A/N: Please feel free to read and review 11th Street Kids if you haven't already. Feedback is one of the ways that I can improve and it would be much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai or anything else that I might reference.
Release
It had been a week since John Kreese had turned up at his house.
Silver was going to go back to the juvenile detention facility that Jason was currently in and see if the teenager had time to think about and accept his offer.
The offer was fairly generous, all things considered. Jason would get a house, a car, funds and all he had to do was work for him. At least until the end of summer or possibly beyond then.
But before any of that could happen, Jason needed to be trained. A complete neophyte doing the kind of work that he needed him to do just wouldn't be practical.
Silver hadn't really told Cheyenne about his friendship with John Kreese or the fact that they had opened up a karate dojo after surviving being deployed to Vietnam. He also hadn't really told Cheyenne about the fact that John Kreese had a grandson either before last week.
"Your breakfast is ready, Sir." Silver's chef walked out of the kitchen, interrupting his thoughts.
A smile crosses Silver's face. "Wonderful."
Silver's chef put a plate with brown toast and a poached egg on it in front of him.
He ate relatively lightly, even when Cheyenne was there.
Cheyenne just happened to be busy today, so he was by himself. But he wasn't really alone.
"Are you alright, Mr Silver?" Silver's chef asks.
Silver nods. "I am. Thank you."
Silver's chef walks away, leaving him to sit and eat in relative silence.
Today was going to be a very busy day.
….
Jason's week had gone pretty well, apart from spending a day in isolation.
The inmate that had picked a fight with him last week had avoided him along with the rest of his friends. In addition to that, the other inmates had more or less just left him alone.
The bruises on his face and the black eye he got were fading. Which was also a good thing.
He had time to really think about Silver's offer both in isolation and outside of isolation.
And he was going to accept it.
Because it wasn't like there was anything better coming along.
If he refused Silver's offer, he would have to stay in juvenile detention until his sentence was over and end up going back to couch surfing after that. And there was a high chance that he could just slip back into the life he was living before he was arrested. Which would lead to him going right back into juvenile detention as quickly as he would have left it.
He looked up and could see a guard standing at the front of the room with a list of inmates that were going to have visitors today.
"Kreese, Jason! You've got a visitor!" The guard called out.
Jason stood up and walked to where the guard was standing.
He checked the list and, sure enough, his name was on it.
A different guard showed up to walk him out of the room.
The other inmates who had visitors had either already left the room or were about to leave the room along with him.
Jason watches as the guard and some of the other inmates walk wordlessly and soundlessly out of the room.
He was already beginning to think of his time in juvenile detention in the past tense.
….
Silver sat down in an empty chair.
He leaned back and surveyed the room.
There were people sitting at different tables across from inmates in the juvenile detention facility. Some of them were family members of the inmates and some of them were caseworkers or something similar to that.
He watches as Jason walks into the room and heads over to the empty chair across from him.
Jason sits down in the chair and sits back.
"What happened to you?" Silver asks, noticing the bruises on Jason's face and his black eye.
Jason shrugs. "I got in a fight. But I won, so it doesn't matter."
"It shows that you're not afraid. You're not the kind of person who is easily intimidated. Which makes you a lot like your grandfather." Silver replies.
Jason looks at him with a quizzical look in his eyes. "Is that a compliment?"
"It is. But that's not why I'm here." Silver replies.
Jason sits forward slightly. "I think I know why you're here. You're here because you want to see if I accepted your offer or not."
"Precisely. And what exactly is your decision?" Silver looks over at him.
Jason smiles. "I've decided to accept your offer."
"I wonder what influenced your decision?" Silver asks.
Jason shrugs. "Well, I wouldn't really have anywhere to go when my sentence is up and I'm released. Plus, life changing offers like the one you made don't come around all that often. I would have been foolish not to accept it."
"Good. I'll talk to the judge who sentenced you to a year in juvenile detention and I'll see if I can get your sentence reduced. There are also some things that I would need to sort out for you, like a house and a car. And those things could take time." Silver says.
