Cobra Kai Oneshots

Kintsugi

Post season 5/season 6 AU

/ /

Robby entered the gates of Miyagi-Do pulling his girlfriend behind him.

"Robby, what are we doing here? I told you, I don't want to do any karate and certainly not Miyagi-Do karate." Tory complained as she was dragged by her good hand. Ever since her boyfriend had arrived at her house he hadn't told her where they were going.
"This isn't about karate." Robby told her.
"Then what's it about?" She questioned exacerbated.
"This is about you and me." Robby said.
"What?" Tory questioned taken aback.
"You said you don't trust me as much as you used to and I understand why. I screwed up big time so I have an idea on how we can work on that." He explained.
"And just so happens to have something to do with the Miyagi-Do dojo?"
"Yeah, well, I'm sure there's somewhere else we could do this, but I don't know any other place." Robby justified as he led Tory down the wooden path towards the Koi pond.

Finally, Robby let go of her hand only to pull his hoodie over his head and Tory tried not to enjoy how his top rode up as well, still mad at him.

Robby hopped down into the pond then looked back at Tory  "Come on."
"You're insane."
"Tor, come on, get in."
"I'm not moving until you tell me what we are doing here and why involves getting in a fish pond?"
Robby sighed he knew he had broke their trust but he didn't think it would be this hard to build it back up. "This is a balance wheel and it's used in a kata for two people called the wheel technique; it involves the two people being completely in tune with each other and sensing each other's moves."
"So you brought me here to teach me Miyagi-Do kata." Tory summarised. "No." She rejected trying to walk away but Robby reached out and caught her ankle.
"Wait. Please wait, it's not about Miyagi-Do, karate or anything. It's about you and me, I promise. We used to be really good at sensing what each other needed and wanted: in the car, when planning revenge and everything. And I screwed that up by not staying with you and believing in and trusting you. So, will you please just give me a chance to fix it?"
Robby's pleas almost fully convinced Tory but she still had some reservations. "Okay, serious question, what about the fish?" Robby laughed "You'll be fine." He assured her.
Slightly reluctantly Tory kicked off her shoes and got in the koi pond. "Oh, it's cold." She exclaimed as the cold water shocked her up to her waist.
Robby smiled and moved around to stand opposite Tory on the other side of the balance wheel. "Okay when I say, put your weight on the wheel and try and stand up on it." Tory nodded then gasped.
"What's wrong?" Robby asked.
"I think a fin touched me." She shook it off. "This wheel isn't looking so bad now."
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, now." Robby declared and they both tried and push themselves up onto the wheel at the same time. Surprisingly, they managed to get on it the first time although it was wobbly. Tory's feet weren't planted as firmly whereas Robby's were as he was more used to being on the shaky wheel.
"Okay now what?" Tory asked.
"Just breathe and get comfortable. Make sure you're steady."
"Just breathe... right, so Miyagi-Do meditation?" Tory quipped and Robby elected to ignore her.
Once Tory was more steady on the wheel Robby tried to reach his arm out until Tory got the idea and tried to copy his movements.

They were surprisingly successful for about five minutes before they lost their balance.
As Tory popped back up out of the water coughing and rubbing her eyes clear she shouted "This is so stupid!"
"Yeah, well, either we do this or we talk about it. What would you prefer?" Robby said getting annoyed himself. Tory scoffed looking away from him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just... I want this to work. I miss us."
"We're back together." Tory pointed out.
"Not the way we used to be." Robby argued.
"Yeah, well, it's not the same anymore now, Rob. I'm sorry, but I can't change what I feel or how you made me feel."
"I can't change how you made me feel either, Tory. You didn't trust me enough to tell me."

"You're doing it wrong." A new voice interrupted them making them, particularly Tory jump.
"Sensei Toguchi, I can explain..." Robby started but the Japanese man waved him off.
"Aren't you still supposed to be in hospital?" Tory asked her one-time sensei.
"Weren't you supposed to actually go to hospital?" He rebuffed.
"Fair point." Tory admitted.
"Anyway, I know we're not doing the wheel technique correctly, I was trying to-"
"Not wheel. Relationship." Chozen got straight to the point.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, that's just rude." Even Tory was taken aback.
"You are trying to return to normal and ignore break but that is not how you heal. Must heal like kintsugi."
"Like what?"
"Kintsugi. Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with liquid gold." Robby and Tory looked at each other questioningly. "And how exactly do we do that considering we're people not pottery?" Robby asked.
"Must accept that broken to heal beautifully." Chozen stated before leaving them to figure the rest out for themselves.

"I'm sorry, I snapped like that."
"Me too." Tory apologised.
"Don't be. Honestly that was the reaction I expected from you." Robby laughed a little.
"I am really sorry I didn't bring you in on Kreese's plan. I just keep thinking about all the time we lost."
"No, I'm sorry. I'm the one who's going on about wanting to get back to knowing what each other is thinking and I couldn't even tell you were up to something." He sighed tearing up. "Everything that happened is my fault. I lost to Hawk, then it was on you to win for Cobra Kai, so of course Silver wouldn't let the dojo lose, and then I left you and Kenny in there and you suffered and he became a bully."
"Robby."
"I wish we hadn't lost all that time too."
"I suppose it's not that much time in comparison to the rest of our lives." Tory shrugged deliberately not looking at him when she said that although she could feel his eyes on her. "How do we accept and heal from this?"
"I'm not sure... other than promising to never do it again."
Tory nodded "I promise to never keep secrets from you again."
"And I promise never to give up and bail when things get tough."
"Good."
"Give me a kiss?" Robby pouted playfully but Tory trudged through the water as quick as she could launching herself at him and Robby caught her around the waist kissing her passionately.  Once the came up for air Robby said "In the spirt of not keeping things from each other, are you going to tell me about your hand now?"
Tory sighed and looked down but didn't move from his hold "It was a punishment for not competing, for having feelings, for being a fucking human being."
"For me coming to the dojo." Robby added.
Tor grimaced hoping he hadn't worked that out "More like for not saying 'no mercy' to you."
"Another thing that's my fault."
"No, it's not." Tory made Robby look at him. "They already had their doubts about me. The only way you can possibly be blamed for this is for making me f-" Tory cut herself off abruptly as she realised what she was about to say.
"For making you do what?" Robby questioned.
Seeing no other way to backtrack what she said, Tory came right out and said it "For making me fall in love with you."
"Y-You love me? I don't deserve you, Nichols, but I love you too." He kissed her again but this time it was slower and more gentle as they tried to showcase their feelings in the action. When they finally pulled away Robby chuckled asking "Did we just heal beautifully?" quoting Chozen.
"Shut up, Keene." Tory guffawed pushing him away with her good hand as she got out of the pond.