𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑. when this rain stops

"WATCH THAT DISTANCE. THAT'S IT, GOOD." SILVER gave his input to Robby and Tory.

Tory put her hair back in a ponytail, removed her hand bandages, and paused to catch her breath. Robby rubbed his wrists; his cracked voice emerged from behind his sensei.

"How did I do?"

He smiled approvingly. "Pretty good, pretty good," he said. He indicated to his right hand. "But you're still too ready to let your opponent get control. If you find yourself in that position again, don't hesitate to break the distance and take a step back."

He nodded in response.

They turned to the other pupils who, already equipped with the information, had witnessed the bout.

"If you let your opponent control you, you're at his mercy. Are we all agreed?"

The young voices chorused a yes.

Jieun scoffed, she took no pleasure in taking any of them down, none. They, however, loved to hurt. Some were jealous of her, others came to learn. She wasn't arrogant, just good, very good. Days like these, sparring days, hands flew up wanting a fistfight, fine by her, she'll see who leaves with their pride in a sling.

She closed her eyes briefly, barely emitting a whisper, "If I'm stuck with Kyler again, I swear to God."

Minutes passed, and neither of her Senseis picked a partner for her. Then, a young boy opened the doors of the dojo, unlike her companions, he was dressed from head to toe in black. "I'll do it."

His thoughts were not of his dress nor of his surroundings, but of the coming battle, and he methodically reviewed the strategy he would employ to gain victory.

Her eyes met those of the boy, whose eyes shone with resentment.

His words cut through the atmosphere like a sharp knife. His lips formed a thin line as she stopped and stared at him. He rolled his shoulders and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked left and right at the students beside him.

She stepped towards him and the students around her fell silent and moved away. In that instant she knew that she was on her own and that she had to make a quick decision: was it going to be fight or flight?

As far as Yujin's karate was concerned, he did have ambitions to fulfill in the coming month; a national title and a black belt around his waist. Ben kept his promise, he was absolutely done with him since he lost. Yujin felt he had missed out on opportunities to progress in his competitive karate over the years, he now seemed even more determined not to miss out on his second chance at life. On occasions, he trained on his own like a man possessed.

Jieun smirked, "You want to spar with me?"

"You're the only one on my level." He said lowly, he stared at Jieun with flat, expressionless eyes that reflected those of a killer. "Call it a rematch." He switched to Korean.

Jieun's heart pumped with adrenaline, no one had the guts to stand up to her as this boy did. Brave was a light way of describing the boy before her. overwhelming was more like it.

"How does he know her?" Robby and Tory took a step backward so they were standing in a line to watch the two.

"How do you know him?" She differed.

Both adjusted their positions and stood facing each other.

A few weeks ago she had sparred with Miguel, he needed a training partner that wasn't Sam or Johnny. It had actually been good for her, Miguel managed to teach her a few things.

Daniel had trained in Japan and remarked that there had been no tension in his body as he threw a punch until a microsecond before his fist made contact with its target. She had later watched that day on Youtube where a master gave a demonstration of tai chi in the '70s as he too sought to bring a softer element to his style of karate.

He once said that the more we progressed in karate, the shorter our techniques would become.

"Punching softly, rather than punching hard." Ben taught her, she wanted to laugh because it was almost like Daniel LaRusso learned the same, except he kept it in his technique while Ben used it ever so often.

But she knew Yujin wouldn't take that into consideration. Their past was still rather fresh and he still thought that her position in the organization was rightfully his.

From the second Silver yelled, Yujin was throwing heavy attacks, some dangerously near her face.

Jieun started the bout with grace and good fortune; she had quick feet and hands and moved as lightly as a feather.

For his part, Yujin covered himself with considerable ease, merely retreating one step instead of leaping back in moments of danger, dodging impeccably. After a while, they changed roles and it was Jieun's turn to lunge repeatedly, leaving her companion to resolve the problem in a second.

They continued like that, lunging and avoiding until Jieun made a mistake that forced her to drop her guard too much after an ineffectual jab. Her opponent threw caution to the wind and thrust a stab hard at her shoulder.

Yujin threw a high and powerful roundhouse kick as if in an attempt to remove her head like she had tested the day Cobra Kai students had ganged up on the Miyagi-do's, the day they had broken Demetri's arm.

Only this time, her opponent evaded her kick, he was that good.

She tried to leave the burning pain in her shoulder alone as much as she could, the ache was dull as if some lazy torturer was standing right behind her, only applying enough pressure to be an annoyance. It sat there, just to the side of the right shoulder blade toward the spine.

