Chapter One: Hysteria
~0~
The most uncomfortable road trip of my life lasted a total of two days. It was fast because my dad ended up using an old Challenger of his that actually was in an impound lot, sure it needed more gas but there were entire sections of open desert freeway across Mexico where he pretty much used cruise control between 80 and 100 miles an hour the whole way.
It felt weird calling him "Dad."
LaRusso was not my dad. Neither was Kreese. And never Silver.
They offered stuff to me. None of them felt like they could honestly cut their connection to karate out of their lives, and in a way that made me feel, at the end of the day, a bit of a tool to them.
I actually rather enjoyed avoiding my parents. Even my mom after she got out of rehab. It was one of the benefits I had of scamming people with Trey and Cruz.
Even though they were still in that life and I was out, I missed it in a way. After everything that happened between then and now, I think going to work to LaRusso auto instead of just talking to dad was a mistake. Dad. Weird word. Just weird. Johnny or Dad? I didn't hate him nor love him yet by any means, but I occasionally called him both Johnny and Dad to his face and he didn't care mostly.
The whole car trip it was obvious. Johnny wanted both me and Miguel to call him Dad. Miguel was not okay after Mexico City. Spent the whole car trip asleep, pretending to be asleep, quietly looking out the window at the miles of open desert and countryside, and trying not to make conversation whenever possible.
Finally, when we were within eyesight of LA from the highways leading into it, we started to talk.
Johnny cleared his throat. "So Robby. I was thinking later this week we head out to the dojo."
"The dojo." I repeated calmly from the backseat. "You mean an abandoned factory that makes Chernobyl look safe?"
I saw Miguel crack any hint of a smile after the whole trip.
"Yeah. You need to come too." Johnny tapped Miguel's chest with the back of his hand. "Need to keep you in shape."
"Keep me in shape...for what?" asked Miguel in the same tired, dry, and out of it tone he spoke in if he spoke at all.
"For what?" Johnny looked at him. "To kick the shit out of the same assholes who bullied you all sophomore year."
"You mean Kyler." said Miguel quietly. "He's not a threat."
"What are you talking about? Of course he is. Him and all those freaks." said Johnny.
Miguel shook his head. "Forget the tournament. Forget Cobra Kai. Their top guy now can't fight. Their best fighter is smaller than Bert."
"Kenny." I corrected.
"Whatever." Miguel scoffed. "None of this matters. All of us know how to fight, and if there's so much as a hint of fighting at the school everyone's getting suspended at the drop of a hat. And if they do want to throw down outside of school, they'll get their asses beat."
I nodded a bit with a shrug. Even if Eli or Hawk or whatever he called himself now tried half as hard as he did in his match against him, Kyler still would've lost. Hell, another year of training and a small growth spurt and Kenny probably could too. It was common knowledge Kyler sucked at fighting, and he was basically the best student now.
Well, except for someone else I did not look forward to talking about this with when I got back home.
"That same kind of overconfidence lost me my match against LaRusso."
I sighed. "You still care about that?"
"Of course I do. Well. I mean." he sighed, tapping the steering wheel as he pulled up to a red light. "Maybe."
"You never apologized man." I said to Miguel.
As if he didn't care he mumbled as the light turned green. "For what?"
"For challenging me to throw down and then spraying me with sprinkler water."
Miguel chuckled at the memory while Johnny spoke. "Well, he's right. That was a pretty pussy move."
"You serious? I thought we were past all that no mercy bullshit?"
"It's not no mercy. You squared up to them, and you ran off. That's not what an eagle does. That's not badass, that's a straight up cowardly move. Just like LaRusso did to me one time during Halloween."
Miguel groaned. "Look this is why I'm sick of this stupid rivalry you two have. We gotta deal with this. War. All senior year because you couldn't settle your thirty year old beef with Mr. LaRusso."
Not wrong there.
Johnny sighed. "And how do you propose you settle it huh?"
"You move on! Robby and I beat the shit out of each other, I almost died. You made me fight at the tournament. Twice! To settle this first place thing. It's, it's why I ran during the semis." Miguel added coldly with a glare at me.
"What is it?" I asked. "I wore this stupid thing all over that town looking for you and act like that's an insult?" I asked, throwing the blue FBI shirt my dad and I wore while looking for Miguel aside.
