"Hmm, good morning," Theo mumbled as Tory's alarm went off. He stayed over at her place last night.

"Good morning," Tory whispered, peppering kisses along his cheek before finally pecking his lips. "I have to drop Brandon off at school, and since we're skipping today, how about we waste away in bed?"

"Hmm, sounds good," Theo nodded, pecking her lips. "Buuuuuut, how about I drop him off, on my way back I'll get us breakfast, and you have a lie in?"

"Are you sure?" Tory asked unsurely.

"Very sure," Theo nodded.

Tory's eyes lit up with a mix of surprise and appreciation. "You really don't have to, Theo. I can handle it."

Theo smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know, but I want to. Plus, it gives me an excuse to get out for a bit and grab us some of that breakfast burrito you love."

Tory chuckled softly. "You know the way to my heart. Alright, if you're sure, I won't argue."

Theo pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. "Just relax and enjoy your morning. I'll make sure to bring back something special."

"You're the best," she murmured, snuggling into his embrace. "Just don't forget the hot sauce!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Theo teased, planting another kiss on her forehead before getting out of bed. He quickly got dressed, the morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow in the room.

As he grabbed his phone and keys, he turned back to see Tory still nestled in the covers, a smile on her face. "See you in a bit," he said, feeling a surge of warmth at the sight of her.

"Be safe!" she called out, watching him leave with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"You ready, Brando?" Theo asked, knocking on Brandon's door. The nine year old was already awake and dressed, sat on his floor colouring in a picture. "You're up early?"

"I woke up early," Brandon shrugged, holding the picture.

"You have more motivation than me," Theo chuckled, rubbing Brandon's head. "What've you drew?"

"It's me, you, Tory and mom!" Brandon said excitedly, pointing to each individual stick figure.

"That's awesome, buddy!" Theo exclaimed, kneeling down to get a closer look. "I love how you made me taller than everyone else," he added with a playful grin.

Brandon beamed with pride. "Yeah! You're the tallest! And look, I gave Tory a big smile because she always makes me laugh."

Theo's heart warmed at Brandon's description of Tory. "That's true. She does have the best smile. And what about your mom? I see you drew her with flowers!"

"Yep!" Brandon said, his eyes shining. "Those are her favorite flowers. I wanted to make it pretty for her."

"Well, you definitely succeeded," Theo said, ruffling Brandon's hair again. "You're quite the artist. But we've got to get moving if we want to make it to school on time."

Brandon nodded, reluctantly putting down his coloring. "Okay! Can I bring my picture with me?"

"Of course! You can show it to your friends during recess," Theo replied, standing up and offering his hand to Brandon.

—————

Theo groaned as he walked into the dojo later that day. He was enjoying his time with Tory when his alarm for training went off. Theo took his AirPods as he opened the doors, a smile appearing on his face when he saw his grandfather and mother.

"Hello, Theo," Kreese smiled, shaking Theo's hand and resting his other on his shoulder.

"Theo, who's this?" Miguel asked, stepping closer.

"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone's conversation?" Elise asked him, her eyes narrowing. Before Miguel could respond, Johnny's voice cut through the air.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Johnny asked, approaching the three family members. "I said tomorrow."

"Oh. Tomorrow, today, who can keep track, huh?" Kreese shrugged, smirking. Johnny glared at the two of them before telling the class to fall in.

"Class, we have a visitor," Johnny began, walking back and forth. "This is Mr. Kreese, and his daughter, Elise," Johnny said, glancing at Theo. "Some of you may have noticed the interaction between them and LaRusso, Mr. Kreese is his grandfather, and Elise his mother, however,  they're just observers. Pretend like they're not even here. Mr. Diaz, warm them up."

"Fighting positions!" Theo clenched his jaw as he strengthened his stance. He could feel the stares of his peers as he followed through with  Miguel's commands, before he shook his head as Miguel shouted, "Side dab," and the entire class, except for Theo, dabbed.

"Pathetic," Theo shook his head, folding his arms.

"What the hell was that?" Johnny asked furiously, heavily embarrassed in front of Kreese and Elise.

"We're just messing around," Miguel said dismissively, a smile on his face. "We have eleven and a half months until the next All Valley."

"Yeah, besides, we already know how to kick ass," said Hawk arrogantly. Theo shook his head, his anger evident as he looked at Kreese, who nodded back to him.

"Oh, yeah, really, huh?" Johnny asked, looking around the dojo. "So you know everything. There's nothing left to learn, huh?" He asked, stopping in front of Aisha who was giggling to herself. "What's so funny, Ms. Robinson?"

