Chapter Sixteen: John Kreese

"Something 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman."

~Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande~

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Revised: July 8, 2022

Warnings: abuse, domestic violence, sexual harassment/assault, language, violence, light smut, and other mature themes

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Zion's POV

I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing, but it doesn't sound like my alarm. I pick up my phone groggily, only to see Robby is calling me.

I answer the phone, "Robby? What's wrong?"

"What do you do when your mom leaves for Mexico with some guy she just met and leaves you home alone?" he asks in a panic of frustration.

"Your mom did what?" I ask. I feel awfully for Robby. His mom has always been drunk and acted like this. It's a wonder I didn't reach out and bother him to ask advice about my mom. But now here he is, calling me for help and I don't know what to say.

"Sorry, I just woke up to this huge mess and I had to call somebody and you were the first person I could think of."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize. I'm sure your mom will be back soon and for now, make the best out of being alone," I suggest.

"But I'm always alone. I'm sick of being abandoned," he says and my heart aches for him.

"Um, hey, I can try to get out of Hawk's house and come pick you up for milkshakes like we used to do when I was sad about my dad," I suggest.

"You'd do that? Even if it isn't from Evan's?" he asks me, referring to the best milkshake place in Santa Maria.

"Sure," I say.

"Aw, crap. I have karate this morning. Maybe this afternoon?" he asks me and I sigh.

"I have karate today, too. I can't promise tonight, but I'll really try. I just have to figure out something to tell Hawk," I say and hear him scoff.

"That bonehead will believe anything you tell him," Robby says.

"Hey, that bonehead is my boyfriend," I defend.

"I know. I'm just messing with you, Zion," he laughs.

"I'll let you know," I say. He says goodbye as I hang up.

I walk out of my guest room and downstairs to see Mrs. Moskowitz cleaning up the living room. I look over and see Hawk eating at the table. I walk over to join him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Good morning," he says and I steal the bacon out of his hand.

"It is now that I have bacon," I tease.

"Oh, come on," he whines.

"Why's your mom cleaning like her life depends on it?" I whisper.

He looks to the living room. "My dad is coming into town."

"Your dad?" I ask, surprised. This is the first time I'd officially meet Mr. Moskowitz; he's also the one giving me a nice place to stay. And not only that, but I'm dating his son and it's like everything depends on this meeting - no pressure.

"Yeah. He comes back tomorrow," Hawk says.

"Wow. I'm going to meet your dad."

"Are you nervous, Z?" he smirks.

"Me? Nervous? No. No. Of course not."

"Okay," he says, knowing full well this is making me nervous. I haven't been around an adult male in forever, besides Sensei Lawrence. I don't know how to act, especially with my boyfriend's father. Jess and I were best friends for years and she had two moms. Robby and I didn't officially date, but of course he didn't have a dad for me to meet. And my first boyfriend, Zack, had a dad I met, but that was years ago.

"What time is karate today?" I ask him as I take another piece of bacon from his plate just to piss him off.

"Just get up and get yours from the counter," he points to about three feet away from me and shake my head.

"No, I'm too lazy," I giggle.

"In an hour," he answers my question and I nod. "I'm going to go get ready."

"Do you always gel your mohawk when you get up?" I ask, never really seeing his floppy hair anymore.

"Yeah. That and a hundred push-ups," he says with a smirk, trying to impress me.

"But I miss your fluffy hair," I pout playfully.

"Too bad. You ate my bacon, so we're even," he grabs another piece off the counter and promptly heads upstairs.

"Good morning, Z," Mrs. Moskowitz walks into the kitchen. 

"Morning," I finish off Hawk's glass of milk and she gives me a weirded out look.

"Did you sleep well?" she tries to be nice.

"I did. Thank you," I say. I'm also awkward around adult women. I think I'm just awkward around all adults. It's so uncomfortable when it's just her and I without Hawk.

