-ＤＡＵＮＴＬＥＳＳ- 𝑗𝑜ℎ𝑛𝑛𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝟖 • 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

🅝🅔🅖🅞🅣🅘🅐🅣🅘🅞🅝
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"Where you goin'?" Erik questions in a muffled voice, his mouth filled with cereal as I slip on my sneakers the next morning.

"I'm gonna go help Daniel with some homework in gov, I'll be back later. Tell Mom where I am, please?" He nods, swallowing his cocoa puffs.

"Stay safe, love you."

"Love you," I reply before rushing out the door and cruising down the back road to Reseda. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi wait in a faded yellow car, easily a few decades old, and the boy signals for me to hop in the middle seat.

"Since when do you drive, Danny?" I ask with a confused expression while I pull the seatbelt across my waist.

"Since now." The old man responds with a satisfied grin and Daniel gives me a little bit of a worried glance paired with wide eyes. 

We arrived at the studio that Daniel said was Cobra Kai and not too long after, I recognize the building to be the one Erik, Andie, and I kept driving past on the great burger hunt of '84 during our first day here.

"You're not driving back." I tell him as I trip out of the car slightly dizzy.

I trail in behind the two and we stand at the entrance observing the lines of white robes. They gather in a circle as directed by the man in the back I'd assume to be their sensei. He wears a cold expression and the tone of his voice as he shouts commands sends a shock of nervousness through me.

I glance back at Daniel and visibly see the thoughts racing through his mind just as mine were. Maybe this isn't a good idea, maybe it'd only make things worse for him and I'd hate to be there to witness Daniel's encounters exacerbate if that's humanly possible.

I catch Johnny's eye in the mirror and he glances back at the three of us, a wide purple bruise prominent on the surface of his pale skin. His sensei steps down the line, his voice booming in the boys' faces as he holds his hands behind his back.

"An enemy deserves no mercy. What is the problem, Mr. Lawrence?" He questions with irritation and he leans toward the cold man to whisper. His attention flips back to the front entrance and the tension grows as he saunters our way, his chin held up with confidence. "Class we have visitors. Fall in behind me."

The group of boys follow as he says and Johnny stands beside him, avoiding eye contact while he stares forward.

"I heard you jumped some of my students last night." He accuses with his arms crossed, looking down at Mr. Miyagi.

"Afraid the facts mixed up." He replies,

"Are you calling him a liar?"

"No call no one nothing." I glance back at Daniel who listens to the encounter in silence, his eyes flickering between the two men with visible anxiety.

"You don't come in here, drop a challenge and leave, old man. You get your boy on that mat, or you and I will have a problem." The sensei seethes in a low tone.

"Too much advantage, your dojo." I see a few of the students snicker at this response from my peripheral vision.

"Name a place."

"Tournament." The older man references the poster on the wall titled 'All Valley.'

"You've got real nerve, old man. But I think we can accommodate you. Can't we Mr. Lawrence?" He tilts his head, keeping his eyes on Mr. Miyagi.

"Yes, Sensei," Johnny replies in a raspy voice, his lips curling into a subtle smirk.

"Fall in." The man begins to turn around, but Mr. Miyagi holds his hand out.