─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
it was a common thing for gioia to randomly seal herself in her room and stay there, not wanting to come out. she would leave for basic things like doing chores, eating and using the bathroom for essential necessities.
she had seen neither miguel nor johnny since the day of the mini-mart fight, and she was definitely missing her friend. bianca suggested she pop to the boy's house to say hello, but she refused - insisting her social battery had run out.
"someone's at the door for you, gioia!" her mother yelled out, "and i'm heading off to work."
"addio mamma." gioia grunted as she got up from her bed, she was in her favourite unicorn pyjamas and hadn't notice.
once she entered the front room, she was greeted with miguel, who wore a broad smile on his face.
"let's go," he spoke.
"let's go?" she repeated his words, turning it into a question.
"right, sorry." he stopped for a second, "johnny, the man who beat up those boys, opened a karate dojo; you and i are going to be his first students."
gioia's face scrunched up in confusion at his offer, "we are?"
"only if you want to be, of course."
she shrugged, "sure, let us go."
miguel stopped her from moving any further towards the door, "as much as i love your... unicorn outfit,"
she looked down and saw her choice of clothing, her face burning up in embarrassment.
"i don't think it's appropriate for martial arts," he concluded.
gioia agreed while hurrying to her bedroom, "wait right here, just-just give me a couple of minutes."
"yeah, i'll wait."
"hold on..." she sped back into the room to see him looking at her with a perplexed expression, "have you done something to your hair?"
─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
the two stood facing johnny in silence. the man was in a black karate gi with a yellow cobra snake on the back. johnny had been reluctant to let the girl, but after she and miguel began going on about sexism and equality, he said if they 'shut their face holes' she could join. so they did.
now, they had been waiting for johnny to speak, but he didn't.
"sooo, are we going to get the karate pyjamas too?" miguel quizzed.
"quiet!" johnny yelled into the boy's face.
"okay."
"the student only speaks when spoken to." johnny instructed, "is that understood."
"yes."
"yeah." gioia nodded.
johnny gave the two a look, telling them to go on.
"yeah, mr lawrence." gioia corrected herself.
"yes, sir." miguel added.
johnny shook his head, "always address me as 'sensei'. is that understood?"
"yes, sensei." the two spoke in sync.
"these aren't pyjamas, this is a gi." he explained, "and you'll get one when you've earned it. ready to begin your training?"
"yeah, sensei." miguel nodded. before he knew it, johnny put his hands under his arms and threw him to the ground, "what the-"
the man then crouched down and swiped gioia's feet forward, making her fall right next to the tanned boy with a groan.
"oh, wow." she hissed in agony.
"lesson one: strike first." johnny told them, "never wait for the enemy to attack."
"i didn't think you were the enemy." gioia voiced as she pushed herself up.
"you could have given me... like a warning." miguel defended himself.
"quiet!" he screamed, "you do not train to be merciful here. mercy is for the weak." johnny began circling around the pair.
miguel reached into his pocket and pulled out his asthma pump, he took the cap off and inhaled a puff.
"here on the street, in competition a man confronts you - he is the enemy." johnny continued as miguel took another hit, "and the enemy deserves no mercy. what is the problem, mr diaz?"
as migeul attempted to catch his breath, gioia tried to hide her smile, "there's no problem, sensei. you punched me, and i have asthma, so-"
he was cut off by johnny seizing the inhaler from his hands and tossing it against the wall, "not anymore."
"oh my." gioia looked at him a glint of concern in her eyes.
"we do not allow weakness in this dojo." johnny stated, "so, you can leave your asthma and your peanut allergies and all that other made-up bullshit outside. understood?"
"yes... but those are real medical problems and i was-" miguel began talking but stopped once he saw johnny's solemn face, "yes, sensei - understood."
johnny moved in front of gioia, "now, miss barbra-"
"it is barbusca." she quickly corrected him.
"not here it isn't." he shook his head, "now, miss barbra. any 'allergies' i have to worry about?" johnny asked, putting quotations gestures at the word.
"well... i am allergic to seafood but-"
"well, if you ever see me bringing a whole bucket of sushi in here, make sure to run and hide," he advised her.