I clean the area and rinse the dishes before loading them in the dishwasher. Then, I make my way upstairs and get ready.

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"What do you think?" Hawk asks as we stand across from the two new boys from the day before.

Aisha, Hawk, Bert, and I struggle to decide two good names for them.

"Shithead one and Shithead two?"

I shrug. Decent names, but not good enough. The two boys shift uncomfortably.

"Bert and Ernie? Beavis and Butthead?" I ask and they laugh.

"I was thinking more Mary-Kate and Asshat," Aisha floats and I laugh with Hawk at that one.

"Well, I'm Chris-" the taller guy speaks up and Hawk cuts him off.

"Did I say you could speak?" he yells authoritatively, scaring them and I smile. He's taking this so seriously and honestly... that was hot.

"Guys, look, they're just messing with you," Miguel walks up and ruins our fun.

"Thanks."

"Besides, everyone knows your names are Assface and Douchebag," Miguel says and I nod. I like that one. We laugh as the other one speaks up.

"Dibs on Assface."

Suddenly, the door to the dojo opens and I see an older man with a duffel bag walk in. Everyone turns to him. He gives a cold glare across the room, looking at our newest students in disbelief.

"Jesus Christ," I hear him say. Who is this guy?

"Do you know him?" Hawk asks me. I shake my head. "Who's that?"

"I don't know," Miguel says. We watch as he approaches Sensei's office. "I'll handle it."

"I'll come with you," I say, suddenly protective of strangers coming into our dojo.

"Hey, uh, can we help you, sir?" Miguel asks as we walk over to the man. He looks us up and down, unimpressed.

"No. But maybe I can help you," he says and I feel a bit uncomfortable from his cold stare.

"Hey," Sensei Lawrence walks out of his office and we turn to him.

"Sensei, I-" I try to say something, but Sensei Lawrence looks at the man, upset, as he steps closer to him. I sense for us to leave, so I pull Miguel with me back to our group.

"So, you guys are dating?" Assface asks boldly and I nod, grabbing Hawk's hand. "Cool."

"Yeah, don't mess with us," I say with a smirk.

"We're the power couple," Hawk pulls me in for a peck on the lips and Assface and Douchebag nod together, intimidated.

"Fall in!" Sensei Lawrence says.

I look over to see the man with Sensei, wearing just a black t-shirt and jeans now. I get into my spot, ready to have a fun day of karate.

"This is Mr. Kreese," he says about the visitor. "He's just an observer. Pretend like he's not even here. Mr. Diaz," he looks at Miguel, "warm them up."

Miguel walks to the front of the class and bows. We follow suit. "Fighting positions." We take them. "Front kick. Yuh!"

"Yuh!" we kick and yell together.

"Forward strike! Yuh!" he yells.

"Yuh!" we punch forward.

"Side jab! Yuh!" Miguel yells and they all dab, laughing with each other. I look back at Aisha in amusement, but refuse to dab, too. I love their stupidity.

"What the hell was that?" Sensei Lawrence asks angrily.

"We were just messing around. We have eleven and a half months until the next All Valley," Miguel explains.

"Yeah, besides. We already know how to kick ass," Hawk says and I nod, not understanding the problem. I thought it was good to have fun every now and then and loosen up. We won the All Valley.

"Oh, yeah, really, huh? So you know everything. There's nothing left to learn," Sensei says and I sigh.

That isn't at all what we meant. I want to explain it, but Aisha laughs and Sensei turns to her. He's in a bad mood and I think Mr. Kreese has something to do with it.

"What's so funny, Miss Robinson?" he walks over to her and she shakes her head, still laughing.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. You just wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Sensei Lawrence says coldly.

"It's a snake-do," she says and we all laugh, trying to hold it in, but failing. I can't even look at Hawk or Miguel or else I'll break.

"What's a snake-do?" Sensei asks unsurely.

We all hiss and move our arms like a snake, laughing. I look over at Miguel and crack up.

