a war council.
Johnny Lawrence is good at breaking things. But it turns out he also knows a thing or two about fixing them.
“So,” he asks in a low voice when all three pairs of eyes snap up to him, “what do we do?”
______________________ 
Give me ALL the former enemies turned rivals turned reluctant allies turned friends. Seriously 💜
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Don't imagine Cas holding Deans hand on airplane trips when Dean and Sam decide to travel the world with Cas and Eileen after getting free from Chuck. Don't imagine how Cas can speak every language so they never have trouble finding their way around but Cas has watched the world for thousands of years so he knows the best spots anyway. Don't picture the photo of them in Rome with Deans arm around Cas's waist. Don't think about the first time Dean hears Cas speak French and insists he speaks it the rest of the night even if Dean doesn't understand a bit of it but it makes his knees weak. Don't imagine Dean geeking out at a dojo in Japan or Sam insisting they go on every single tour guide trip to learn the history of Egypt. And Cas keeps pointing out everything that's incorrect and the guide gets really mad and Dean has to smooth things over. Don't picture them skiing in Switzerland or surfing in Brazil for the first time.
Just don't picture it.
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