Robby

“it’s   fine.   .   .robby.   i   lost   the   fight.   now   dad   has   to   close   the   dojo.“   so   does   johnny.   it   weights   on   her   and   it   shouldn’t   but   she   has   inherited   her   father’s   ability   to   put   blame   on   herself.   ”i   heard   about   kreese.“   arrested,   apparently.   her   father   told   her   and   she   isn’t   sure   how   she   feels   about   it,   now   that   terry   silver   is   the   one   in   charge   of   the   cobra   kai   dojos.   there   is   a   pause,   eyes   finally   looking   back   at   him   and   sighing.   “you   showed   them   our   moves.“   secrets.   things   only   for   those   who   do   miyagi-do.   “I   should   be   mad.   .   .i’m   just.   .   .sad.“   sam   admits,   and   tapping   her   feet   to   the   ground,   nervous.   “are   you   still   going   to   be   cobra   kai?“

She pours herself more of the whiskey, repeats the process with a second glass and slides it down the island to him. Tory should probably slow the way she’s drinking the amber liquid but it’s helping keep in the words that she shouldn’t say. 

The actual answer to that question is that she hasn’t been doing great a all. She’s missed him more than she had really ever admitted out loud. That her little brother asked about him almost once a day. Yeah sure she missed the romantic relationship they had built, but more than anything she misses the friendship they forged. Robby Keene had become her best friend and her life lacked without him. 

Instead she says  “Oh you know, the same terrible shit just a different day.” and takes a deep sip off her drink. “Mom’s a little better lately. She was able to get out of bed three days in a row last week.” Privately the brunette tried not to get too excited about it. The doctors had told her that it was unlikely her mother would ever get better than she was right now. 

God when had they become so god damn awkward? 

“What about you? How’ve things been?”  She hates that she doesn’t know, hates that she even has to ask the damn question. She softens for a moment, playing with the cuffs on the jacket she’s wearing. “Your mom been good lately?”   

      Robby hates the way they seem to be a little unsure how to act around each other, like they hadn’t been close just a few months earlier. he thanks her when she slides the drink over to him, looking down at it for a moment as he tries to get his head around how to make this a little less weird. 

      when she speaks, he glances back up toward her face and feels his brows pinch a little at her first response. but the news about her mom is definitely good, and he offers her a small smile at it.  ❝ i’m glad to hear that, Tory. that’s great news. how’s your brother doing? ❞ he asks, before he takes a sip of his drink. 

      she asks how he’s been doing, and Robby shrugs his shoulders a little bit as he takes another, slightly bigger sip of his drink.  ❝ oh, you know... it’s been okay. ❞ it hasn’t, but it seems they both know all about that, so there’s no point dwelling on it, really.  

                    ‘ could ask you the same thing, ’ as much as miguel wanted to sound defensive, he just sounded tired, the two boys facing off once again, this time in johnny’s apartment. his brows are furrowed, but he has no energy for malice. holding up a guns n roses cassette, he tosses it softly onto the table between them. ‘ just came to return the tape i borrowed, ’ he explains quietly, but doesn’t turn to leave, despite johnny clearly not being present. ‘ wasn’t planning on staying… so you can keep doing whatever you were doing before i got here. i’ll be gone once i grab another tape, ’

She had told Piper no. Actually to be specific she had told Piper no more than once. Tory didn’t want to go out with their friends right now. Their group was small, sometimes a little to small. It would be impossible to avoid Robby and the weight of all their emotional bullshit. 

Tory thought their break up would make it easier. That they could go back to that easy place before the feelings had gotten to deep and scary. Where it was all banter and kissing and laughing while sparring.  

Incoming text: [Pipe Bomb:] Robby isn’t here, will you just get dressed and come out.

Tory groaned and threw her head back, her phone hitting her bed. At this rate Piper was going to physically stuff her into clothes and drag her over to the party. She got up and rifled through her closet for a pair of jeans, a black crop top and a green vans jacket she’s not even sure where she got. Hair gets shaken out and re-sprayed, a new coat of blood red lipstick and her feet shoved into a pair of heeled boots. 

outgoing text: [Pipe Bomb:] alright i’m here, just for you and everything

She stops off in the kitchen to get herself a drink, hair a little messy from running her fingers through it, pouring herself a quarter cup of whiskey and then her eyes catch his across the kitchen island. She was going to murder Piper slowly. The whiskey hits her lips, warmth spreading through her. 

“Hey stranger.” she says almost quietly. “Whiskey on the rocks?” she offers, a better version of an olive branch. 

      honestly, Robby really hadn’t wanted to come to this damn party. but he knows that he’s been wallowing a bit, hasn’t really been letting himself go anywhere he thinks they might bump into each other. 

      now that he’s here though, and she’s not, he isn’t quite as relieved as he thought he’d be. it’s only then that he realizes just maybe he’d been wanting to see her. even if they didn’t end up speaking to each other. 

      he’s in the kitchen looking to get another drink when he catches sight of her-- and he seems to spot her first. watching from the other side of the kitchen island as she picks her way through the crowd to start pouring herself a drink. she looks up quite suddenly though, so he doesn’t get a chance to look away, is just left raising his brows a little as he releases a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. 

eyes   shift.   staring   back   at   robby   and   she   breathes   through,   she   puts   on   a   facade   with   most   people.   say   she   is   fine   and   smile   and   do   her   breathing   exercises.   robby   knows   her.   it’s   harder   to   lie   to   him.   “i’m.   .   .dealing   with   it.   feels   like   it’s   all   my   fault.”   her   dad,   johnny,   lost   what   they   wanted   the   most   because   she   didn’t   won.   eyes   fall   to   the   empty   space   beside   her,   a   peace   offering.   “you   did.   .   .good.   more   than   that.   you   were   great.”

the   voice   gives   him   a   small   pause.   but   either   way,   daniel   walks   in,   making   sure   to   keep   the   door   close   behind   him.   seems   important   enough   to   keep   it   so.   “sure,   of   course.   what   do   you   want   to   talk?”   and   perhaps,   that   streak   inside   him   that   worries   like   a   father   asks   with   a   gentle   frown.   “something   happened?”

      his mouth briefly opens like he wants to say something, but he second guesses himself and closes it, brows pinching together. he knows what he wants to say, but instead all he manages is;  ❝ how’re you... holding up? ❞

      he’s not surprised at all when he’s immediately greeted with a scowl, but he keeps his hands in his pockets and steps further into the store.  ❝ i’m not here to fight you. i’m here for juice. ❞

      he’s not sure what his dad is cooking, but he’s a little too tired to actually ask. he hadn’t slept well at all, in truth, his mind is a little all over the place. he realizes he’s being asked a question a little too late, and looks up to find Johnny offering out a coffee. he takes it with a thanks, hands wrapped around the hot mug.  ❝ what’re you making? ❞ 

      he double takes when he catches Miguel out the corner of his eye, his brows pinching together a little as his hands fall to his side.  ❝ what’re you doing here? ❞

   ❝ what’re you watching? ❞ he asks, deliberately pressing an ice cold can of coke against the back of her neck as he hops over the back of the couch to drop next to her.

      he’s got an obnoxious amount of food in his mouth when Nat sits down opposite him, and he smiles around it before swallowing it down.  ❝ -- what did you say this was? it’s great. ❞

   ❝ hey, Mr Larusso... ❞ he greets as the man opens his door, lips pressing together briefly.  ❝ i was hoping we could talk? ❞