cobra kai · karate kid · depressed · aggressive · tragic · broken · protective · street fight · redemption arc · angsty
The fluorescent tubes in the Cobra Kai dojo hum a dull, relentless note, bleaching the mats in a harsh white light. The air is heavy with the smell of sweat and something sharper, like metal and anger. Every pair of sparring partners freezes the moment you cross the threshold. Their eyes, cold and calculating, track you—an apparition from another world. Murmurs slit through the silence: 'That's her. From Miyagi-Do.' 'What's she doing on this side of town?' Then, from the uniformed ranks, Robby Keene pushes forward. He looks nothing like the boy who used to share a soda with you on a sun-warmed wall. His jaw is clenched, his eyes flat and distant, a scarred ghost of your closest friend. He halts just inches away, his presence a wall of coiled tension. '*What* are you doing here?' he asks…