She scowled, suddenly coming to a realization as she came to a stumbling halt, Yujin had either dislocated her shoulder or completely shattered it.

The appalling realization gave her ego a stunning blow. Was she puny in strength?

his technique was brilliant since the last time they fought, then, his knuckles connected with her hurt shoulder, and she flew backward through the air.

He had gotten her when she was down, that was the only way he was able to win. Cobra Kai would be perfect for him.

"Stop!" Robby shouted angrily, to bring their sparring to an immediate halt. He glared at the two senseis and said, "Why didn't you stop him?" Krease told the rest of the class to sit down before Robby added, "Light sparring means light. No injury."

Jieun tightened her fists, Robby wasn't on her good side, not after what he did to Eli. No matter how much he came to her aid.

Sheepishly, Jieun got up, grabbing Yujin's collar, forcing him to look at her. "That all you got?" She frowned bad-temperately, "what?" she sneered, continuing to speak in Korean so only he understood. It was obvious that no one around the place intimidated this boy; he clearly thought of himself as untouchable. But Jieun had the safety of Ben that was afforded. "You still can't beat me in a fair fight?"

The boy smiled and let out a disdainful chuckle as he started to get closer to her face. "You still have that look in your eyes." He started, "Like you fear nothing."

"Who are you, Yujin Choi?"

"The person that can give you payback."

JIEUN'S HEAD SWAM. JUST A dislocation, Krease pointed out before he set it back into place. She had been in the back of the dojo since the altercation.

"Are you okay?" Yujin began.

She opened her eyes to see him kneeling next to her, his gaze filled with concern and anger. Jieun sneered at him feverishly then closed her eyes. "You scowl even when you sleep."

She turned her attention to his new uniform, Silver liked him so much after the sparring that he joined Cobra Kai right then and there. And even though she saw it all the time, she was impressed by the simplicity of the design.

Dark angry clouds linked together in an attempt to block the rising sun, resulting in gray streaks arched in protest across the sky. The wind gave sound to the eerie sight and gusty howls intermingled with low whistled moans that caused the remaining students ❨ some had left due to their parents picking them up early for bad weather. ❩ to prance in agitation.

But it calmed her, and he wouldn't say it out loud but it calmed Yujin, too.

"You won't last long like that."

"Lasted more than you," she rolled her eyes at him, her remarks about the duel they had in the past while he was coming from a different stand.

"I lived for revenge like you, too." He looked to the sky, saw that the swollen clouds were now directly overhead, and thought that it was as if the night would descend early. "I had a sister, once upon a time." He muttered, "Much older than me, she went clubbing to celebrate getting into college, and someone drugged her beer."

He moved to sit next to her, a pair of eyes watching them closely. "She died on the spot." His eyes glossed over for a second before he blinked them away, "She had a weak heart."

"Did you catch him?"

"No." He shook his head, "I don't even have a clue who it was. When Ben found me, he tried, but, there were too many people like him. He's probably still among them." Thunder broke their concentration. With a frown, he continued, "I don't know who you want to catch, but I'll help you. We can catch him together."

Yujin waited patiently as possible for her to respond. He noticed that the longer he spoke, the harder she scowled. "You dislocated my shoulder, and now you want to help me?"

"Payback?" She huffed, and he turned his head to the side, pointing at his head. "Touch this," she didn't, "No, really, touch it." She rolled her eyes before feeling the back of his head, a slight lump no bigger than a few centimeters. "Awesome, right? The swelling finally went down. They said a scooch over and I would've died. Gosh, you hit well, no wonder Ben likes you so much."

Robby watched them from behind the punching bag, standing on the sidelines, even though he should be training. Problem was, he was a prideful person.

Jieun sat beside him, talking with her hands, laughing when Yujin made a face, clearly telling some joke. Silver calls him over, and like well-trained athletes, he split from her immediately, making his way to their sensei. He watched Yujin fly across the mat, envy coiling through him.

Tory whistles softly. "What a kiss ass." Then shakes her head, "But he's good, I'll give him that."

It hit him like a punch to the gut, that reminder. He grit  his teeth, watching him, waiting for the full power of his hatred for everything he has that he didn't anymore, for everything ahead of him that's already behind himself, to barrel through his system as it had so often since he met him.

But, it doesn't. And what he felt was so much worse.

Tory cut her gaze his way as if surprised he hadn't mouthed or said something tart. She arches her eyebrow. "You all right over there?"

Robby shrugged, swallowing against the lump in his throat. "Fine."

