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“I have fought the pedo trope in karate and as a pastor,” Bobby muttered as they walked in, managing to look like parents only slightly out of place in jeans and their leather jackets, but without headway for not having seen their kid in seventeen years. “Nothing compares to this.”
“He’s our nephew.”
His best friend scoffed, “That’s rich when you’re not speaking to his father.”
“Fuck him. This is his fault.”
“Jimmy…” Shaking his head, the man of faith focused on looking for their wayward nephew. Despite the runt never fully letting go of that ‘no mercy’ bit and it serving him well as a prosecutor, Bobby was divorced from the person he became under Cobra Kai’s banner. His love for Johnny, their friends, of course that would live forever; Cobras Forever, just not for John Kreese or his brand.
They searched for half an hour.
Speaking of avoiding looking like a pedo, Jimmy couldn’t even claim that he hadn’t seen a recent photo. When social media was first coming up, he used to google Robby every week, then once he got old enough and made one, the lawyer always checked in. He never sent an invitation or anything, but it couldn’t be this fucking difficult!
“Maybe he’s just not here.”
“Well, then, we come back tomorrow.” Jimmy huffed, “Without the fucking leather!”
“That was your idea,” Bobby recalled as they turned toward the gate dripping, dodging getting run over by one of the kids as they had for thirty minutes. He was disappointed, because when he called Cobra Kai to get information after claiming to be a relation to Shannon on the Dutchman's recommendation, Kresse told them point blank this was where he spent his time. Should have known Satan incarnate couldn’t resist telling lies, even when he didn’t know he was doing it!
“Pretty stupid fucking idea.”
They both froze at a new voice breaking in.
Looking over… There he was. Sitting against the lowest outer wall where it was shaded as the sun set, drinking what looked like a Vitamin Water from their joint study. A bunch of the kids seemed to rest there and it was darker than the rest of the eye catching park, so it had just sort of gone overlooked. Jimmy knew it was him because cat eyes which opened in his arms almost seventeen years ago caught the setting sun to glow out at them from the dark.
A harsh laugh broke off a few feet away. Up several levels of the wall and laying where the sun touched on the flat top of the divide was a pretty girl with dark hair sunning, “You knew who they were? That’s just wrong!”
The corner of his mouth quirked upward as they lost his attention for a moment, "If they hadn't threatened to come back, you never would."
Bobby gulped. He wasn’t injured from training with Kreese visibly, but they were still in the honeymoon phase of his signup, so that meant they had a little more time to get him out of there. If they could minimize Kreese’s influence to training instead of him being where Robby was dependent on for a place to live, then he'd be much more inclined to try escalating that anyway.
He looked good though. Beyond the lack of injuries. His social media was still shut down and didn’t reflect the new haircut. The second hardest hitting cobra of their generation couldn’t stop himself when allowed to speak with him for the first time, after he’d been barred from it while the teenager was in juvie given their relationship Johnny put on record when questioned, “You look so good, baby!”
Foxy Locksy on the wall sat up in her tank top and ripped jeans, “How do you know these guys?”
“Tory Nichols,” Robby was dressed in the same, he gestured to them as she jumped down, “Meet Bobby Brown and Jimmy Mars; Cobra Kai circa 1980s.”
“Circa 198- Oh.” She looked at them with a glare, “Oh.”
“Yeah,” Robby agreed, finally getting up and putting the cap on his empty bottle, then making a broad gesture to them. “Blondie doesn’t get his way and here comes the posse.”
“Sweetie, we jus…”
“Don’t associate me with that dumb bastard,” Jimmy cut him off, uncaring that his partner in non-crime wouldn’t like it, “I’m not here for him. Cobras Forever!”
“James Ralph Mars!”
Robby looked at them curiously for a moment, then confirmed his worst fears when he jumped on his skateboard. Words of anger at Johnny and pledging allegiance was fine, but he didn't fathom they could truly be here for anything other that the Champ and both men had zero established credibility with this kid. Jimmy met the other man's eyes and tried to communicate they go straight to the obvious answer, while Robby was riding off on his board toward a recycling receptacle that they had to jog over to praying he’d stop. It was a determined light in the Second Snake's eyes that said he was still convinced he could bring them together, instead of just focusing on the vital outcome.
“Robby, please,” Bobby insisted, “We just want to talk.”
“No, he just wants to spill your father’s unearned shit,” The smaller man sold him out, because for once he wasn't letting the hard hitters screw this kid further. He’d refused to listen to reason in the car, so now Brown could just fail on his own.
“And you?” The teenager finally cut in like a knife, just like Johnny.
Silenced Bobby’s passionate glare that was certainly about to become a harsh lashing for going rogue. They were on separate teams here though, because he knew his method was doomed to failure.
“I came to talk to you about living with Kreese.”
“Your sensei?” He demanded, “Dad still pissed off there’s someone who cared enough to show up?”
The pastor had to admit that he wouldn’t know how to respond to that. He couldn’t explain with two boys at home why Johnny had never, ever, fought for Robby. While also praying to God that one day he would rise to the occasion; just once is all it would probably take, if he’d just do it.
“Fuck Johnny Lawrence,” Jimmy insisted, growling, "We haven't been on speaking terms in some time."
"Why?"
"Because he made a decision on February 04th of 2002 that cost me access to my godson." After not being able to find the words even when Tommy begged him to, now they came spilling out, "Because I have never been able to forgive him for that."
There was hope when he studied the previous karate student. The quiet one until his buttons were pushed, then the greatest shit talker among them when angry, Jimmy was being a total dick. What pissed him off most was that the bullshit was working!
Jesus Christ! Robby just… just… almost seemed pulled in by the pushback! Bobby needed a joint.
“This is about Kreese.”
“Uncle Tommy didn’t feel the need to meddle.”
“Whatever little voice is telling you to hold back, that’s Uncle Tommy being just as concerned as the rest of us,” Bobby broke in, before finally giving voice to what he meant when their nephew looked confused, “He passed a while back.”
“What’s the big damn deal? Dad brought him back into Cobra Kai! Trusted him with his precious Miguel Diaz,” Robby hissed and, honestly, he looked good with fangs! Cobra wasn’t a bad way for him to go, even if Mr. Holy didn’t like it, “He’s Uncle Dutch’s father!”
“That!” He agreed, pointing to the teenager, “That’s why I’m here.”
Robby scrutinized the older man.
“You don’t know me, but I was the first person to ever hold you.” He rolled his eyes, having to admit, “That’s why you were named for this one.”
Bobby grinned smugly.
“You are our first kid and I love you. Your mother decided to keep us away the day you were born when Johnny didn’t show up.” Jimmy took a deep breath, “And I know we committed the same crime of absence he did, but still came here when he’s not, asking for a chance.”
“What do you want from me?”
“For you to make a phone call,” He offered him a cellphone, having pulled the number up before they got out of his Jag. “Uncle Dutch doesn’t care why you stopped writing, he promised not to ask about juvie, or talk about your dad. But he earned that title from what I heard and all he wants to do is talk to you about his father.”
“I don’t care if he’s going to leave me in a ditch somewhere. I’d rather be dead than go to Dad’s.”
“Then you come to our house; either of us,” Bobby jumped back in, offering him an envelope with two keys and couple hundred dollars they’d stuffed inside the key envelope, because that’s all that would fit. “Please, Robby. At least until you’re eighteen, or if you decide to go to your mother’s new place once she’s back.”
Slowly, the little cobra reached for their offerings.