"Thanks, dad! I think I'm ready to go home and call it a night until the cheesy goodness brutally reminds me of the sin I have committed." Olivia laughed as she and her dad walked out of the restaurant into the parking lot.

Edward chuckled with her as he pulled out the keys to his truck, "You could have ordered a salad."

Shaking her head in offense, "oh no, you don't go to sketchy diners in strip malls for their salads, dad. You go for the grease, the waitress callin' you sugar and the shitty coffee." Looking playfully at her dad's stomach, "although you could probably use a salad, old man."

Olivia attempted to flee, but her dad grabbed her and gave her a noogie. The brunette shrieked out giggles and attempted half-hearted to flee. Deciding she had enough, Mr. Reynolds left her with one last bump on the head and started to unlock the truck. Filled with giddiness, Olivia grinned as she went to enter the vehicle.

Hearing some commotion down the parking lot, the brunette stood up on the side of the truck to find the source. Olivia hadn't realized the restaurant was in the strip mall with Cobra Kai and was surprised to see the infamous blond sensei throwing a jug of milk at his car.

Mr. Reynolds noticed his daughter stop and tried to determine what she was looking at. Standing up on the side of his truck, he glanced over and witnessed the clear signs of a drunk having a hard time. "You know that man, kiddo?"

Olivia nodded slowly, "he's, uh, the sensei at Cobra Kai. Eli and Miguel attend his dojo." Watching him was like watching a dumpster fire; she couldn't stop. Edward noticed that the girl was conflicted and decided to take action. He hopped down the truck and started to walk towards the blond.

Confused, Edward's daughter jumped over to him, "what are you doing?"

The brown-haired man ignored her, calling out to Johnny, "Hey, man. Everything alright?" He stopped a few feet from the other adult, just as he was a rowdy drunk. "Car troubles?"

The drunk man stumbled a little as he looked at the newcomer with narrowed eyes, "more like son trouble." He noticed the other more petite figure and pointed at her, "I know you."

Edward looked at his daughter with mixed emotions, "I thought you were done with Karate?" Shaking her head quickly, she answered, "N-no, I've just been giving rides for my friends. Sometimes I stayed in the dojo for, uh, moral support." Olivia gave Johnny a stink eye to tell him to shut up.

He did not shut up.

Clumsily taking a step towards the two, Johnny snorted through narrowed eyes, "I knew you... I knew it. Watched her beat the shit out...out of a locker." Nodding his head with respect towards the father, who was beyond confused, he said, "Your daughter is a fucking badass in waiting. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you or your family, but she...she should be at the tournament tomorrow." With that, he went to get into his car and leave.

The last time Edward Reynold was this confused when he and his daughter went on a road trip to Washington state after the death of his wife. Olivia was already grieving and angry, so when she approached him with tears in her eyes at a pit stop, he didn't know what was going on. She had shifted uncomfortably before whispering that she was bleeding, and it got on the car seat.

Panicked, he had grabbed at her cast to see where the stitch had opened. When she jerked away, Olivia responded in embarrassment that it wasn't that kind of a wound. That was confusing. And difficult.

And embarrassing.

Ed tried to make things right by making a shark week joke, but that just resulted in a whole day of silence and a red-faced Olivia.

If Edward was anything, he was a man of patience. His wife was the blonde spit-fire, who shot first then asked questions. For the most part, Olivia took that from Sarah. And, well, Ed liked to help people. He knew what it was like to be without anything, and so when he saw Johnny Lawrence, Ed saw his own dad, who crapped out on him and his mom.

If Johnny had a son waiting on him, wherever that boy may be, then Ed wasn't going to let the guy drive drunk or be alone in this challenging time.

Rushing to the man, he closed the door of the Challenger. "Hey buddy, you're drunk. Let me give you a ride home."

Johnny shook his head and gave the guy a glare, "I got somewhere to be tomorrow, buddy. Go away." He reached out his hand towards the car door again, eyes made of steel.

Olivia felt a little on edge with her dad approaching the morally ambiguous drunk karate teacher. "Dad, be careful. He hits 14-year-olds when he's not shit-faced and then laughs about it." Rolling his eyes, her father referred to the older man lowly.

"Listen, man. I grew up with a shit-face, son-of-a-bitch for a father," taking a glance at Olivia's confused face, he continued to make eye contact while drunk. "It sounds like to me you don't want to be like that. I don't know where you are on your life journey, but you need to get your shit together. Give me your keys, and we can get your car back to you." The two men continued to stare each other down, mixed emotions flooding the air around them.

The young girl could not hear the conversation and could only guess what her dad said to the drunk sensei that made him give up his keys and hop in the truck.

"Fine, but I call shotgun."

...

When asked where the guy lived, Johnny was so out of it all he did was throw his wallet into the backseat. The younger of the three caught the falling apart leather and grabbed the license out, reading out the address.

"Hey, that's where Miguel lives," Olivia said, tossing back the wallet to the drunk. "I guess how he met you makes sense now. I can give you directions," she told the last part to her dad. Johnny Lawerence was already dead asleep on the window beside him.

Shaking her head slowly at the sight of the karate master, she whispered to her dad, "what did you say to him?"

Ed thought about it before shaking his own head, "don't worry about it, cupcake. Some of us are black belts in the art of peace."

Olivia thought about fighting against that statement but decided it wasn't her business.

It was a quiet trip.

...

That night, the Reynolds family went back to get Johnny's car and Ed drove it to the apartment. Knowing the tournament was tomorrow, Olivia set three alarms on his phone. She placed a glass of water on his bedside table and she also took the liberty of disposing of all the empty Coors on his counter.

"Well, can't judge a man on his beer taste," her dad said with a chirp in his voice, giving her a pat on the back; he took a glance around the apartment. "Maybe I'll drop off some bourbon one day, get him a proper drink or two."

Olivia looked at him with disbelief, "What you need to get him is a date with an AA meeting." She gestured at the trash bag she had just filled up with alcohol, "this is what you call a problem."

Letting out a sad sign, the mustached man grabbed the bag of trash and ushered his daughter out of the home.

"Some people don't have the same support systems as others do, sweetheart. It's why it's up to us Reynolds to be that system when we can." Olivia went quiet as she thought over what her dad had said.

Heading over to the truck, she looked at her dad as he threw the bag of trash into the dumpster. He looked at his daughter, who returned it, and they left to go home with a slight smile.

...

The next day Olivia woke up to a Discord message. Miguel was reminding her about the tournament and was ensuring her attendance. The brunette didn't want to go, which is why she hadn't set the alarm for herself. Karate kept appearing in her life, no matter how boring or mundane she made it.

Making her decision, the teen got up and headed to her dad.

"Hey, dad..."

...

A/N: Kinda want to stop here cause it felt right. Smaller chapter, but Ill have the next one up soon ahah

Thank you guys so much for the reads, comments, and votes so far! I want to hear your opinions.3