"QUIET!" Sensei Lawrence yells and everything funny in my body escapes quickly. He's really on edge. "Five am tomorrow morning. Corner of Fulton and Raymer. You don't show and you're off the team. Class dismissed."

I stare in shock a moment, realizing he isn't joking. He's never been quite this angry with us before. I look over and see Mr. Kreese looking at us like we're nothing. It makes me feel worthless and I see Hawk's confidence even shattering.

He ended class so early and now he's wanting us to be up at five am tomorrow? And for what?

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Later that evening, I sit on Hawk's bed, scrolling through Instagram. I finally posted the tournament's photos and my old friend group commented nice things. For example, Jess commented how gorgeous my hair is and how awesome I looked. Katie commented how much she misses me and how proud of me she is. Brian said I'd better not get a big head from this one win, as Brian would.

I smile at them, thinking of how much I miss them. And the people from my dojo commented, too, but of course it's different because I see them everyday.

I wish Sensei would celebrate our victory as much as we had. I have a feeling we're being punished for something tomorrow. And tomorrow Hawk's dad is supposed to come and I'll be sleep-deprived because I have to be up and ready at five in the morning. That's insane. I haven't woken up that early in years.

Robby to Zion: Hey, can you meet up tonight?

My phone buzzes. Hawk is in the bathroom re-gelling his mohawk. I decide to sneak a text in to Robby.

Zion to Robby: I don't know. It'll be hard to lie to Hawk again

Robby to Zion: Then don't lie

Zion to Robby: You're right

Zion to Robby: Then I won't be able to see you again because you'll be dead

I joke with him, even though I have a feeling I'm not exaggerating much.

Robby to Zion: Fine. Some other time then

Zion to Robby: For sure. I'm sorry

Robby to Zion: No worries:)

"Hey," Hawk walks back in and I turn off my phone, placing it facedown.

"Hi," I say.

"Sensei was pretty rough on us today. I'm a bit nervous for tomorrow," he says.

"The Hawk is nervous?" I ask and he smiles.

"Don't make a big deal about it," he says.

"You just seemed so confident earlier today with those new guys," I say.

"I had to teach them who's boss," he says. I get up and walk over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and he snakes his around my waist.

"Well, I think it was hot," I plant a kiss on his lips.

We pull away and he looks at me in surprise, "Really?"

"Really."

"Maybe I should teach you who's boss," he whispers and I nod, excited to see this. He backs me up to his bed and presses me back on it.

A/N: Smut warning. You can skip down a couple paragraphs, if you'd like.

I smile as he kisses me roughly, bringing his hands under my leggings. I pull his face closer to me as he slips off my leggings. I feel myself already a little wet. His hand presses gently on my folds through my underwear; I gasp and he smirks. I move for him to give me more attention after a minute of his hand not moving. This is his first time being intimate with a girl and I try to help him, knowing he's new at this.

After a moment, he pulls down my clothes so I'm naked from the waist down. As his hands glide over my skin, I feel myself get even more excited and I think he notices as he sits up straight and moves to set his head between my legs. Oh, God. I feel his hot breath coat my slit and I involuntarily shiver. He sets his hands firmly to grasp my thighs.

"Let me do something for you," he says.

I watch as he moves closer and closer. I feel him practically there and I move for him to get started. His grip tightens on my thighs, "Hold still." I nod and I feel his tongue flick down there.

I whimper for more attention and he slowly begins to eat me out, getting the hang of it surprisingly quickly. His tongue flicks my clit and I let out a moan. He recognizes what I like and continues to do it.

It takes a little bit of time and practice before he makes that warm, building feeling appear. My hand is gripping his mohawk to help direct him. I let my mind slide into a more submissive area and I can feel him smirk every now and then when I moan and groan. 

