My Cobra Guy

Episode Twenty

Johnny wasn't sure what the hell that clunking noise was coming from the van, but it didn't sound good. The stupid peice of shit had better not break down anytime soon. With all the troubles he was having, he definitely couldn't afford repairs to something so old it was hardly worth putting more money into. It still ran, for now, so that's all that mattered.

He wanted to go home and yet he didn't. Home now only reminded him of how fucked up his life was. A tiny, shit apartment. No one to share it with. Robbie refusing to speak to him. No job to be had besides the dojo. He needed a drink.

He wanted to do better not just for the kids but for himself. The problem was, when he was sober, his confidence was gone. His optimism out the window. All he could see was a dark path before him. All he could think about was the time he lost in that fucking coma. Time away from the world. Time away from Robbie growing up. He fell asleep in one decade and woke up in another to find the world had changed. Everything had moved on without him. It made him feel like he didn't matter at all.

Drinking had helped. The alcohol gave him the false confidence, the boost in pride that he needed to make it from one day to the next. And now he was denied even that? How the hell was he supposed to deal?

"Fuck it," Johnny mumbled to himself. He pulled into a bar not far from his apartment. He could throw back a couple, just to take the edge off, then sober up there or just walk home. Twenty minutes later, he had downed four beers like it was nothing and the skinny chick at the end of the bar with blue hair was giving him the eye. The hair wasn't much of a turn-on for him, but she had really nice lips and couldn't be more than a few years younger than him. Do people my age really do that crap with their hair? Isn't that a kid thing? Staring at her lips suddenly brought an image to mind. Daniel's lips were so close to his, his eyes glued to Johnny as he hovered over him in the tent. Another memory? Nope, not tonight.

Ten minutes, and three more beers, later and he was walking home with the blue-haired chick under his arm. She didn't seem drunk at all, but after a few days with no alcohol in his system, Johnny was feeling better in some ways, but worse in others. He was still a bit shaky but he didn't care. He wasn't sweating so much but the world was a bit tilty. Memories weren't assaulting his mind, but he definitely smelled like a sweaty brewery. The chick didn't talk much but she smiled up at him from time to time. Good, he wasn't looking for a lot of chitchat tonight. After dropping his keys twice, he finally brought her inside. The game was afoot.

After mere seconds of making out, they were shedding clothes and heading to his bed. He had to admit, she had a nice body, but for some reason, his body had decided it wasn't "up" for the challenge. After a few minutes of feeble attempts on her part, she lowered her brows at him.

"Did you drink too much or something?"

"No. That isn't usually an issue." It never had been, at least never before. His eyes locked on her lips again and he finally realized that they reminded him of Daniel's. The thought had him stirring. The reaction freaked him out.

"You have such beautiful eyes," she said as she kissed his neck.

"Heh. You think I'm pretty." Johnny's voice had croaked out of his throat.

"Who doesn't? You're a definite ten, Johnny-boy. Now don't fall asleep on me." Daniel replied.

Fuck!

His body was so confused he was starting to sweat again. Meanwhile, the blue-haired chick had all but given up. She gave him a few pity kisses before grabbing her clothes and dressing. He had no idea what to say. This had never happened to him before. Should he apologize? But it wasn't his fault!

"Hey, uh...."

"You take it easy, Blue Eyes." And with that, she left. Johnny, sitting on the edge of his bed in his boxers, had never been more confused in his life. What just happened?

* * * * *

Keep it together. Just, keep it under control. Daniel chanted this to himself as he, once again, tried to do the chokehold lesson. It was a week since that last attempt, and he and Johnny had been avoiding talking to each other. They only spoke about lessons and Johnny rarely answered his texts. There was an awkwardness between them now that was somehow worse than the old rivalry. He hated it. They had been so close to becoming good friends. Where did it all go wrong?

You did this. Your stupid, weird reactions have made him uncomfortable. He's going to think you're some kind of pervert, if he doesn't already.

Concentrating on the lesson, he talked his way through the steps. Johnny slowly showed the kids how to get out of the move and reverse it on him, twisting Daniel 's body and bending his arm behind him. If he were cruel, he only needed to yank up to send Daniel into a new realm of pain. But Johnny didn't. He chose to keep the peace between them.

Just this time last year, Johnny would have loved to hurt Daniel in any way he could. Was he finally letting go of the past? Daniel certainly had. He liked Johnny. He was funny, loyal, and had a big heart, especially with the kids. He might still have that old-school way of thinking, but he would come to bat for them, even the new students, any time.

Lessons for the day were over and, for once, June was approaching Daniel instead of Johnny. This woman was like a constant ray of bubbly sunshine, and Daniel couldn't help smiling when he saw her. She might be a lush, but she was a good person.

"I just wanted to say that Regina has really been doing well lately. She's come out of her shell a little and even practices some karate moves at home now. She's made some real friends here and I have you and Johnny to thank."

"Well, Regina is a great student. Outspoken, yes, but she pays attention to the lessons."

June waved a hand at him. "Oh, I know she can be a handful sometimes, but this place has been really good for her. And my friends said their kids are enjoying it, too."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to bring them all here."

"I wouldn't have even known about this place if not for Johnny. He had flyers at the strip mall and that's how we met. You know, you guys should set up a website. Maybe some social media profiles? It would really help get the word around. Anyway, just wanted to thank you guys!" June waved and bounced off on her high heels to retrieve her daughter.

Johnny is a good recruiter. How had he never realized it before? It was a talent he had overlooked, but thinking back, Cobra Kai had always had more students. Hell, Robby and Sam had been Daniel's only students for a while. Now, Johnny had brought his own kids and was bringing in even more. It was packed inside the dojo now, if any more joined every lesson would have to be outside. I don't give him enough credit. He's good with people.

The website idea stuck with him. He had tried it before, but no one ever visited it. Perhaps he just needed to approach it differently. Maybe he could get his cousin to set it up for him. Then he could upload some pictures or videos occasionally to keep it fresh. He didn't have time for social media, but maybe it was something Johnny could handle. Well, after Daniel taught him how. If he's even willing to learn.

Watching Johnny laugh with the parents and kids brought a smile to his lips. This combined dojo was really working out. Things were finally going right.