spark (Tory Nichols x Fem!Reader)

chapter eight: when one moves, everyone moves

Y/N had managed to keep up the charade that Cobra Kai was nothing more than an excersize studio. But the truth was that was more than that. It was the chance to become someone else entirely, someone who wasn't weighed down by her father's expectations and plans for her.

Y/N was living two separate lives at the same time. At home, she was the rich girl with straight As, the perfect daughter. But at Cobra Kai, she was her true, independent and fearless self. And there was nothing her father could do about it.

Still, things at Cobra Kai weren't entirely perfect. There was her feelings for Tory, which refused to subside, remaining at high water despite the fact that she was with Miguel. Y/N had also noticed Hawk staring at her more than a few times, with an odd grin, but he was far too intimidating for her to be into him. Then, there was also the issue of who had trashed Miyagi Do.

One way or another, Johnny was determined to get the truth out of them. He put them through a torturous set of calisthenics and excersizes, hoping to eventually break the culprit and get them to confess. 

"This could be over in an instant. The decision's yours. Who trashed Miyagi Do?" Johnny asked.

Y/N felt her legs burning from exertion, and her lungs on fire and wished whoever had done it would just confess and end this already. But nobody responded to Johnny.

"You guys know I'm no fan of LaRusso's. But that's the sort of bullshit we don't teach here." Johnny continued. "So I'll ask you again. Who trashed Miyagi Do?"

"It wasn't me, sir." Stingray spoke up breathlessly. "I would...never..trash another man's...dojo."

"Shut your cakehole, Chubs! I'm not looking for excuses. I'm looking for answers." Johnny said, making Y/N, Tory and a few others around them snicker. "Who trashed Miyagi Do?" 

Nobody answered. Y/N looked over at Tory, who was drenched in sweat, turning slightly red from exertion, her blonde ponytail bobbing as she did each burpee. It couldn't have been Tory. Yes, she did have a grudge against Sam and to an extent, Mr. LaRusso, but Y/N knew this wasn't her style. Tory was direct, never resorting to cowardly moves behind the scenes. If she didn't like someone, she would make it quite clear, even declare it openly, as Sam had found out the hard way. Tory would never sneak behind someone's back because she was never afraid to say anything to their face. 

As Y/N did her burpees, she tried to think of who could've done it. She couldn't imagine Miguel, who was kind and badass, doing such a thing. She also knew Aisha would never do something so cheap and underhanded either. 

As for Hawk, it was hard to tell. The mall fight had shown that he was confrontational and not afraid to start fights with others, but taking the time to plan out something like this? That was a whole other level, yet some gut instinct told Y/N that Hawk was entirely capable of that. 

Still, it was only a feeling.

"Keep going. We can do this all day!" Johnny declared before retreating to his office, leaving Kreese to watch over them.

"Sensei, we need a water break!" Mitch begged Kreese pathetically.

Kreese's expression remained the same as he looked around the room of sweaty, tired students. "Two-minute break!" he called out.

Y/N let out a sigh of relief, grabbed her waterbottle and moved to stand next to Tory, who was panting slightly. 

"You okay?" Y/N asked Tory. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tory said. "I just wish we knew who did this."

"I can't believe anyone from here would do that. It's so cowardly. At least when you punch someone in the face, there's the risk of getting punched back." Y/N answered. "At least there's some honor in it." 

"I agree." Tory answered. "Sad thing is, everyone's a pussy nowadays, so now they do it so the other person can't find out and fight back. I would know."

"You know, even bullying used to be more honorable." Y/N told Tory with a chuckle. "Nowadays no one even has the guts to do that. They just say everything behind a screen." 

"Well, don't worry." Tory says with a grin. "We can always send them messages back, with our fists." 

Y/N laughed. Although there were some unresolved issues in Cobra Kai, it didn't change the fact that it was where she belonged. In Cobra Kai, she was unafraid, especially because she had a sense of security knowing that she could defend herself from anyone who tried to attack her, both verbally and physically. 

After two minutes were up, Kreese had them switch from simple calisthenics to strength training. Y/N, Miguel and Tory were using the battling ropes while the others lifted weights. Y/N could feel fatigue painfully worming its way through her shoulders, back and arms. 

"He's not gonna let up!" Miguel panted. "We have to figure out who did this."

"I bet it was Shit Breath." Tory said carelessly.

"Screw you!" Mitch shot back. "What did you say?" Tory said, storming towards him.

"Hey, Tory, leave it. He's not worth it." Y/N said, putting a hand on her shoulder. It was enough to calm her down. Y/N could feel Tory's shaky, furious breathing shifting back to normal. Her hands, which had been balled into tight, tense fists, unfurled. 

"Y/N's right. You aren't." Tory answered.

"That's enough!" Kreese said, catching their attention. "Would you really like to know who did it?"

There was a moment of silence before Kreese spoke. "It was Hawk." he said plainly. Everyone, including Y/N turned to look at him.

"And it was Diaz." Kreese continued. "And Robinson. And L/N. And Chubs. And Nichols, Red. When one of you makes a move, all of you make a move. You live and die with the consequences and the spoils. Because you are all Cobra Kai." 

Y/N and Tory looked at each other, this time in agreement. Kreese was right. They were a team. so they must move as one.