He doesn't let up for fifteen minutes. His hands tighten their grip on my thighs to keep me from moving. I'm a mess and I'm so glad he's holding me down because otherwise this wouldn't be going as well. I lean my head back in ecstasy, moaning. I feel my climax coming as he moves his hand to toy with my clit. 

"Go ahead and cum." The vibrations from him talking, as well as the hot air coating my pussy puts me over the edge and I ride out my orgasm. My legs shake and I cry out in pleasure. Then he pulls away and licks his lips.

I'm exhausted on the bed now. I melt into the mattress in a state of euphoria. 

"Oh my god," I whimper as he lays down next to me and entangles his fingers with mine. "How did you... Wow."

"I did my research," he kisses my cheek.

"I'll say," I pant breathlessly.

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A/N: Smut over.

I must have fallen asleep after that because I wake up, snuggling into Hawk's chest. He holds me as I wake up and see he's awake, too.

"How long was I out for?" I yawn, not moving.

"An hour and a half I'd say," he tells me.

I realize I am naked from the waist down and remember what happened before I slept. I sit up and Hawk adjusts with me. I grab my underwear and pants and put them back on. Then I sit back in the bed with Hawk who plays with my hair.

"So, tell me about your tattoo," he says. I suddenly remember he hadn't seen my tattoo down there before and I also hadn't told him about what it means.

"Well, it's a star for my dad," I explain. "In Christianity, Zion is the heavenly kingdom. Now, my family isn't religious, but my dad and I always figured some form of heaven was up in the sky just as hell is below."

Hawk brings his hand down to my hip and traces the star countless times.

"When I was younger, I was super into astronomy and he would sometimes call me his little star. I said he was my star and we would star gaze together." I take a breath, remembering him vividly and I know tears are in my eyes. "When he got diagnosed with cancer, he ended up in the hospital and he couldn't stargaze much or at all. So, I bought him a star one Christmas and named it after him. I got him the official certificate and everything. Once he passed, I went and got the tattoo. I have such a strong connection with him and the stars that I had to get it."

"That's so cool that you had a good connection with your dad," Hawk says. "I used to be okay with my dad. Now he's always traveling. He hasn't seen me in person since the mohawk, as you know. I feel like he was always wanting me to become more of a man and less sensitive, even though he was too nice to ever admit it."

I kiss his neck as I roll back into his arms. "You can be sensitive and a 'man,' you know."

"I-I know, but sometimes my dad thinks otherwise. So, my mom would fight with him and defend me and say I was fine the way I was. I couldn't fix my lip and this was the way it was; she thought eventually I'd get some friends. But I was a pussy and my only friend was Demetri."

I look down as he mentions that; all I can remember is the black eye I gave Demetri.

"So, I'm excited for my dad to come and see how many friends I have and see that I have a girlfriend and a good attitude and I can kick ass. I think he'll be proud of me."

I smile. Hawk really has had an amazing transformation. "I'm proud of you," I tell him.

"I'm proud of us." Now, we're badasses. We're made for each other. We're rough around the edges, but deep down we care and that's what matters.

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The next day I'm up at four am with Hawk. His dad comes into town later tonight, but I'm too tired to even stress about that now. I can barely keep awake as Hawk makes us coffee. I yawn, wanting to fall asleep on the dining room table.

Hawk is surprisingly awake. He's doing much better than I am, despite his hair being a pile of fluff right now. It flops as he walks and I smile at that.

"Coffee," he sets down the mugs and I reach for the mug, taking a huge sip of the warm coffee. Hawk put some creamer in his, but I drink mine black.

"Thank God for coffee. I'm so tired," I yawn.

"Me too. I still need to do my morning workout," he tells me.

"You do that and I'll sleep until it's time to go," I rest my head on the table and Hawk laughs.

"You're going to go in your pajamas?" he asks me. I let out a loud groan.

"This is so unfair! We were only having fun yesterday and now we have to go early?" I ask angrily.

"Somebody isn't a morning person. Finish your coffee and go get ready. I'll drive us over there," he ruffles my hair before going upstairs.