Miguel shook his head. "Look it's not that I don't think you made the right decision leaving Cobra Kai. Even if you still might've not." Insulting. "But regardless I don't mean this personally. I wanted to talk to you. Privately." Miguel said to dad.
Johnny nodded. "And we will."
"You know. After what I just heard. I'm not sure I want to anymore actually." said Miguel.
"Oh give me a break." I laughed. "We drove seventy hours to come and get you and you can't just say it? That's so petty."
Miguel's eyes widened and he looked at me. "Oh, you wanna talk about petty?"
"Come on talk about petty!" I said.
"Petty is joining Kreese instead of Mr. LaRusso or your own dad! Or not telling Sam I found that medal of honor-"
"Really?" I spoke over him. "How about pussing out of a fight with me cause you knew you couldn't handle it?"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Johnny raised his voice. "Shaddup! Shaddup, we're here."
He said pulling into the apartment complex where I knew he and Miguel lived.
"Yeah. Thanks for everything." Miguel gave both of us a glare before grabbing his duffle bag and walking off to greet his family.
As Miguel hugged his grandmother and mother, Johnny and I got out of his Challenger and spoke to me. "We gotta talk." he said.
"Sure." I said.
The moment Miguel's mom saw me out of the corner of her eye, she guided Miguel away from me.
"That bad huh? Even still?" I asked.
Johnny spoke. "You almost killed him."
"It was an accident."
"Didn't look like it. A million people recorded it on their phones, you looked mad kid." He said, locking the Challenger with a chirp. "Really mad."
I blinked. "Like I said. I was angry about a lot. Took it out towards you."
"Take it from me." said Johnny. "The moment you and Miguel can move past this Cobra Kai and Silver are done for. We'll give the Diazes a few minutes. And you're going over there to apologize."
"But we-"
"Uh uh uh. Zip it! You said you were past your anger. Prove it."
I thought about this for a moment. "How about I give them until nightfall? We can have dinner together."
Johnny thought about it too. "I'll talk to them. Run the idea past Carmen."
"Good." I said walking past him to get my skateboard from his apartment.
"Where you going?"
I said nothing.
...
Skateboarding along the streets of LA was my favorite pastime to clear my head. Of course, it was really about the destination, but the journey was nice too.
Late afternoon LA looked nice. The sun was about to set, and no one bothered me as I rode.
Eventually I reached my old gym. Just a nice quiet and small local place here in northern Reseda.
The clerk at the desk noticed me walk in. "Oh hey! Robby, it's been a while. Back for some more personal training?"
I shook my head. "Just wanted to see if I could still use my old account. How much is it?"
"Same as before. You can use the gym today as long as you got the ID, worry about it tommorow."
I passed him my driver's license and the clerk smiled. "That haircut."
I sighed, putting it away. "Thanks."
I mostly wanted to relax and get away. Tonight would be a very big night.
I wrapped my hands, went ham on the bags after stretching a bit. Then I did some light cardio on a stepping machine and went right to dumbbells.
It had only been half an hour when someone had decided to bother me again. Being left alone was impossible in this town.
"You really like working out alone huh."
I didn't even have to look up to know who it was. I kept curling my single iron sitting down. "Tory." I gave a quiet grunt. "How did you know I was back in LA?"
"Snap maps. You weren't responding to my texts."
I looked up at her, switching my dumbbell to another hand. "That's really creepy."
Tory's hair was in a bun. I don't know why but I thought it was really cute when it was like that. Maybe that was just projecting though, I still was too embarrassed to tell her I myself wore a man bun for a long time.
"I'm kidding." Tory improved my rather shitty mood a little. "The yoga instructor spotted you, we used to go to kickboxing together. Texted me you walked in."
"Why?"
"Because I know you used to go to this gym too? Why does it matter so much to you?"
I sighed. "What do you need Tory?"
I continued to curl the iron as she spoke. "Look, I had an idea alright. An idea I thought that could really help you."
"Which is?"
"Ms. LaRusso signed a paper letting me go back to school with Sam."
"Sam went along with that?" I laughed.
She shook her head. "She didn't but it doesn't matter. Miguel's mom can do the same for you. Miguel's not an adult yet, he doesn't have to sign on."
