little bird // r.keene

xliv. dad.

"I'm just glad it was her and not Miguel." Daniel uttered as he and Robby watched the Cobra Kais crowd around their champion in the middle of the mat. Robby let his mouth slip into a small smile as he watched her victory from afar, he couldn't help it. Daniel looked down at the boy and followed his gaze to where Wren stood and put his hand on Robby's uninjured shoulder.

"You like her?" He asked smoothly, looking back from Wren to Robby, then back to the girl.
"Oh- no." Robby snapped his eyes back to Mr LaRusso, "No, Mr LaRusso, it's not like that at all." Robby told him, breaking into a small chuckle and giving him a slight shake of his head.

"Okay." Daniel shrugged, "I don't believe you, but I'm not trying to overstep." Robby gave him an lose smile before turning back to look at Wren.
"What makes you say that?" He asked innocently, wondering what it was Mr LaRusso thought he saw.

"The way you look at her, Robby." He said simply and Robby cleared his throat, suddenly looking down at his feet, embarrassed.
"I'm not sure what you're on about. Anyway... She would never be mine. I'm not sure she would ever belong to anybody. Wren isn't defined by anyone around her. That's what I like about her." And Robby pointed a finger at his sensei, "And I don't mean 'like like', she's my friend Mr LaRusso." Robby told his sensei and Daniel nodded as the pair began to walk away from the mat.

And despite telling Robby he believed him, Daniel knew that friends didn't look at each other like that.

Johnny, holding the All Valley trophy, made his way off the mat and caught up with them. "Robby," he called out, Mr LaRusso and Robby turned to face him, "I'm sorry." He said after a brief pause, his eyes skimming to where Robby still clutched his injured arm.

"It's okay, dad." Robby replied, "It's okay." He repeated. "Let's go Mr LaRusso." And Robby turned away, Wren looked over her shoulder as she pulled away from her team and saw her friend wandering slowly towards the door. She broke away from the crowd and jogged down towards him.

"Robby!" She called out and he stopped in his steps to face her.
"Hey champion!" He grinned at her as she beamed back up at him, "You did amazing, Mr James won't be surprised though, he probably saw it coming." Robby declared and Wren's eyes couldn't but see the small creases by his eyes as if he was trying with all his might to hide how much pain he was in, keeping it tucked away just below the surface.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, taking a step closer so they could whisper and still hear each other as they got lost in the swarms of people leaving the event.
"Yeah." Robby acknowledged, nodding his head down to look at his feet, which was becoming a nervous habit.

"Are you lying?" Wren asked him in a soft mellow voice and Robby sighed, looking up at her.
"Yes." Robby confessed and Wren didn't think twice before wrapping her arms around his waist and engulfing him in a hug, making sure to avoid his injury. A moment passed between them and Robby wrapped his good arm around her shoulder, cupping her back and pulling her towards him.

And they stayed that way for a small amount of time, simply standing in waves of faces on their way out but they remained as they were.

She hugged her friend. A little bit messy. A little bit ruined. A beautiful disaster. Just like her.

"You're alright Keene..." She breathed him in, "You're okay... Johnny, he was worried about you." She said into his chest. "He told Miguel to stop fighting dirty, none of us thought Miguel would take it that far." She confessed as they pulled away but she kept her hand on his arm and his remained on hers.
"It's funny, I don't remember him coming over to my side of the mat. Making sure I was alright..." Robby told her, a small flicker of resentment rising in his voice, knowing it had been Wren to do those things and not his father.

Even though he had been quiet and polite to his dad right then, before Wren had come to see him, Robby knew he and his dad could never really understand each other. They could never work because in his childhood, he couldn't remember one moment where Johnny had tried. Really tried.
"Don't make excuses for him, Wren. He abandoned me from day one. He didn't even know me but decided I wasn't good enough for him." Robby pulled his arm away this time, swallowing hard.

"Robby, you don't know that... He was scared..." She tried to reason, her eyes were full and wide, Wren didn't want to let go of his arm.
"Stop it Wren, both our dads are violent drunks, end of story." Robby choked, shaking his head.

"No, your dad is a good man, maybe he wasn't before but he is now. Yes, he made some mistakes but he was there for me and right now he's trying to be here for you. That's gotta count for something. I'm not saying welcome him with open arms, I would never say that because I know what it's like..." She broke herself off, "Just give him a chance."

"You're only saying that because you wish your dad would change, Wren. I'm not you." He took a step away, looking over to where Mr LaRusso was now walking over to them.
"That's not true, Robby. I'm just trying to help." She told him, now she was the one shaking her head.

"So stop helping." He snapped, "Go enjoy your victory. Cobra Kai really earned it." Robby finally turned away and Wren let her arm fall to her side as he began to walk away.

And there was her friend. The way he made her laugh and smile and the way he spoke gave her butterflies and every time they spent a few moments together- it made her happy.

Here he was- walking away. She called out to him, his name rolling off her tongue like the tide.
She had spent her whole life watching people leave. Her dad, Mrs James, her mom, Rue, Will in a way... Now Robby.

All the time people were leaving. It was nothing new

Mr LaRusso had reached her and looked from her to where Robby was still walking down the corridor within eyesight.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"I'm okay, it's okay Mr LaRusso but please look after him, he needs you and though he may not admit it...He needs Johnny too." Her words struck him, her solemn tone baffled him. He wondered what they could have said to each other to shatter the longing looks that existed 5 minutes ago.

"Thank you and congratulations. I'm sorry." He muttered all three things at once before jogging after Robby. Wren took a long deep breath and wiped under her eyes but found them dry, she straightened her gi and turned around only to find Johnny stood a meter away from her.

"You knew he was my son?" Johnny asked and Wren's heart sank, she couldn't bear anyone else being mad at her. She didn't think she could take it.
"Not when I met him..." She said quietly, there were only a few people left in the hall, the rest of the team had gone to celebrate Cobra Kai's win, only without their champion. "When he told me, I just- I was going to tell you sensei..." She trailed off, hugging her arms around herself.

"Did you mean everything you said just now?" He asked, pointing up to her, gesturing to everything that had just happened, his voice was still flat and his face expressionless.

"I did."

"Come here." And Johnny hugged her, it was long and warm and needed. It was the thing she needed most. Johnny had heard everything she had said to Robby about him and it didn't occur to Johnny before that point how highly she thought of him.

"He'll come back." Wren uttered into Johnny and Johnny pulled away slightly, looking down at her.
"What makes you so sure?" He asked.

"He needs you."
"He needs you too."