"thank you?"
"cobra kai isn't about just karate. it's about a way of life. take that first lesson." johnny commented before pointing at the white wall with six words painted in black:
STRIKE FIRST
STRIKE HARD
NO MERCY
"striking first is the initial step towards victory." the man described to them, "okay? like when you're at a party and you see a hot babe..." he stopped to look at gioia, "or, uh, hot boy."
she nodded, not really minding whichever example.
"you don't wait for another person to go talk to them first, do you?" johnny tested them.
"i mean, i've never been to a party so..." miguel shrugged.
"i think it depends on whether i really like them or not." gioia opinionated.
"all right, no surprise." johnny pointed at miguel, "and that didn't even make sense. striking first is about being aggressive, all right?"
"yes, sensei." gioia agreed.
"if you're not being aggressive, you're being a pussy and you don't want to be a pussy - you wanna have balls." johnny finalised.
"don't you think you're doing a lot of genderising?"
"what?"
"oh, uh." miguel shook his head, "don't you think you're doing a lot of genderising, sensei?"
"i agree, i do not think i want to have balls." gioia hummed, "no offence, sensei."
"oh, uh, my guidance councillor says that certain words can perpetuate the sexist world view that can trigger-" miguel rambled.
"quiet!" he screamed, "from now on, you won't listen to your guidance councillor - you're gonna listen to me. is that understood?"
"yes, sensei."
"good. now stop yapping like a little girl and give me fifty push-ups on your knuckles." johnny demanded.
"uh, okay." miguel got down to the ground.
"don't just stand there." johnny called out, "you too, miss barbra."
"right, sorry." she apologised before getting down on all fours.
"ah, ah, ah." he shook his head, "not the girly way."
"the what way?" gioia inquiered.
"you know, when you... when you... ah forget it." johnny threw his hands up in defeat and allowed her to do it her way.
miguel was beside her, attempting to pull himself back up from the push-up he started.
"all right, just do some crunches." johnny sighed, "don't you have gym class or something?"
"school hasn't started." gioia told him while moving onto her sixth push up.
"my apologies, miss barbra." he spoke sarcastically, "didn't you have gym class or something?"
"yeah." miguel nodded while shifting his position on the mats.
a small man with glasses and a tie walked in, "howdy there, mr lawrence?"
"uh, it's sensei." miguel said.
"shut up, miguel." johnny snapped.
"it is mr diaz." gioia corrected him.
johnny turned to the blonde girl and scowled at her before trekking to the man, "what brings you in?" he patted the man's stomach, "looking to lose some gut and learn how to kick ass?"
"no." he shook his head, "i'm from city health department. this is a list of requirements needed to open up an exercise studio."
"three."
"this isn't an exercise studio." johnny clarified as he looked at the paper list, "this is a karate dojo."
the health department man rolled his eyes, "yeah, same deal."
"four."
"wow." the man looked around in awe, "this place needs a lot of work. you're not open for business, are you?" he asked johnny.
before johnny could reply, the man had turned to the two stretching on the mats.
"you two, are you customers here?"
"oh no, that's just an illegal and his european associate i picked up this morning." johnny lied, "they're helping me set up."
"i don't need to know about all that." the man told him, "i just need to make sure that this place is up to code. you don't want a scabies outbreak like that hot yoga place over on tujunga."
"wait, wait." johnny scanned the sheets, "so, i have to do all this crap before i even open?"
"no, you need to do all that so you can get the certificate required to get the insurance you need to open." the health department worker explained, "but you knew that when you signed your lease, right?"
miguel lightly laughed and tapped his friend, "he totally didn't."
"i don't think sensei even read the lease." gioia joked, making him smile.
as johnny and the man finished up their conversation, he moved over to the snake on the wall, "huh, cool rattlesnake."
"it's a cobra."
"oh right, duh." the man nodded, "i'm such an idiot... cobra kay."
johnny sighed as the doorbell jangled, symbolising he had left.
⎯ ❃ neens speaks!
boring boring chapter, sorry loves
but the miguel and gioia content makes me so happy <3