❥︎ December 19th {Robby Keene & Johnny Lawrence} ❥︎

December 19th Chapter One

Johnny Lawrence was many things in life. Ruthless when he needed to be, hardened, humorous, and even insensitive to an extent depending on who you asked. And admittedly on more than one occasion, he had been known as being rash. Oh, who was Johnny kidding, even he knew it was more than that.

He knew people associated him and the word within the same sentence, conceivably even thought him to be the definition of rash.

They weren't wrong either, not really at least.

Because Johnny had enough self-awareness at this point to know that he'd always been rash, making impulsive decisions left and right throughout his life. He'd been rash all those years ago when he'd broken Ali's radio, interchangeably starting the lifelong rivalry between him and Larusso. More than a little impetuous when he'd chosen to drink himself into a stupor on February fourth, of 2002. It'd been the day that Johnny could truly say he'd let down Shannon and Robby, the day he was still hoping of making amends for.

February fourth was the day he'd regrettably missed out on Robby being born, something he could never quite make up for. He'd been too self-absorbed, high-strung on emotions and the grief losing his mother had brought on for him to find it in himself to be present. For him to ever consider others' feelings.

Johnny had behaved rashly the day he lost his job, cursing out his employer and clients directly after being fired. - Even more so when he'd first met Diaz; busting in the kid's faces that were messing with Miguel.

Hell, even starting the Dojo had been a split-second decision. So yeah, it was safe to say that Johnny Lawrence didn't always think things out. It was just the way he was, the way he'd always been.

But abandoning Robby as well as recruiting his former Sensei; Kreese as an instructor for his Dojo were two of the things he regretted the most, one more than the other.

Conscripting Kreese was a decision he was still paying for - Not being there for his son, Robby, was still something he was hoping of making up for every day he awoke.

Initially when Kreese had found him, and had posed the idea of being allowed a place in his Dojo Johnny had been wary, reasonably so.

He'd known Kreese long enough and had his fair share of personal experiences that left him mistrusting of the other. The experiences spoke for themselves when it came to the man.

But he'd caved. His judgment had lapsed the second he'd seen the act Kreese had put on to appease him.

The way he'd seen Kreese teaching his students, the right way, one that taught them Karate without tainting them with violence. Without showing them how to be merciless, without turning his students into something they weren't, he'd been fully sold on the idea of Kreese helping him. Overjoyed at the thought that Kreese was someone he could trust, that he was bettering his Sensei by showing the man how to do better with others than the man had done with him.

He'd been so thrilled believing that he'd been given a second chance with his Sensei. That the man hadn't been as irredeemable as he'd believed. That he cast aside a lot of doubts, had originally cast aside a lot of Miguel's uneasiness about the man as well.

He'd wanted to make Cobra Kai into something that didn't hold the weight of bad memories to it. But had done the opposite.

He'd given Kreese, given Cobra Kai more power than ever.

His former Sensei had taken over his Dojo, corrupted his students, ruined Miyagi Dojo, stolen Miyagi's medal of honor, and as a result of doing so caused the West Valley High School fight.

And now Kreese had gone as far as to send students after Diaz, to try and jump Miguel?

________

''What happened,'' Johnny had growled.