Breaking Chains / Johnny Lawrence x Reader

Of Alcohol and Holding Hands.

1985.

It was 11pm, a few hours after the All Valley Karate Tournament. Your brother won, again. It was a hard fight against Barnes, Cobra Kai showing all of their dirty moves. Bobby didn't participate because he left the Dojo after last years Tournament, but he and his friends still came to watch.

You didn't knew he would come and were mildly surprised to see him in the ranks with all of the others. Waving to him happily and signaling him to meet you after the fight, he only gave you a weak smile and a short nod. Your heart sank immediately. No matter how tired, sad or mad Bobby was, he was always happy to see you. Beside him sat Johnny, not too amused to only be a spectator in the Tournament. You'd witnessed what Kreese did to him last year after he lost to Daniel, it must've been horrifying for him.

His eyes met yours for just a second and he quickly looked away, so did the rest of his friends. Arrogant pack, you thought.

You couldn't have been prouder of your brother than you were after his fight – his skills were amazing and he withstood all the illegal moves thrown at him by Mike Barnes. Pulling Mr. Miyagi and you into a big hug and jumping up and down – as best as you could with Mr. Miyagi being a small, older bean – you had to hold back your tears. Letting these two to celebrate with each other, the crowd still cheering loudly in the background, you saw Bobby leave his seat and quickly went to meet him outside.

Five minutes.

That's how long it took for him to break up with you, his friends watching from a few meters away. He had to concentrate on his studies, his grades were dropping and his parents forced him to take lessons outside of school now too. He apologized and apologized and apologized. You were silent, zoning out and not speaking a word.
'I am so sorry .. I .. I love you, I really do. But my parents and .. I wouldn't have a lot of time with my friends .. and with Karate ..', he began again, his eyes looking at you desperately, looking for a reaction of some kind.

'Stop.', you breathed. Tears began to dwell in your eyes, your cheeks heating up. Now he looked even more .. soft. He wanted to pull you to him, to hug you and bury his face in your hair as he always did. But he stopped himself.

'I understand. It's okay. I wish you good luck with your grades. Really, I do.', you muttered and instantly turned your back to him. You meant it. You could understand his reasons, maybe in his state you would've done the same. Nevertheless it hurt like hell, like somebody ripped out your heart and took a big bite. It physically hurt.

You quickly walked off, back to the entrance of the Hall, wiping away the tears that were now rolling down your red cheeks with the sleeve of your sweater. He didn't came after you and you were glad he didn't, it would only make this goodbye so much harder. Meeting you at the entrance with the biggest smile was Daniel, ready to finally head home with you. A second later his smile faded already as he noticed your eyes and the people behind you. Bobby still stood there like a dog accidently left outside. Daniel instantly understood and he didn't hesitate. He ran the last steps over to you and pulled you into a tight hug. His right hand pressed your head into chest and you sobbed uncontrollably against his shirt.

'I'll take you home.'

...

2018.

'I'll take you home.', Johnny said after he got you into the passenger seat of his firebird and drove off. His eyes constantly switching between looking at the road and making sure you're still awake. 'Kickstart my Heart' was on the radio but the volume was turned low, so you could only mutter the lyrics while being a drunk passenger-princess.

'Where do you live?', he asked and took a turn left, probably driving in circles around the block, waiting for your directions. 'I can't go home.', you whispered and closed your eyes. Little stars and alcoholic beverages were dancing in your mind, having a real dance-competition. 'If I go home now-', you started, suddenly sitting up and scaring your Sensei next to you. 'Jesus!', he breathed and became nervous behind the wheel.