CHAPTER 27

A few weeks later, the first week of October, and Johnny had planned everything. Everything from the where, the when and the how of the proposal. It was nerve wracking, and yet so exciting too. It was such a unique feeling for Johnny. His whole life, he had made sure that he had a path of escape from every aspect of his life. He only ever worked odd jobs that required no training and very little long-term commitment. He only lived in shitholes that he could rent for dirt cheap, and always had a clause in his lease to allow him to leave whenever. He attached himself to nothing and no one, so his whole life, he had nothing tethering him to stay. But this… this was different. Although he already had deeper roots in his current life than he ever had before, proposing to Carmen officially cemented that fact. He was making a long-term commitment for quite possibly the first time in his life.

There was one thing left to do though before he could propose, and that was to tell Miguel and Robby. This part, he was almost as nervous for as the actual proposal. He had no idea how Miguel and Robby would react to the idea, not only of him marrying Miguel's mom, but also the fact that when that happened, Miguel and Robby would officially be family. Although the two weren't actively rivals anymore, and were instead allies and even close to friends, he wasn't sure if a bombshell like this would be what rattled them and destroyed their current dynamic. They both had completely legitimate reasons to hate each other, and so it was only natural that those feelings wouldn't have completely disappeared overnight. Despite his fears though, Johnny knew that he had to tell them before he proposed, because if they had a problem with it… Johnny didn't know what he would do then. He certainly wouldn't propose if that meant Robby and Miguel were at each other's throats.

Little did Johnny realize at the time, he really had nothing to worry about. Because as Johnny called Miguel over to Johnny and Robby's apartment that morning before training, the atmosphere was completely relaxed.

"What's up, Sensei?" Miguel asked as he walked into the apartment.

Things over the past few weeks had been pretty good for Miguel. It had taken him a few days to recover from the after-effects of his fight with Cobra Kai's new champion, Marcos, but after that point, they hadn't been forced into another fight. Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do were in a stalemate, and that had allowed Miyagi-Do to push themselves harder than ever in training. Training with Robby and Hawk again was a completely different experience for him. He was able to spar with partners that were completely evenly matched with him, so all three of them were able to push each other harder than ever, and pass on advice to one another. Robby had been in Miyagi-Do longer than any of them, so he was able to help them improve their defense, as well as helping them improve their physical strength by encouraging them to join his rigorous workout plan. Miguel had been in Cobra Kai/Eagle-Fang for longer than anyone, so he was able to help them improve their offense. And Hawk… a mixture of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do as well as a few pages he had written himself, Hawk's fighting style was so unorthodox, and so he was able to help Robby and Miguel add a few new moves to their arsenals too.

All of Miyagi-Do felt on top of the world. Even with Cobra Kai's looming constant threat at the back of their minds, nothing could bring them down at this time. Because Miyagi-Do had absolutely everything now: the students, the senseis, the combination of styles. They couldn't lose now! It was an amazing feeling.

"Yeah, you said you had something to talk to us about?" Robby asked as he lay on the couch, throwing a small tennis ball against the ceiling and catching it lazily. Things were going equally well for him. Even though summer was over and he was back in school, Robby was still living at Johnny's place. Or rather, he was spending most of his time at Johnny's place. Although he still saw his mom often, if anything, he knew that she was probably grateful that he was spending a bit of time away. Not only was he spending much-needed time with his estranged father, but it also gave Shannon the chance to truly put 100% focus into restarting her career, so she could finish fully turning her life around. Robby was happy for her, and it also allowed him to be closer to his dad, Miyagi-Do, and the rest of his life. He was training hard, harder than ever, determined not only to win the Taikai, but also if a situation arose with Marcos before that point, to be able to defend himself and his friends. So he was practicing every possible moment he could, even asking his dad and Mr. Larusso for extra training whenever they were able, Miguel doing the exact same. They knew that they were teammates now, and they were both happy about it, but that also meant something else: when and if they faced off for a final time at the Taikai, whoever won would officially be known as the better fighter. There was no "different styles of Karate", "different senseis" or anything else. All of the variables were the same, the only thing different being the fighter. Only the better fighter would win. That didn't change the fact that they were allies now though, so neither mentioned that fact to the other, though they were both thinking it.

"Yeah, I, uh… I wanted to talk to you guys about something." Johnny started, taking a deep breath. This was it. "I, uh… I, uh… so you know how I um… I, uh…"

Try as he might, Johnny just couldn't get the words out of his throat. They were stuck, unable to come out. Robby and Miguel glanced at one another and raised an eyebrow, trying hard not to laugh as they looked at Johnny.

