victory | j. lawrence

chapter two

warnings: none :-) a/n is at the end of the chapter. Flashbacks are in italics

-

Johnny didn't know how to react. His mind went blank looking at you stand in front of him for the first time since you guys graduated. Part of him felt excited to see you again after however long. But another part of him was nervous to know as to why you were here.

"Cat got your tongue, Lawrence?" You smirked looking at him which snapped him out of his trance, his eyes flickering between you and Miguel who stood idly on the side, curious as to what was going to happen next.

"Kid, you still have work to finish up in the back room" Johnny said, his eyes never leaving you. Miguel nodded his head, grabbing the rag and spray bottle and excusing himself, rushing to get away from the awkward tension you both had created.

"What are you doing back here?" Johnny asked, stepping forward towards you slowly as you watched his slow movements. Your nerves were all over the place but you tried your best to keep your cool.

"I'm working at the branch over here" you said as he continued to look at you, watching his eyes flicker up and down your body.

Clearing your throat, you looked around as you took your hands out from your back pockets. "I see you've brought it back" you said, motioning to the dojo before meeting his eyes again with a worried look. "After everything that happened" you said again in a low tone.

Johnny looked down, wiping his hands with the rag he was holding before looking back up at you. "I told you I would. To make a change, make it better" he said, stopping infront of you so you were merely a foot away from each other.

With him being closer, you were able to better examine how he looked. He still held that small twinkle in his eyes that you fell for when you were both younger and it tugged at your heart knowing you were still able to see it. He had aged but that's what happens when you grow up. Part of you wished you had been there with him, to grow up together.

Johnny mimicked your actions and took in your close appearance as well. He still found you attractive, no matter how much time had passed, but another part saw the girl he fell in love with in high school. The same girl who didn't mind his cocky demeanor or the fact that he was just some dumb, angry kid in school.

"I know, I just-" you started, looking down for a quick second, letting out a sigh before grabbing ahold of his hand lightly. Looking back up you smiled. "I thought it was just small talk. I didn't think you would actually do it" You said which caused him to chuckle before engulfing your hand and giving it a light squeeze. It felt good having his hand in yours once again after so long.

"I wanted to bring it back with you by my side, you know" he said lowly, causing your facial expression turn to regret. You remember that night on the beach, after the tournament when eh told you about his plan. You had thought it was just talk, small talk that would never go into existence but here you were, standing in the dojo that Johnny revived.

"I know" you started, looking down and squeezing his hand lightly. "I'm sorry I left, I just- well you know why I had to leave" you said, looking back up at him as he nodded at you.

"Yeah I know. But look at you, you're back here and he's not here to try and stop this" he said, looking around the dojo before looking back at you.

"Come on, it's never too late to join and help train students" he said, bringing your intertwined hands up. Your eyes flickered from your hands to his face.

Letting out a sigh, you nodded your head. "How about this, I'll think about it but that doesn't mean yes, Lawrence" you said, removing your hand from his. You felt almost regretful once again letting his hand go, scared that you'll lose him again but you shook that part away.

"You know where to find me when you make your decision, ladybug" he winked as you let out a chuckle from the old nickname he once gave you when you both were in high school.

-

"Alright, don't move" Johnny said, stepping closer to you slowly as you stopped in your tracks, looking at him cautiously. 

"What? What is it?" you said as he picked off something from your shoulder. Looking down at his fingers you saw it was a small ladybug and you let out a sigh, feeling a bit happy that it wasn't a large bug.

"You always have these on you and I know how much you hate bugs" he said, looking at it before it flew away. Looking at you with a small smile, you couldn't help but feel your cheeks get warm under his gaze.

"You're just a ladybug yourself" he said as your rolled your eyes at him and continued walking. From that day one, he wouldn't let up the name 'ladybug' even around the other guys from Cobra Kai, where they also called you that as well.

-

"I've got to go" you said, grabbing your car keys from your pocket before looking up at him once again. "Have to go say hi to some other familiar faces"

"It was good to see you again" he smiled at you as you smiled warmly at him. You felt your heart beat a little faster when you saw him lean in for a hug. Wrapping your arms around him, you closed your eyes, taking in the moment. Once again, you felt at ease within his embrace and you didn't want to let him go.

Johnny pulled back with a smile before stepping back, looking you over again before you snapped out of your daze. Lowering down your sunglasses you headed towards the door.

"See ya later, Lawrence!" you called out before exiting the dojo. Seeing the door close behind you, Johnny couldn't help feel a smile grow on his face. Turning to back to the office, he stopped once he saw Miguel stand near the office door with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Is that your girlfriend??" Miguel asked a bit excitedly and Johnny couldn't help but let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

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a/n: okay I hope this chapter didn't entirely suck oof. I swear it'll get better from here (hopefully cknren)

ALSO! can we talk about the new teaser trailer for season 3 of cobra kai ?? I'm so excited yeS

anywho! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! much love <3