Started watching Cobra Kai yesterday morning, just finished the latest episode… I don't have a problem. Haha. Of course it had to end with a cliffhanger, can't wait for season 3.

Meanwhile, here's a fanfiction. Set around where Daniel finds out Robby is on his own.

There's actually been two months since I wrote that start. Now, it's been a while since I started it. But this fic was actually the first fanfiction I started writing.

Enjoy!

"…it's alright."

For a few seconds I didn't move my hand from his shoulder. Robby looked like he wanted to cry and it wouldn't have surprised me a bit if he actually did. But I had to say I could sense what he was feeling and with that I lowered my hand and looked into the apartment where no lights had been put on for God knows how long.

I saw quite enough though.

"I hate to say it but… this place look like an absolute dump! Although I can't see half of it right…" I tried the lamp switch. "Let me guess. The electricity bill hasn't been paid?"

"Something like that…" Robby mumbled; I barely knew what I was doing but raised an eyebrow at him. "Mum's boyfriend said he'd do it."

"And he didn't?"

Robby didn't even care to raise his voice this time, he only looked back at me- the answer was obvious.

"And how long will your mum be gone?" Robby shrugged. "A day? A week? A year?"

"Who knows?!"

I couldn't believe a parent would ever do something like just leaving a child alone for a partner I barely knew….

"Come on." I pulled up my phone and turned the flashlight on. "You can come with me and stay in my house until your mum's back. I promise you we have working lamps and food except for cereal and water." Robby took his bowl and looked down in it again and then shook his head.

"I don't want to be a bother."

"If you were, I wouldn't say you could. Now come on, I can help you clean up. Where do you have plastic bags? Empty ones like from the store?"

There was a moment of silence, I was pretty sure I could hear how Robby wondered if he really could let me help him.

"Bottom drawer by the sink."

I found the right one, took a bag and started collecting metal cans, Robby went to get his things and then took another bag.

I barely thought about what I was doing, just noticed that everything was terribly smelly and dirty, but the sorting was done in silence and neither I nor Robby said anything until the last spot of the kitchen counter was wiped off.

"Should we just leave all these bags here?" He gestured to the trash bags we'd put by the front door.

"Just take them to my car and I'll take them to the waste disposal site tomorrow."

"Hmm. Can I just ask you? I mean. I'm sorry for asking... Why are you doing this actually?"

"Because when you or your mum returns to this place I just don't want this place to be full of flies. And man, those little devils turn up fast if you leave anything out."

"I didn't mean this…" I could actually sense what was coming. "I mean… I pi… it hurt you when you found out I'd come to the dealership and everything to get back at my dad. And I thi… I know that if the same thing happened to my dad or to me then we'd never be able to let it go, we'd just stay mad and too proud to let it go."

That question was a bit harder to find the words to answer and I looked at Robby for a moment to show I'd heard the question before I hesitated to a quite obvious answer still.

"Mr. Miyagi once told me "For person living with no forgiveness in heart, living worse punishment than death." And whenever I'm angry with something- or someone I can't help to think about that quote. About him… And every time, over and over again I realize that if I stay angry and bitter, I'm only hurting myself most of all."

While talking we had moved all trash into the car, Robby got his backpack and locked the door after us and off we went.

It was like every little piece of what he was doing- what we were doing that just distressed me a bit more. How he had opened the door to an empty apartment and to how I had helped him collect the trash as if that could have helped him in the long run (I guess it could though, if I hadn't the place would have been full of flies by the time he came back), to how he had so little things he could just throw it in his bag, take his skateboard and off we'd go and to the way he expected he'd be a bother….

My poor daddy-heart was breaking for him.

And then the knowledge of what his real dad was like.

At last I just had to know that I had to say something. And I needed to show him somehow, I'd be there.

"Look! I know what your dad is like. Believe me, I know. But if anything like this ever happens. Just… just come and talk to me, yeah? You're just a teenager and you're not meant to be going through these things on your own."

I suddenly remembered something I had told the kids by the time they were old enough to have their own phones.

"If you don't want to… or can't explain. Just write in a text message "911" and where you are and I'll be right there to pick you up. No questions asked. And you can always come to me, even if you did something bad. And believe me," I gave a short laugh. "I do know all kinds- and a bit more about what trouble teenage boys can get into. I could also need some practice before Anthony reaches that age."