"Dad… we know." Robby remarked. Johnny's face blanched.

"W-what?" Johnny stammered.

"We know." Miguel laughed.

"Know… know what?" Johnny asked.

"That you're proposing to my mom." Miguel replied bluntly. For a moment, shock flashed in his ocean eyes. They were then overcome with worry, worry that slightly faded as he saw Robby and Miguel smiling at him, neither looking too opposed to it.

"How did you…?"

"It was kinda obvious." Robby remarked. "The past few weeks, you've looked like you've just been zapped by a cattle prod every time someone mentions marriage."

"Or weddings." Miguel added.

"Or rings." Robby added. "You aren't exactly subtle."

A horrible thought then occurred to Johnny.

"But Carmen hasn't noticed, has she?" Johnny asked, nervously. Miguel shook his head.

"Mom's four months pregnant, sensei. I don't think she's noticing very much." Miguel replied. Johnny slowly nodded, relief filling his system. That was good. So was the fact that neither Miguel nor Robby looked angry right now.

"Are you guys okay with it?" Johnny asked. "Because trust me, I won't do anything just yet if you guys aren't ready. I'm happy to wait if you guys need more time with each other to be cool with it."

The smiles creeping onto Miguel and Robby's faces told Johnny his answer right there. The pair were nothing but happy for their sensei. After all of the shit he had gone through, after how much the world had thrown at him in the past, he deserved this happiness and all of the happiness he was going to get as he spent the rest of his life with Carmen.

"Congratulations, dad." Robby laughed, giving Johnny a hug, Miguel doing the same. Just 4 months ago, they were in this exact same position, celebrating Johnny's announcement that him and Carmen were having a baby. That had felt like just yesterday, life was speeding by so quickly they could barely catch up.

"So when are you doing it?" Miguel asked him.

"Uh… tonight. Taking her to the place where we had our first date. Convinced the owner to reserve the whole restaurant just for us."

"Wow. How'd you swing that?" Robby asked, before remembering a second later who he was talking to. "Wait, let me guess… you threatened to beat him up?"

Johnny shook his head.

"Thought about it. But then I realized that if I did that, I probably wouldn't be able to get into the restaurant at all. So I decided not to."

"You decided not to? Huh. Growth." Miguel remarked drily, to which Johnny glared at him.

"No. Turns out the owner of the restaurant is my age. I got to know him. Talked about Iron Eagle. Talked about Rocky. Talked about sports. Taught him a few Karate moves. And by the end of the date, he agreed to open the restaurant tonight when they're supposed to be closed, just for us."

"Wow. Sounds like a nice guy." Robby commented. Johnny shrugged.

"Yeah, he was." He replied. "I mean I also told him that I knew Larusso, and I promised him that Larusso would give him a free car if he helped me out."

"That sounds about right." Miguel chuckled. The three men smiled at one another. The three of them hadn't had a proper conversation like this… well, ever. Not without the topic being about Karate, rivalries, or something along those lines. Johnny stared at the two boys, nothing but love for them in his eyes.

"Look, I um…" Johnny murmured, not really knowing how to say this. "I want you both to know that even after this marriage, even after the baby arrives, I'm still going to be there for both of you. No matter where. No matter when. You call me, I'm dropping everything and I'm there."

"With a newborn baby and a newlywed wife, I hope for your sake that that isn't the case." Miguel remarked. "But I appreciate the sentiment, Sensei."

Robby pointed at Miguel, echoing the hispanic teenager's point. They knew that despite what Johnny said, things were definitely going to change in the near future. Both teenagers were hopefully going to be leaving for college in less than a year, and would be officially starting their adult lives. Whereas Johnny would be up to his ears in diapers with his daughter. They knew that a step back from his relationship with them was inevitable, but it was something that neither was upset about, for one reason: they had each other now. Johnny had done his job. He had helped them end the rivalry, brought them to each other. When things got too busy that Johnny didn't have as much time for them, it would be fine because they knew they had each other in their corners now.

This entire sentiment was silently transferred from Robby and Miguel to Johnny, and the man understood immediately. A long silence overtook them as they all pondered this. This was the last day before the engagement. The last day in this chapter of their lives. And you know what? There wasn't any sadness about that. There was a little bit of melancholy, but the vast majority of their feelings were excitement. They were all extremely excited for what was to come. Whether it be the proposal, the baby, the Taikai… there were good things to come for all three of them, and they knew it…