I groan. I'm not even sure I have the mental capacity to drive this early.

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We meet up at some random, empty parking lot with the rest of our dojo. I had Hawk drive.

"Nice of you to show," Sensei Lawrence yells at us.

I check my phone and see we're two minutes late. Damnit.

"All right. Start mixing cement. The blocks are over there. I'll show you how to get started and then you just keep going," he says and I look over to wheelbarrows and stuff to mix with.

Mixing cement? He demonstrates and I yawn. I see Mr. Kreese is here. Miguel walks over to me with a smirk.

"You really aren't a morning person, are you?" Miguel asks me and I shake my head. I'm honestly about to fall asleep on him.

"This should be fun for you," Aisha says sarcastically and I roll my eyes.

"Let's get started, Z. Maybe it'll wake you up," Hawk says beside me.

I shrug. Coffee hasn't done anything for me yet; I doubt physical exertion will do any better.

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We get started on the cement and I stir with Aisha. It's really hard and I'm already sweating.

"Don't add too much water. You wanna make it nice and thick," Sensei Lawrence instructs.

"Sensei, why are we mixing cement?" Miguel finally asks.

"No questions. Keep stirring!" Sensei resends.

Thankfully, I'm beginning to wake up a little. I turn to Hawk and see him struggling to lift a bag of cement. Suddenly, Aisha splashes some cement on me. I turn to her and she apologizes. If I had known my clothes would be getting cement on them, I would have worn rags that can get dirty.

Suddenly, a horn honks and I look over to see a big Mack truck with a cement mixer attached pulling in. I stare in confusion with everyone else. Sensei walks over to the driver like they're old pals. When he hands Sensei the keys and walks away, he turns to us.

"Come over here," Sensei yells. We all walk over. "You think winning the All Valley gives you the right to goof off? Well, I got news for you. Winning one championship don't mean squat! A true champion never stops training. You gotta keep moving forward, or else you could get stuck exactly where you are. It's like the cement in this truck. That drum doesn't start turning, the cement inside will harden and get stuck. Is that what you want to happen to you?"

"No, Sensei," we all yell in response.

"Good. Then climb up inside and make it spin," Sensei says.

I look around in confusion. This is crazy. There's no way he'd put us inside of that thing. But I look back at his face and see he isn't kidding.

"Sensei, we're sorry for messing around," Aisha says, pleading with him to not make us do this.

"We've learned our lesson," Hawk says and I'm surprised at him speaking up. I feel like we have to do this whether or not we want to.

Sensei grabs the ladder and pushes it down aggressively, "Get in!"

"Sensei, this seems kind of dangerous. I mean, the fumes alone-" Miguel is interrupted.

"Quiet!" Mr. Kreese yells, honestly scaring me a bit. I wasn't expecting him to speak up. "This man led you to the mountaintop and you question him? Look at you. Look at all of you. I can't believe this pathetic pack of pussies competed in the All Valley, and let alone won."

I hold back the urge to roll my eyes as he walks around, looking at us. We're not pathetic- not anymore. But I suppose that's his point.

"It's an absolute miracle. And who's responsible for that miracle? Johnny Lawrence, the best student in the history of Cobra Kai. My student."

I want to ask a question, but Hawk does it before I can, "You were Sensei's sensei?"

"You better believe it, kid. And I tell you I never trained a tougher student in my whole life. So, if you know what's good for you, you better listen to every goddamn word he says," Mr. Kreese says.

I look to Miguel and Hawk. Miguel contemplates a moment before speaking, "I'll do it, Sensei." He walks over to the ladder and I smirk.

"Me too," I say. I earn a nod from both Sensei and Mr. Kreese. I feel accomplished as I follow Miguel and see Hawk following me. Honestly, I'm a bit scared of how dangerous it is, especially considering I have no medical insurance, but I'm also ready for the adrenaline high.

