Chapter Text
The bus ride home from work had been mercifully short and sweet tonight, allowing you to return home at the timely hour of 8 pm. After a nice hot shower, you dressed yourself in the most comfiest pair of lounge pants that you owned, finishing your ensemble with a slightly larger t shirt that you had stolen from your boyfriend. You did not have work the next day, or the day after as it was your Friday-thank goodness. You had thought your day off would never come with the week you were having.
You were not at all in the mood to prep, chop and cook your dinner for tonight, So you microwaved yourself a bowl of the most delectable instant ramen in your kitchen cabinet. Lazily, you planted yourself on your living room sofa, your legs crossed underneath you as you opened up Hulu on your tv screen to watch a few shows. You missed cable, but not the goddamn bills that it brought, digital seemed like the best choice on your income. Besides, the app came with your tv (so did Netflix but the selection sucked lately) It was definitely looking like a binge night as you had no other plans, with your phone not having rung in days.
As your first program went to commercial, you took out your smartphone, you looked at your call history. The name Johnny was still on there, his last phone call had been two weeks ago. He was training his students for an upcoming competition, you weren’t really all that surprised that he had not contacted you in all honesty. The All Valley tournament really meant a lot to him and you wanted him to focus on it. It was tomorrow, you were certain of that. Not that you had marked it down or anything.
After the competition you were sure you two would see a lot more of each other.
Still it would have been nice to hear from him, you missed him. It didn’t help that he didn’t like texting (you weren’t sure if he even knew how to text) but it was good that he was on a positive road. Johnny was his own boss now, no more answering to Mike or bitchy Encino jerks from his old job as a handyman.
Johnny was practicing something he really enjoyed when he was young. He even had a class full of kids that looked up to him. That last fact was shocking, even to you. Johnny still drank a lot, you didn’t like that, he at least had the courtesy to brush his teeth or chew gum before kissing you, but his drinking was something you wish he could shake.
Though you had not heard from Johnny, you did get a call from your mother who had just retired and had settled in San Diego. Mom did not like Johnny, not that she had ever even met him. You had told her about him when you had mentioned bringing him over to her place for the holidays, she barked back with a cold-hard fact about you and Johnny’s age difference. That he had probably been in college when you were learning your abcs, that one particularly stung and had really hit Johnny hard as he was in the room with you as you discussed these plans with your mother, you had also made the mistake of having her on speaker. That phone call had made Johnny leave your home for twenty minutes, he promptly returned with a six pack of coors banquet. She nagged you constantly about going out with a guy like Johnny, a man much older than you,not that his age bothered you…it really didnt.
You had not planned on having kids, and Johnny didn’t want any more. He already had a teenage son from a previous relationship, and your mom hated that fact. She hated that you weren’t going to give her any biological grandchildren especially if you stayed with Johnny. That all she’d get would be a step-grandson If things got serious. She was brutal, Despite the fact, that you didn’t want kids at all, your mom thought you’d change your mind if you found a different, younger more ambitious guy.
A loser is what your mom called Johnny every time she asked you if you were still together. mom had called Johnny that name many times over the past three years. You often quarreled with her in a vain attempt to defend him, but damn it all to hell if all the things your mother said didn’t strike a few nerves. Part of you knew she was right, yet you just couldn’t give up on him.
There was something special about him despite his vices. You had seen the good in him many times over the years.
When you and Johnny first met, it had been during a very crappy day at work for you. He had been the handyman hired by your work place to fix a light switch near your cubicle at an ad agency, You were only a temp but your “manager” was a real bitch who enjoyed adding as much work to your task list than necessary, Johnny had called her a name when she left you two alone for a spell- and you had agreed with him. He than went to work on his task, something that took several hours longer than the estimate that he had told your boss.
Though you did not want to seem conceited, you were almost certain (now anyways) that you were the reason why it had taken him so long to fix the switch and leave. Since your boss was rude to him, you had decided to be kind to him. you had even gone as far as to offer him water from the break room a few times, you had even spoken to him casually about the rocky movies, rocky three was your favorite of them. He laughed with you, his smile was a winning feature in your opinion next to his very blue eyes, talking to him had helped you keep going through this already exhausting day.
When he finally finished his task, he had walked passed your bitchy manager who had gone up to him to give him a lecture for the outrageous amount of time that it had taken him to do his job-something about not paying for overtime either, he had ignored her and went straight to your cubicle.