Avoiding her, he watched Yujin, his easy smile, the way his eyes crinkle at the corners as he tugs his hair back, shifting his weight onto his back leg while Jieun talked to him. His gut knots. Hot, feverish something scorched his insides and burrowed in his chest.

He tore his gaze away from him, focusing on the rest of the students he was teaching, analyzing their movement, critiquing how fucking sloppy their techniques were.

Hours passed, the dojo was closed for the day and the remaining students huddled outside watching the rain and waiting for their rides to pick them up.

"You have a lot of scars on your hands." Jieun stared at Yujin, who blinked in surprise and glanced over at her.

"Maybe because I was a coward." She blinked, "Not anymore. When I first joined Ben, whenever someone had a knife I used my hands."

Robby, still, a few feet away, had a sinking feeling. How did Yujin know her? It wasn't possible that he knew her when they were both in Juvie, right? He didn't act as he did. Were they past lovers? Why did he fight her so hard when they sparred? They clearly forgave each other. What was their story?

Then ― Yujin, closed a small distance between them, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, before messing with her hair.

The world darkened. Blood roared in his ears. He wanted to rip his arm off, he wanted to yank him by the collar and throw him out and wipe every trace of his touch off Jieun's body.

But why?

He hadn't made a move, no, not really. she wasn't his.

No, not at all.

Emotions sliced through him, revealing the raw, undeniable truth; He wanted Jieun to be his.

He knew he couldn't have her forever, but he wanted her for however long she would have him. "Reconciled your differences?" Robby interrupted, wiping his cheek as he lightly scowled.

"We had a lot more in common than we thought," she said, then turned to Yujin. "similar stories, isn't that right?"

The boy flashed a smile. "Very similar."

Yujin peered at him curiously, before he turned back to Jieun, "I'll leave you two alone ―"

"It's pouring rain, are you kidding?" Robby sighed at the sight.

Yujin flashed another wide smile her way, then at Robby. "Two dollars and a bus fare ticket will take me to where I need to be, enjoy your evening, you two."

With a salute, he covers his head with his hood and jogged to the nearest bus stop.

Jieun turned back to Robby. "What the hell happened in there?" She leaned back onto the wall, crossing her arms. "He hurts you and you're laughing, acting all buddy-buddy with him not even thirty minutes later?"

"A man trying to make a horse wear pants."

"What the fuck does that mean? Are you delirious? Dehydrated?"

Her laugh echoed inside the space of her hands. "It's unlikely that the man would put pants on a horse, but with enough effort, he does." Silence hung in the space between them. Too late did Robby realize how intense he sounded, how much he probably revealed. "I didn't think so, but, we actually had a lot more in common than I thought."

Slowly, Jieun turns to her side and cocks her head. "What does it matter?"

He glanced away, dragging his hand through his hair, wracking his brain for how to salvage this and cover his ass. "He just... walked in there and almost broke your arm."

She stared at him, then finally said, "So?"

"So?" He threw his hands up. "That's weird, crazy shit."

She snorted. "I'm over it."

His jaw clenched. "And then he was just here... Like you're best friends." He tried to hold back the words, but they force their way out. "Holding you like that?"

Her fingertips drum softly across the wall. She stared at him. "I'm going to ask you again, why does it matter?"

"It doesn't," he lied, anger and panic knotting inside him. He tried to find that place inside himself that he slipped into every day ― cold, contained, detached. But it's like the lights were out inside him and he couldn't find that familiar door, that escape he so desperately needed as Jieun pushed herself forward and walked toward him, hands in her pockets.

"Fine, then," she says, shrugging. "If it doesn't matter, then you don't need to know."

"Goddammit, Jiji."

She rolled her shoulders back, chin high and proud, holding his eyes. "What, Swayze?"

He heard the air sawing out of his lungs and felt his heartbeat pounding in my ears, in his limbs. "I ―"

She took another step closer. "Now you want answers. But you couldn't give me any when I asked why you did what you did to Eli."

His hands were tight, aching fists. "This is different," he finally managed.

She tipped her head. "How? What does it matter to you who I forgive or what goes on with my life?"

He didn't have an answer for that. He couldn't explain himself. He couldn't admit how the past few months have been the worst kind of torture.

Sighing, she scrubbed her face. "Cobra Kai, this place, it changed you, and I don't like it, I can't forgive you yet." She closes her eyes briefly, takes a deep breath, then says, "And now I need you to leave me alone."

It knocked the air out of him, hearing her say that.