"I'm sorry, Sensei, you just wouldn't understand," she said through her giggles.

"Try me."

"It's a snake-doo."

"What's a "snake-doo"?" Johnny asked, looking at Theo who shrugged. The class began to hiss.

"Quiet!" Johnny shouted, and they all stopped at once. "5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Corner of Fulton and Raymer. You don't show, and you're off the team. Class dismissed!"

—————

"What's the matter, bud?" Theo asked when he returned to Tory's apartment after training. Tory had told him that Brandon had locked himself in his room and wouldn't open the door unless it was for Theo.

Brandon sniffed, wiping his eyes as he pulled the drawing from this morning out of his bag, but now it had been ripped right down the middle. Theo's face hardened as Brandon spoke next.

"This boy in my class stole it and ripped it," Brandon hiccuped as fresh tears rolled down his face. Theo quickly wiped his tears, asking Brandon if he knew the boy. "His names Evan Smith," Brandon responded.

Theo grew cold once more. He had a hunch of who this boy was related to, but he needed to know for sure.

"Where are you going?" Tory asked him as he stormed out of Brandon's bedroom, the ripped drawing in his hand.

"I'll be back," Theo told her, grabbing his keys. He raced from Reseda to Encino and arrived at the house in a matter of minutes.

He raced up the steps of the nice house, driven by anger. He knocked three times, and when there was no answer, he knocked again.

The door opened and Dakota Smith smiled smugly when she saw her ex-boyfriend stood there.

"Hey, Theo," she smiled flirtatiously, leaning on the doorframe.

"I have a girlfriend," Theo shook his head, disgusted. "And your brother is bullying her brother."

Dakota's smile faltered, her expression shifting from playful to defensive. "Oh, come on, Theo. You really think this kid is innocent in all this? He probably did something to provoke Evan."

Theo's frustration bubbled to the surface. "No, Dakota. Brandon's not like that. He's just a kid who loves to draw. He wouldn't make up a story like this for attention."

Dakota crossed her arms, her tone dismissive. "Kids exaggerate. Maybe he just wants sympathy. You know how kids are; they can be dramatic."

Theo clenched his jaw, holding up the ripped drawing as evidence. "This is what your brother did to him. He ripped it right in front of him. Brandon was really upset, and he doesn't deserve to be treated like this."

Dakota rolled her eyes, the smugness creeping back into her demeanor. "Are you sure you're not just overreacting because you're close to him? Maybe he just got upset because he had his drawing taken away."

Theo stepped closer, his voice steady but firm. "I know Brandon, and I know the difference between a kid seeking attention and one who's genuinely hurt. Evan is a bully, and if you keep defending him, you're just as bad."

Dakota scoffed, but there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes. "You're blowing this out of proportion. It's just kids being kids. You shouldn't make such a big deal out of it."

"Kids being kids doesn't mean allowing bullying to slide," Theo shot back. "I always knew you were a bitch."

—————

"Wait, you punished them by making them manually mix cement in an actual mixer?" Theo asked, an astonished laugh escaping his lips as he exited the shop with his grandpa, Elise and Johnny, all four of them holding a can of beer. In Theo's other hand was Brandon's ripped drawing, which he carefully cellotaped back together in Johnny's office.

"It was quite fun to watch actually," Elise laughed, her arm around Theo's shoulder.

"Dead, my ass," a new voice called out to them, and they looked up to see Daniel in front of them. Theo's father stared at Elise and Kreese with hatred.

"Well, well, well," Elise chuckled. "Hey, Danny-boy."

"The gangs all back together," Kreese chuckled, looking at Johnny. "Well, almost all of us," Theo knew who his grandfather was on about and frowned. "My condolences."

"Enough, grandpa," Theo shook his head.

"You're lucky he's not here," said Daniel, looking at Kreese's scarred knuckles. "How are your knuckles doing there, Kreese?" Kreese looked down at his knuckles before looking back to Daniel. "What's this? All part of your... your new Cobra Kai?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, man," said Johnny, who glanced at Elise who was studying Daniel curiously.

"Yeah, right," Daniel scoffed. "I've seen plenty."

"Then maybe you want to see a little bit more," Elise smirked, stepping towards Daniel. "Because this man is going to make Cobra Kai bigger and better than ever, with me."

"So you're a Sensei now?" Daniel asked her, his anger growing. "You want to be just like your Uncle T-"

"He has nothing to do with this!" Elise spat. Before things could escalate, Theo grabbed his mother and pulled her back.

"Let's go, mom," Theo said comfortingly in his mom's ear. "Let the children fight."