“So” he had said with a confident smile, he leaned on your cubicle wall with his forearm, your manager balked at his blatant dismissal of her “Can I get your number?”
Your manager was shocked by what he had asked of you, so shocked that she couldn’t even find her bullhorn voice. You couldn’t help yourself, especially with this delicious set up. You thought: what the hell! He is good looking, Besides you both like rocky, you both seemed to have a bit in common, so why not? you smiled at him warmly, and scribbled down your name, and number on a post-it note.
A week later your temp agency transferred you elsewhere, that same week you went out on your first date with Johnny.
Although you two got along well, he had demons, a past that he just couldn’t let go off. There were a lot of things you didn’t like about him, the fact that he wasn’t at all into modern technology was one, his machismo another, his constant need for alcohol the biggest peeve of yours out of all of them. Yet, at the same time there were just as many things about him you did like. He was tender when he was alone with you, he was very affectionate-holding your hand whenever you were out together. He listened whenever you had something to say. He even occasionally gave good advice.
Johnny enjoyed the little things, like driving around town and listening to music. He enjoyed mini golf, the two of you went out to golf n stuff every now and then. He would let you win most of the time, only getting competitive when you challenged his manhood. He even took you to the beach as the sun went down, just to walk with you. Sometimes you two got a little bit wild if you two stayed out there long enough. It was crazy, the things you two would do when you knew you were both completely alone, things that were frowned upon on a public beach.
“Your one wild chick.” He’d whisper in your ear when things got hot and heavy, his body moved with yours to the sound of the waves crashing near you. You were always a little more free with him at the beach, kissing and gently tugging at his blond hair with your soft hands. Johnny liked it, you never pulled his locks too hard.
“You’re the one who makes me so adventurous.” You would always respond while kissing his neck. Always urging him to go further. He would happily oblige.
“Damn babe.” Johnny would moan when he came “I think I might love you.”
It was rarely boring between you.
His devil may care attitude, was something you admired. You weren’t nearly as outspoken as he was, the things Johnny would say were definitely-not pc but occasionally refreshing for some reason.
When things were good between you, they were fantastic.
But when they were bad…it was downright catastrophic.
Especially when Shannon was involved.
Even more so when it came to his son Robby. Shannon was always doing something sketchy, always saying the worst things about Johnny to his son, things that deeply wounded your guy.
You shook that hateful woman out your thoughts immediately. Johnny did have a lot of baggage, you were willing to accept it, it was his breakdowns after dealing with his ex that you couldn’t handle. Robby calling Johnny names on the phone were like knives to the heart for Johnny, Shannon had a large influence on his son, things would always get ugly. So ugly that the only way for Johnny to cope with it was to go drink his troubles away. Those episodes often got him into deep shit.
Though you understood his pain, it wasn’t’ easy for you to handle, which is why you had broken up with him twice in the past three years. Both times it had been your choice, both times it ended with Johnny pleading with you to talk and work things out with him. The first break up had only lasted a month, he promised to change, he did, for awhile. The second time you were far less willing to compromise, you walked out on him despite his pleas, he had even cried that second time. He never cried in front of people.
Still…you left.
Nothing would change for him if you stayed, you believed that. You believed in your heart that he’d have to find his own way. He had to learn to let go of his demons. He’d have to be the one to fix his relationship with his son, he would have to learn to deal with Shannon’s bullshit. What more could you do without putting strain on your own sanity? It had to be his way. Walking away was your only option. It hurt knowing that Johnny was likely going to go out to the nearest convenience store and binge drink to numb his wounds, wounds caused by you...
You worried about him, you always thought of him, but you stood by your decision, even when he’d call ten times a day and leave so many voicemails begging you to talk. Even though it broke your heart to cut him out, you did not return his calls. you kept an iron will during that time, you knew it was best to stay away. move on. you had a life to live too...was it fair to always stress out over a man?. no. no it was not fair.
But when his calls did finally stop, the reality hit you hard-it truly was over. You finally broke down and cried. Wishing he was with you, wishing that you could hold him and kiss him. to talk to him about rocky, to ride with him in his car, to be with him at the beach. To be with...him, your heart ached. You longed for Johnny. you wanted to see his face, his smile, you wanted to hear him call you babe again.
it was over though, you had ended it.
At the beginning of the fall you had still not forgotten him, you had been tempted to call him a few times. Instead you would listen to voicemails from a better time in your relationship. At that point you two had been broken up for four months. in November you had taken the bus to visit a friend of yours, it just so happened to ride past the strip mall closest to Johnny’s apartment, that was when you saw it. The sign.
