Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
╚══════════════════════════════════════. ■ .╝
THE HOTEL ROOM BUZZED WITH A TENSE, unspoken energy. y/n l/n sat cross-legged on her bed, fiddling with her earphones as music blared just loud enough to drown out her thoughts. Across the room, Tory lounged on her own bed, scrolling through her phone, her body radiating defiance. The two hadn't exchanged more than a few icy words since arriving, and the silence between them was oppressive. It wasn't just awkward—it was deliberate.
Y/n, surprisingly, was handling it well. Her emotions were usually a firestorm, sparking and erupting before she could stop them, but today was different. She felt... numb. Detached. Perhaps the exhaustion from constant battles, literal and metaphorical, had dulled her. Or maybe, she thought grimly, she was just storing the storm for later.
The tension was nearly audible when a sharp knock shattered it. Tory's eyes darted to the door, then to y/n. Neither moved at first, a silent battle of wills over who would have to get up.
Finally, Tory groaned and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Lazy clown," she muttered under her breath as she stomped to the door.
Y/n didn't bite. She let the insult hang in the air, her focus still on the tangled wires of her earphones. Her calm exterior was so out of character it almost unnerved her.
The door opened, and before the blonde could fully process who was standing there, Sensei Kim barged in, her heels clicking sharply against the tiled floor. Kreese followed her, his presence looming like a shadow.
"You two, get moving," She ordered, her sharp tone slicing through the room like a blade. "The buses are leaving. Or should I assume you've both decided to embarrass Cobra Kai in front of our sponsors?"
The girl felt a flicker of rebellion spark to life. Kim's words always had a way of igniting something in her, a potent mixture of fear, anger, and guilt. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed her Cobra Kai jacket. It wasn't worth the fight, not yet.
"Coming," she muttered, slipping her arms through the sleeves. The familiar weight of the jacket settled on her shoulders, grounding her.
Tory, however, stayed rooted in place, arms crossed, her glare fixed on Kim. "What's the point of this trip, anyway? Babysitting rich sponsors while they pat themselves on the back for being 'involved'? Seems like a waste of time to me."
Kim's expression didn't waver. "You think your opinion matters, Nichols? I don't care if you think it's a waste of time. You'll be there because I said so."