"Well, that's not going to happen," I grunted again, setting the dumbbell down and wiped some sweat off my brow. "Miguel, his mom, and probably everyone he knows hates me over what happened last year."
"Not if you apologize. Look Sam's mom was really supportive. Miguel's will be too."
"It's different for you. You only cut her up a bit and bruised her face. I put Miguel in a coma. I'm the reason why we won the tournament this year. I hate to say it, but if I really have to admit it. They're right." I sighed and looked away.
Tory didn't care my face was all sweaty and she raised my chin to look up at her. "Hey. It'll be okay. Besides, I hate to admit it. But I feel really out of place at school. I think it'd be nice if we went back together." she shrugged with a happy smile.
"Why? You have Dieter. You have Kyler, Big Red, Piper, and Edwin. Even Kenny next semester."
Tory cleared her throat. "Well. After what I just found out, I think I might be done with Cobra Kai."
I was really surprised. "Hold on. What!?"
She rubbed her ear shyly. "Sensei Kreese has been missing since the tournament. Whenever I talk to Silver about it he puts me off. And, it doesn't help that I know for a fact he rigged the tournament."
I stood up off the bench I was working out on. "Rigged the what now!?" I asked, raising my voice so high that a few of the other people in the gym looked at me.
I got a text on my phone.
Dad: It's getting late.
"Shit." I hissed. "I gotta go." I said trying to leave.
"Where you going?"
"It's important."
Tory quickly grabbed my wrist.
"I can help."
I sighed. "It's a dinner with Miguel and his family. You shouldn't be there."
"I should." countered Tory. "Just. Let me help Robby. We both need it."
I thought about it for a second. "Uh. I actually gotta get there fast. You have a car right-"
"Yeah I have a car."
"You have a car great."
...
On the short way over, I noticed Tory had her belly button pierced. "That's new."
"Yeah, I got it just before the tournament. You wanna see my other piercing?" offered Tory with a strange smile at me.
It took me a second to register this. "Uh. What?"
"Yeah." she said weirdly.
"Tory, what the hell are you implying?"
"Nothing. Just, wouldn't be that weird after prom night though right?"
I sighed. "You keep acting like we actually did anything in the Ferrari."
Tory shrugged. "Pretty sure we did."
"We didn't! God."
Tory coughed and spoke. "You had a boner the whole time."
I sighed. "Well it was a good bit of kissing, I'll give you that."
"Good bit of kissing?" Tory raised an eyebrow.
"The best I ever had. I don't know what you want me to tell you alright? The dancing though, that was the best part of that night."
"Or kicking Miguel and Sam into the pool?"
"I stayed dry though."
Tory shook her head slightly. "No you didn't," she remarked.
She stopped her car across the street from Miguel and Dad's apartment complex. "This is the place right?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
Johnny was waiting for us in front of his house. "Hey. Um." he looked towards Tory. "Wait. What are you doing here?"
"She uh. Quit the dojo." I said. "Just when I did apparently."
Johnny looked like he was going to say something but shook his head. "No time. We're late."
He led us across the hall and knocked on the door.
He pointed at us both. "Not a single word about the tournament shitbags, you got that?"
We smiled.
Tory could tell I was nervous so she squeezed my hand.
It helped.
Miguel's mom opened the door, kissed and hugged Dad and then invited us in.
I offered a hand to her. "I'm uh, Robby."
"Carmen. Johnny's told us all about you."
"And I'm Tory."
Carmen's handshake with her was just as uncomfortable. "Yes. We've heard of you plenty as well." I could tell it was painful for her to make a smile. Couldn't blame her.
Miguel as well was fighting the awkwardness. "This is my Abuela. She's-"
She said something in Spanish.
"She said to just call her Yaya." Miguel shrugged.
Carmen cleared her throat, leading us to her table. "Let's eat!"
...
I sat next to Tory and Miguel's grandmother, or, Yaya on one side of the table. Johnny sat with Carmen and Miguel on the other side of the table.
This clearly wasn't the table they normally sat at, I could tell they weren't accustomed to three guests.
The food was actually really great, a bit spicy, but extremely well cooked and made.
We ate in complete silence but then I decided to break it. "This is great food, Mrs. Diaz."
"Oh it's just Ms. Diaz thank you honey." Carmen said.