Jason leans forward in his chair. "So, when exactly would I be getting out if I was released early?"
"That depends. You could be getting out as early as February or March. Or, you could get out in April or May." Silver answers.
Jason seems to understand. "Okay. So, what exactly do I do in the meantime?
"Stay out of trouble. It wouldn't look good if you got into anymore fights. Because I would need to convince the judge who sentenced you that you're rehabilitated enough to re-join society." Silver replies.
Jason nods. "I'll stay out of trouble. You don't have to worry about me."
"I'm not worried. I know that you're capable of making the right decision." Silver remarks.
Jason smiles slightly. "Thanks. I guess that's it, then?"
"It is. I'll talk to the judge and get you an early release. I know I've said it before, but just keep your head down in the meantime." Silver answers.
Jason agrees. "I'll do that."
That more or less concluded the visit.
Jason pushed his chair back and stood up.
The other inmates who had visitors were either getting to the end of their visits or were leaving the room.
He followed the other inmates.
Silver pushed back his own chair and stood up.
He was going to uphold his part of the agreement that he'd made with Jason and he expected that Jason would do the same.
There wasn't much else that needed to be said, really.
….
Silver was true to his word and would talk to the judge who sentenced Jason to one year in juvenile detention in order to get his sentence reduced.
It was now the middle of March.
Jason woke up in his cell and got out of the bed.
The door of his cell opened and he was surprised to see a guard standing beside it.
"Jason Kreese? Today is your lucky day. I'm not sure what friends you have to pull strings for you, but you're getting released today." The guard says.
Jason walks over to the door of his cell and steps outside of it. "Really?"
"Yes. Now come on." The guard answers.
Jason follows the guard through the building until they get to a room where the belongings of the different inmates are stored.
He watches as the guard hands him a large bag containing his belongings.
Jason opens the bag and takes out a pair of ripped jeans, a studded belt, a Bathory t-shirt, his phone, a denim jacket and his wallet along with a pair of shoes and socks.
He looks at his belongings before looking back at the guard. "I guess I really am getting released."
"You are. But you'll be back. People like you always come back." The guard answers.
Jason chose to ignore this statement.
He takes off his uniform and puts on the clothes he was wearing when he was arrested initially.
Jason puts on his socks and shoes last, followed by his denim jacket
He puts his phone in the right pocket of his jeans before checking his wallet. Everything that was in his wallet at the time of his arrest remained untouched, including various fake IDs.
Jason put his wallet in the left pocket of his jeans.
The guard had turned away while he had gotten changed.
He walked towards the guard and watched as the guard turned around to face him.
They walked together to a certain point.
Jason opened the door to exit the building he was in and walked through it to freedom.
He closed the door behind him.
Jason looked around before noticing that Silver was waiting for him at the bottom of some steps.
He casually waves to Silver before walking down towards him. "I guess I should thank you for putting a good word in with the judge. I wouldn't be out here if it wasn't for you."
"It was the least I could do. After all, your grandfather saved my life more times than I can count. Helping you was the least I could do." Silver says.
Jason nods. "And I really appreciate it. I'm not going to let you down. I promise."
"I know you won't. Which is why you're going to have to be trained. And you're going to be trained starting from tomorrow until a time when you'll be deemed to be ready." Silver replies.
Jason's eyes widen. "Trained?"
"You're going to have to learn how to fight. And there's only one person who can train you besides me." Silver answers.
Jason kind of knows the answer but asks the question anyway. "Who?"
"Your grandfather." Silver has a smile on his face.
Jason pretended to be surprised. "Holy shit. So, am I going to be learning jiujitsu? Or…"
"You'll be trained the same way he trained all his students. In Cobra Kai." Silver interjects.
Jason looks at him. "Cobra Kai? How come I've never heard of it? And, what exactly is the lunch situation like? Because juvie food was pretty crappy."
"It's a long story. And it's a story that can wait for another day. You said something about lunch, correct? I think I know of somewhere we can go for that." Silver says.
Jason nods. "Sweet."