And that's exactly what you're avoiding, the voice inside him warned.

Correct. That's exactly what he was preemptively sparing himself ― the pain of being unwanted.

But, another voice whispered. There's still a way, isn't there? To get what you want without risking any of that?

He stared at Jieun as she held his eyes, a muscle in her jaw flexing, arms crossed. Fuck, she's aggravating. And gorgeous. And he wanted her so damn much.

Could he do it? He had before ― with Sam. When she reacted precisely how he knew she would, he felt nothing. Not disappointment, not loss, not surprise. He knew what he was to her ― a means to the lifestyle she enjoyed, a guy to be seen with. The perfect boyfriend in her almost perfect life.

What if Jieun and he could have that, too? He had no idea if she'd want that. And yet his desperation told him he was going to lose his fucking mind if he didn't at least try to find out.

"It matters," he croaked.

Jieun's eyes widen. "What?"

He closed the distance between them, and clasp her face, his thumb sliding along her cheekbone. "I wanted to hurt him when he touched you."

Her arms fell to her sides, and now her hands were fists like Robby's were not too long ago like she was struggling as much as he was a moment ago to keep them to herself. "Why?" she said quietly.

He leaned in, chests brushing, air rushing out of his lungs. "Because I want you like a sickness eating away at me, Jiji, and seeing him..." His jaw clenched. Words were lost.

"I want you, too," she admitted, shutting her eyes like she couldn't look at him and say it. "But... I can't."

He slide his thumb down to her jaw, and slipped his other hand through her hair, making her eyes drift open. "What are you talking about?"

Her eyes search his own for a long minute. She swallowed roughly, her expression guarded. "What you did ― what Cobra Kai made you do... I can't be with someone like that. I won't."

He could see the pain she held in her eyes ― pain that he tried to hide. "I'm sorry," he whispered. His body stilled, Rain swept from under the hood of the building. It dappled Robby's cheeks and clumped his eyelashes. "I don't like who I am when I'm here. And I'm ready to change that."

Jieun exhaled shakily, her eyes searching his.

"I want what you want," he told her, loud and clear, slow and sure. He didn't want her to miss a word he said. "All-in, fair and square. I want to be afraid with you rather than fearless and alone. Just us."

Robby's hands were vise grips on her waist, now.

"Because I like you, Jieun Kang. I'm scared shitless to say it, but I really like you. always will."

Air rushed out of her lungs as Robby crushed her to him. "Jiji," he muttered into her hair. One long kiss to the waves of her hair, as he breathed in, then sighed. "I like you."

She reached for his neck. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to feel how much he meant to her. She wanted to make up for so much lost time.

"I like you," he says again, his lips soft along her neck. "I have since you glared up at me and looked like you wanted to roast my skin for dinner."

A wet, gunky laugh bursts out of her, as the rain picked up. It's highly unromantic, how hellish they looked. Her hair's plastered to her head now. And her eyes were red from the rain getting into them.

His hands smoothed her hair off her face. "You're beautiful, always, and I adore you endlessly, Jiji. I can't help it. I wish I could. I know this makes your life messier. I know I've tortured you. I know we piss each other off as much as we make each other happy. I know I want a quiet life and yours will be nothing but wildly exciting, as you deserve it to be. But I want your life to be my life, Sunshine. I'll do whatever it takes for your world to be mine."

"Robby." She pressed her forehead to his chest. Her ear rested over his heart. It's pounding, fast. It's this tiny reminder that the man holding her was just as fragile. He's just as easily wounded and broken. He's taking a risk, loving her.

Rain pelted down on them as they swayed. Until one rough hand grasped her jaw and tipped her face up.

Robby's eyes searched her own, a quiet, beautiful smile painting his face. "Be mine."

Her smile was ridiculous. It's a comical, clown-at-the-circus, child-at-Christmas smile. "Okay."

His kiss was soft and tender. It was a quiet press of his mouth, gently opening, unfurling into something warm and bone-deep satisfying. Bodies locked tight. Hands find hair and fabric and skin, and tug, begging for more.

"After the tournament," she whispered. "We leave Cobra Kai."

His smile was soft against her lips, his sigh of contentment as warm as the breeze that surrounded them. "Of course, Sunshine."

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

a 3k (almost 4k) ch and confession as an IM SORRY FOR LEAVING U ALL FOR SO LONG T^T

FORGIVE ME ? </3

so did u like it

im a sucker for cliches and a confession in the rain? u know my ass is writing it.

and like lizzo said, its about damn time !!!

much love,