Yaya said something in Spanish, and from it was it sounded either scandalous or embarrassing. It was probably about Tory and I so Miguel said something back in Spanish hotly.
Johnny cleared his throat, eating while throwing his head towards the Diazes.
How to jump into the hardest apology of my life.
"Um. Carmen. Ms. Diaz. I have something to say to you. To you and Miguel. And Yaya." I said.
Carmen nodded. "Go on."
"Tory and I were involved in a very violent group until this week. I was able to um." I cleared my throat. "Reconcile my issues over it with my dad. But I never hurt him the way I hurt you and your family."
Carmen sighed. "It's okay, that was nearly a year ago. Miguel recovered."
"Uh, no it's not," Miguel said. "If it wasn't for him Kyler and his douche patrol would never have won the tournament. Sam and I wouldn't have been in the hospital. And Silver wouldn't own the Valley. They left Cobra Kai and apologized too late." he angrily dug into his dinner.
"Miguel!" Dad gave him a 'what the hell' look that Miguel quickly returned.
"We only have a year left for all this. So I want to end it right." I said. "I realize what I did was wrong and it cost you and your family a whole lot."
Carmen looked at me. "What do you mean end it right?"
"Specifically, I want to show the truth about wanting to end the feud between Miguel and I. And do what I can so that this terrible last year of his at school won't be so. Terrible."
Miguel was about to speak but Carmen spoke instead. "But why exactly do you need to inform me of it?"
"Because I want to go to school with Miguel, and I can't do that unless you agree on a signed piece of paper that I'm not a threat to Miguel or anyone at the school and the injury I caused was an accident. We don't have to be friends. But the fighting has to stop. Most of it was my fault, and it's only right I own up to it."
"Go to school with me and Sam!? Are you fu-"
"Miguel! Callate ahora mismo!"
Whatever Carmen shouted at him, it must've meant he had to shut up in Spanish.
Carmen took a deep sigh. "The injury. You said it was an accident. How so?"
"I by no means wanted Miguel to be kicked off the balcony. I was angry."
"At him?"
"Most of it was personal. Miguel was just a victim. If you want to forget about my apology and just move on, I'll-"
"I'll sign whatever it is I need to to let you finish your education at West Valley High." Carmen said promptly.
Miguel and I were shocked.
"Ma!" complained Miguel.
"Wait, seriously?" I asked.
"On one condition," Carmen said. "I have no judgment against your mother, having only heard from her from Johnny. But it seems to be your disconnection and anger towards your father played a part in this. For as long as you attend high school, you must live across the hall with him. I believe it would be safer for both you and Miguel to live with a man I both know and trust. And love."
Carmen added which made Johnny and her smile.
"Pero estas en serio-"
Miguel kept protesting, but Carmen gave him a look.
Miguel pushed his seat out and stormed off to his room, slamming the door shut.
Johnny spoke up. "I love you too. Carmen." he held her hand.
Yaya said something with her hands clasped in Spanish.
Probably finding this sweet as well, I was surprised when Tory held my hand.
Carmen let go of Johnny's hand and spoke to me seriously. "This decision is to help Miguel have a safer senior year. If at any point you put him in danger, I'm calling the police. Same goes for you." her eyes moved towards Tory. "I heard all about you too. Everything."
Carmen pushed her chair out and went to go follow Miguel, ignoring Dad's hand when he reached out after her.
He sighed. "Well, that went better than I thought it could."
Dad cleared his throat looking at Tory and I. "Does this mean I can expect you two to become Eagles now? You two basically won the tournament together, the rest of Kreese and Silver's students sucked ass."
None of us said anything. I think because right now a strong 'no' was in order followed by a 'maybe' after some consideration.
"Alright well just think about it."
Yaya stood up seeing most of our plates were empty and half the table was vacant and spoke in accented English. "I'll wash the dishes now."
"I'll help." offered Johnny.
She politely declined and quietly made it clear the Diaz household by no means was welcome to any of us right now.
...
Across the hall outside dad's apartment, Tory and I stood across from each other and held hands. "You really didn't text me back when you got back to LA?"
"You just saw what happened, something came up."
"I think maybe this come up." Tory shrugged and lifted my hands with her own.
I was confused. "What should come up?"
Tory laughed. "Us dummy!"