They walk to a limo that was parked a short distance away.
The driver, who was standing outside of the car, opened the door and got into the driver's seat.
Jason and Silver get into the back seat of the limo.
They put on their seatbelts as the driver pulls out of the car park.
Jason looked out the window as he watched the place where he'd spent arguably the worst eight months of his life recede into the background.
Because the rest of his life was hopefully about to start.
….
They drove around for a bit before the limo parked in an empty space outside of a fancy looking restaurant.
The driver of the limo got out of the car and opened the door for them.
Silver got out of the limo first.
Jason gets out of the limo as well.
Silver walks into the restaurant ahead of Jason.
Jason walks into the restaurant just behind Silver.
Someone in the restaurant recognised Silver and they were given a table almost immediately.
This table was practically in the centre of the restaurant, and it was possible to see other tables in the restaurant. Everybody at those tables were dressed as though they belonged there.
Jason didn't really mind that people were staring at him.
He took off his jacket and put it on his chair.
Silver pulled his chair back and sat down after putting his coat on a chair as well.
A waiter brought them menus and put the menus down on their table.
"How are you enjoying your first taste of freedom?" Silver asks.
Jason shrugs. "It's been pretty good so far. I got to ride in a limo for the first time in my life. So, thanks for that."
"You're welcome. I know that you're not going to let me down. And, there's something I was meaning to give you." Silver replies.
Jason looks at him with a quizzical expression on his face. "Really? What is it?"
"A key to your very own home." Silver took something out of his coat pocket and handed it to Jason.
It was a keychain in the shape of a cobra. Attached to that chain was a key.
Jason looked at the keychain before putting in his pocket. "Thanks. I don't think anybody's been nearly as generous to me as you have."
Silver is about to say something but a waiter interrupts him.
"Excuse me, sirs. Are you ready to order? Would you perhaps like a drink while you wait?" The waiter asks.
Jason nods. "Can I get a Coke? If you serve soda, I mean. If not, I'll just have a sparkling water."
"I'll have a glass of wine. And make sure that it's from your best bottle." Silver has a smile on his face.
The waiter writes down the drinks that they have ordered and walks away.
Jason looks back at Silver. "So, what were you about to say before the waiter showed up?"
"I expect you to fully repay, or at least earn, my generosity." Silver replies.
Jason understands. "I know. Did you say that my training starts from tomorrow?"
"I did. Your grandfather is going to be training you. I thought that it would be a good idea for you to bond. As well as make up for lost time." Silver answers.
Their conversation continues for a little bit before the waiter comes back and takes their orders.
Silver orders a salad while Jason orders a steak.
It was Jason's first meal since his release and he was going to enjoy it.
Especially because he didn't have to pay for it.
….
Jason's lunch with Silver had gone pretty well.
Silver had to go back to his house, so the limo driver had dropped him off before taking Jason shopping to get some more items for his wardrobe. He needed to buy sweatpants and some other athletic gear along with a few other things because training with Kreese, his grandfather, had the potential to be a very intense experience.
After a few hours' worth of shopping, Jason had gotten what he needed.
He walked back to the limo and got driven back to his new house in Encino.
Jason thanked the driver of the limo and got out of the car.
He carried his shopping with him to the front steps of his house and opened the door before carrying his shopping into the house.
Jason took the key on its keychain out of the door before closing it behind him.
He looked around his new home in astonishment.
It was bigger than the group homes that he had been in before his thirteenth birthday. And he didn't have to worry about anyone invading his personal space.
He also didn't have to worry about finding somewhere safe to stay.
Because this house was his.
He carried his shopping upstairs.
When he'd gotten to the room that he'd assumed would be his bedroom, he opened the door and stepped through it.
He opened the different bags containing clothes and sorted them into athletic gear and casual or everyday wear.
When that was done, he went downstairs and set up his laptop and some other things before deciding that it would be a good idea for him to fully explore the house.
After all, he needed to get himself fully familiarised with his new environment.
And that could potentially mean acquainting himself with his new neighbours.
But that could wait.