I get in with Miguel; the inside of the cement mixer looks insane. I slide down into the liquid cement and honestly, it hurts my butt when I fall. But I get back up and try to find my footing.

"Uh-uh, this is weird," Douchebag says when he joins us.

"For sure," Bert adds.

"Don't just stand there," a voice echoes and I look over to see Sensei Lawrence looking in. "You wanna get stuck? Move!"

We all walk to one side of the mixer, getting ready to move like hamsters in a wheel. It's impossible to get any footing and my hands slip and won't get a grip on the side of it. It's frustrating. We all grunt, trying to get it to work, but to no avail.

"Let's go, guys! Move it!" Sensei yells from outside of the truck.

I grunt when it won't move. I try to push it again and end up falling back into the cement. Hawk turns to me and laughs, Miguel then following suit. I pull Hawk's arm and he falls down with me, too. It splashes my face when he does, but it was worth it to see the cement get in his hair, too.

"Come on!" Miguel says and I stand up, ready to be serious again. Goofing off got us here in the first place. We need to prove to Sensei we can do this.

"Come on, don't just stand there!" he yells at us.

I try and suddenly feel the mixer moving. I gasp when it actually moves, wondering if it's just my imagination.

"A little bit faster!" Sensei yells.

My body already aches from trying to move this thing. We get it to a good speed, but then Douchebag falls, followed by Assface. I help them up, trying to get this done and over with.

Finally, we all work together at a moderate pace, slowly speeding up and keeping it like this for a solid minute.

"Good work, guys! You can come out now and it's the next group's turn," Sensei yells and I feel my muscles give out from working so hard.

We all cheer together and I give Hawk a high five and do a handshake with Miguel as we then climb out of the truck.

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"You should all be proud of yourselves," Sensei is hosing us down now. "I know I'm proud. Your parents would be proud, too, if you told them what we did here today, which we won't. You pushed forward like champions, never stopping. Never being satisfied. Never giving up. And if you keep pushing and keep moving forward, you're gonna go to places you never even dreamed of." I smile, proud of myself today. "Okay, you're all dismissed. Have a good rest of your day napping after all that work."

Hawk walks over towards my car with me and I hesitate. "We both still have cement on us and are also soaking wet. Maybe we should wait to dry off first?"

"How long will that take?" he shrugs.

"I don't know. Maybe I have some towels buried in my stuff in the car," I say.

He nods and walks back to Miguel as I open the trunk for towels to sit on for the ride back. After a bit of digging, I find the beach towel stash.

I walk back towards Hawk, but Mr. Kreese stands in front of me. I look at him, trying not to show I'm intimidated. I wonder what he wants.

"You seemed to hold up very well today. At first I was skeptical of a girl in Cobra Kai, especially because you looked so tired and unmotivated at first. But now I see you have the spirit of a fighter. Of a Cobra," he tells me. I nod awkwardly, wondering what his point is. "I think you have a bunch of potential, Zion."

"Actually, I just go by Z," I tell him and he nods, contemplating it.

"My fault. I apologize," he says and I nod again. "Keep training and never give up. You could go very far. You may even be the best out of all of these pussies."

"Thank you," I say, wondering if it's natural to be this intimidated. I also don't like how he seems to think about women. 

"You're welcome," he replies with a smirk.

"Ready?" Hawk walks over to me and I nod, thankful for him interrupting this conversation.

"Good job today," Mr. Kreese says and Hawk tries not to show how much it means to him.

"Thank you, sir," Hawk says. I hand him a towel and lead him away from the conversation. Mr. Kreese seems cool, but I have a weird feeling in my gut about him.

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Sooooo who else hates Kreese? What role do you think he will play in Zion's future?

Also, who's excited for the Reunited Apart with Josh Gad tomorrow? I am!!! If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's a huge Cobra Kai/ Karate Kid reunion tomorrow 9am PT/ 12pm ET on Josh Gad's YouTube channel :)