"Wait. There's an us? I just thought after prom and the tournament that-"
I was looking back at Johnny and when I turned around Tory was already kissing me and wrapping her arms around the back of my head.
She let go of me and said happily. "Bye!"
Tory walked off and I watched her for second before walking back towards dad. "Very nice going kid." He said quietly.
I just pretended nothing happened and walked into the apartment.
"So do you and Miguel's mom sleep together over here or?"
Johnny caught the jab I threw back at him. "None of your business."
I kept looking at him.
"Over there yeah." Johnny gestured towards the front door. "I don't mean to be pushy but you heard what Carmen said. You finally moving in?"
"Probably until graduation yeah."
"Why? You want to get your own place so you and that girlfriend of yours can shack up together?"
I smiled in embarrassment as Johnny drew a beer from the fridge. "No. I'll have to let mom know."
"She won't be too happy. Every time you've stayed over it's been cause your girlfriend was drunk or her house was too far from the dojo."
"I'll call her now."
Dad stopped me. "Wait. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"The anger you mentioned. Just now and in the dojo. You know, the empty one."
"Yeah, I know which one you're talking about." I sighed. "What's there to talk about?"
"Robby. This is huge. You're doing the right thing now."
I frowned. "Going with LaRusso wasn't the right thing?"
"I never said that," Dad said. "All I mean is that you just went with LaRusso to get back at me. Miguel might've been off base here and there but he was right. If you had come to me when I opened the dojo all this shit would've been over."
"Would it? Kreese still would've turned up after we would've won the tournament."
"Yeah but Miguel wouldn't have been kicked off that balcony. And then Kreese and Silver-"
I started dialing mom. "Okay."
...
In the only other bedroom in the apartment, I dialed mom.
The line rang and then I heard her voice. "Hi. This is Shannon Keene, I'm unable to reach the-"
I sighed, throwing my phone on the sleeping bag I had used last time I was here, and flopped on it too.
There was a knock on the door. "Hey kid? Robby?"
"Go away!" I said.
"Can we talk?"
"No."
He opened it anyway. "Look I get why you don't want to talk about this?"
"Yeah. I apologized over everything to everyone and people still are gonna act like I'm a piece of shit."
"They always will and they always should."
"Respectfully dad. Get out."
He sighed. "In a second. Do you know why people are gonna act this way towards you? Cause you're the Ace Degenerate."
"The. What?" I laughed, it almost sounded like a joke.
Johnny sat down next to me. "I used to be just like you. Had my gang of friends, beat up people for fun. Stole and broke stuff sometimes just because. Well, I never stole but you get the idea."
I kept listening. "I was an angry kid. I was angry I never met my dad, my stepdad was a piece of shit. I was angry at the world, just cause."
I sighed. "Dad you don't have to-"
"Just listen," he said. "My friend Dutch and I got everybody so drunk one time my buddy Jimmy put one of our dirt bikes through an old ladies garage. Busted up a guy's truck once because he accidentally almost hit one of us on the road. We did whatever we wanted. Because we could. That all changed when I met a girl. Girl named Ali."
He drew an old weathered black headband out from his pockets. "She gave me this. I started wearing it again when I became a Sensei. I promised I'd never let anyone wear it after she gave it to me. I want you to have it now."
"Why? Didn't she give it just so you could have it?"
Dad shook his head. "No. You're right. My bullshit with LaRusso. With Kreese. With Silver now. All that nonsense has nothing to do with you. That's all in the past, mistakes I never fixed. All that matters right now are your choices. Your path forward, your life. You. I think your decision to fess up about how you felt this whole time was the manliest shit I've ever seen. And I've seen nothing but stuff like Iron Eagle and Rambo since 1991 kid."
I chuckled. "Really?"
He offered the headband to me. "Do anything you want to do Robby. You'll make the right choice now. I'm sure of it."
I gently held it in my hand. Wow did it really look like a headband as old as he mentioned.
Dad patted my knee and stood up.
I stood up. "Wait."
He stopped, and then I hugged him.
...
...
...
A/N: This is posted on AO3 under the alias Vaporwave Fan by yours truly. This fic mostly follows Robby's first person look at everything for a large part of the first part of the fic. The point of view shifts a little bit, and around chapter 12 I'll be clearer about why.
Regardless. Thank you all for reading and stay safe.