It read: Cobra Kai. The name of Johnny’s karate dojo from when he was in junior high to high school.
The sign had made you pull the cord above your seat, requesting the bus stop. Which you promptly exited. You didn’t know what to expect, but something told you to go and have a look. It was there that you saw Johnny again, he was practicing Karate once more. Teaching it. He had a full class when you walked in. Johnny had been in the middle of training, once he saw you he had instructed two students to take over.
The look in his eye, his blue eyes were full of surprise, though the rest of his face did not show it, he kept it serious, likely to look professional in front of his students. He strode around his class who practiced with ferocity in their voices. When he stopped in front of you, your heart began to beat rapidly, he was so different. Only four months had past but you could see that something had changed in him. so many things went through your mind. your first thought being that he was going to demand that you leave the vicinity and never come near it again.
“Hey” you had said to him with a small smile when you finally found your voice.
“Hey” he replied simply. He motioned for you to go and talk outside, his face stoic. You looked down nervously as you two went out the doors.
Johnny told you about what had led him to opening a dojo. You listened carefully, you were surprised. proud of him even.
“I’m glad for you.” You said smiling at him “Really, I’m very glad to see you doing better. You…really look great in that uniform.”
“It’s called a gi” He corrected you touching the chest of his gi with his hand. You nodded sheepishly.
“I’m sorry. You look great in that gi.” You replied with embarrassment in your voice, he snickered at that.
“So you like what you see?” he said slyly, you couldn’t help but blush.
“Your full of yourself.” You chided him playfully, though really you wanted to proclaim that he looked sexy as hell in his gi.
“Well, yeah. All chicks want to be with a Cobra.” Johnny said with a huge grin on his face. You laughed at that. He had the grace to laugh as well.
"I'm...sorry I never called you back." You said solemnly, Johnny looked away, his hands at his sides. you hear him take a deep breath.
"I've missed you." he confessed "Can't say I blame you for dumping me.,i'm not sure why you were with me for so long..."
"Johnny I-" you started and he touched your arm.
"Don't say your sorry." he interrupted you "You did the right thing..."
"Actually...I was going to say that i missed you too" you felt tears well up in your eyes. Johnny took a step closer to you and scooped you up into his arms.
It did not take long for you guys to get back together after that. You had even convinced him to watch Thor Ragnarok with you on a movie date, a nerd movie he had called it until he had watched it and enjoyed the movie much to your relief. he was not into newer flicks, only once in a blue moon could you convince him to watch something different in the cinema.
Most nights when you and Johnny spent time together it is at his place, watching movies from his collection. Occasional rides to the beach too. But Johnny for the first time in you relationship was very focused on something other than his problems with his ex. He was training those kids at his dojo, he was helping them, inspiring them, he was a mentor. Maybe even a hero to them.
Some weeks he’d be too busy with the cobra’s that you didn’t mind that he couldn’t hang out,much like tonight, it gave you a chance to watch stuff that you knew Johnny wouldn’t really be into. There was nothing wrong with having a bit of alone time was there?
Your program ended, so you started a different show.
It started raining around 9, you liked the sound of rain, you were getting really into the show you were watching, you were enjoying your night so far. It was chill. It was perfect.
It wouldn’t last.
Around 10 you heard the unmistakable sound of a car screeching outside of your apartment window, your place was closest to the main neighborhood street allowing you to hear every-thing that crossed by. Lucky you. You heard- the sound of a trash can fall over, and some yelling. A man slurring to himself out loud.
“oh god, please don’t be what I think this is!” you prayed out loud as you rushed to your living room window. Drawing the closed curtains slightly open you could see a tall, blond man stumbling toward your building, This scenario was all to familiar, Johnny…oh Johnny…what happened this time?
Though the car was new, when had he gotten that? He loved his firebird. Rain slowly dropping onto him. You knew him, you were all too familiar with this scenario, once upon a time you had turned him away when he was like this. But over time, you had started going to him, trying in vain to help him when he was plastered. He had not done this in a while. Certainly not in the past few months since your reconciliation, months where you had witnessed him turn his life around.
Dashing to your front door, you quickly unlocked your dead bolt and your main lock. Throwing the door wide open you sprinted outside bare foot to the gate next to your apartment. He was leaning on the gate, his back towards you, he was practically slumping to the ground.
No, not again…you couldn't go through this again…
.