At last Robby laughed, just like I had hoped he would. It was short and almost quiet as if he had to be reminded of how to laugh again.

"I'm not so much like Anthony though."

I thought about it for a second.

"Maybe you're more alike than I believed at first…" I mumbled, actually more to myself than to Robby. "Now, here we are." I drove into our driveway and pulled the hand-break. "Are you hungry?"

The new memories when I'd found Robby eating but cereal and water…

"Yeah." Robby nodded. "I am."

"I thought so." Even though he already knew the way I led him up the driveway. "There should be a hot meal finished just about now. And feel free to search through the fridge or the cupboards whenever you want- we don't want anyone to go hungry… Anthony eats and plays video games pretty much 24/ 7 so why wouldn't we let you?"

"Hm…"

Robby suddenly seemed like something was wrong and I frowned while I opened the door and took a step to the side to let him go inside first.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No." He gave an- obviously insecure kind of smile. "I just had to say… I mean… I have to say it. I just… Since… knowing myself I probably won't say it later so… anyway…" I raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. "I guess I just wanted to say thank you, for what you're doing now, and have done and will do…"

Being so insecure, I wasn't so sure Robby had ever thanked anyone like this, meaning it meant the more.

Whatever I had done for this teenager it must have been more than what I could put into words myself.

I shook that feeling off and sniffed in the air.

"Smells nice from dinner. And we've all meet before…"

All of a sudden, I realized I'd invited someone my wife had barely met into our house and home. And she hadn't had one word to say about it.

The look she gave me…

Amanda didn't know anything about this, I couldn't see why Sam would have told her anything…

"Amanda. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Robby POV

"Amanda. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Mr. Larusso gave me a smile, but just like earlier this whole night there was no denying on the distress in his eyes.

"You can put down your backpack and your skateboard…" I was interrupted in my thoughts by Sam's words. "Now come and eat before the food's gone cold."

"Ehr… yeah." I barely even saw what I was doing when I put my things away and then sat down on the other side of the table from her. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. Thanks..." Sam pushed the big, serving bowl of pasta over the table and towards me. She laughed when I pretended, I was going to eat straight from it instead of putting some on my own plate. "This looks so good."

"Okay." She said. "Smells good, looks good- are you ever going to find out whether it tastes any good too."

The teasing tone in her voice made me laugh. Then, as I took my first bite and it was so good, with some sort of relief I, without letting go of my fork leaned back in my chair while chewing and closed my eyes.

"Is it really that good? It's just another normal dinner."

And I realized right that while I still had kept my eyes closed. This was just the way it had to be. This was what most children- toddlers as teenagers and everything in between had to come home to. Not the life I had where, even if my mum wasn't with some boyfriend not knowing if she'd come home for the night and where on earth she was otherwise, something cold for all meals or warm meals where I had to save it and make sure I didn't eat too much, as well as the cold and dark flat Mr. Larusso had gotten me from only an hour ago.

I opened my eyes again and glanced towards Mr. Larusso. He was talking with his wife (about me it looked like)

"Robby…" Samantha suddenly sounded serious and I froze in the move just as I was taking another bite. "I told my dad what you told me. About you being home alone… I guess. I might have wondered what you would think… If you wanted him to know you would have told him yourself."

I was still watching Mr. Larusso. He was still talking to his wife and none of them showed any intention that they were coming to the table. With that I turned back to Samantha.

"I think you know just as well as I do that I wouldn't have… I'm happy you did. Your dad's great- you're very lucky to have him as your dad."

Thoughts about my own, biological dad had been through my life passed through my memories, from not being there at all, to lying alone in a hospital room when I had mono and mum had to go to work, to soccer practices where my friends had had their parents cheering for them and to school graduations, to yet another birthday or Christmas where I never got a card or a gift from him.

Then to Mr. Larusso who had been there for me despite what I had done to him. And despite what he thought about my dad, he had been more of a dad through not even a year than Johnny Lawrence had been through my whole life.

"No… wrong…" I leaned close to Samantha so her parents wouldn't hear what I said. "I guess… No. I know that we are both lucky to have him." She looked to me when I sat down again, then looked back to her parents before she came closer and almost whispered to me.

"I guess… no. I know that I couldn't have said it better myself. And just so you know- you mean a great deal to him too."

Random fact

I have put that before that- send a text with "911" and I'll be there to pick you up before. My parents never used it neither did anyone else but I just think it is a nice idea.