#daniel larusso whump

[dojolarusso]

[mobius-m-mobius]

#no wait wdym jesus saved him from the saw trap 🙃

[itskotka]

slippery slope

for @beetlepassing @cksecretsanta

summary: johnny and robby have very different experiences regarding snow. on a snowy tournament trip, johnny has to face his fear. if only either of them knew how to ski.

A/N: psa i haven't written for a long time (major writer's block and lack of time) but this was so fun to write! it's a little bit angsty but i hope the happy ending payout worked out well. i hope you enjoy!

If there were only one major difference between Robby Keene and his father, it would have to be their opinions on the snow. Johnny loathed it; the way it stuck to his beat-down shoes, the cold slickness, and the heaviness of it all. Robby enjoyed the chill in the air and the way it fell so quiet. Of course, it rarely snowed in California. 

Johnny, however, remembered the annual Christmas trips he endured with his mother in various wintery states. Resorts where he stayed inside while his mom drank or spent her days with his step-father, neglecting the so-called “family bonding” she planned the trips out to be. They encouraged him to go skiing (never mind that he hadn’t before) or “make friends for himself.” After years of sitting in their shitty hotel rooms, he decided this was the year he was going to go. And so he did, renting skis with his pocket change and venturing up the slopes. And because Johnny Lawrence wasn’t a wuss, he went to the black diamond. 

He didn’t remember much of the accident - mostly just that there had been one. Somewhere he turned wrong, or somewhere he went off a cliff, or somewhere he hit a tree. He wasn’t quite sure. He did remember lying in the snow with numb limbs, shivering from the cold and pain, and waiting for his mom to find him. She was coming, she had to be. The weight of the snow he was stuck in felt impossible to move from. He waited until the sky went dark and he could barely move when he realized nobody was coming. Johnny had faced death numerous times, and maybe it was the chill in the air or the stupidity of it all, but that was the one that stuck with him the most. Using everything he had left, he got to his knees and trekked down the rest of the hill at an excruciatingly slow pace. With tears in his eyes and blood on his legs, he made it.

Before he could lock himself in the bathroom (in hopes that his mom or Sid didn’t see), he was stopped by a woman in the lobby who saw the state he was in and called an ambulance. His mom was pissed, but not more than Sid was. The man held it over him ever since in detail Johnny had blocked out for so many years. The trips stopped after that year and Johnny’s hospital bills were to blame. 

Robby, on the other hand, saw the snow as peace. His mom took him on trips similar to Johnny’s whenever she was invited by a man wealthier than they could dream of. When the men found out she was bringing her kid, they started changing their minds. As a last resort, Shannon said she was simply his nanny. This lowered the pressure and shame of being a single mother, and Robby tried not to think about that too much. 

He was a quiet, introspective child. On these trips, watching the snow was the one thing that got him through. Whether inside or out, he sat and watched in wonder. Every flake was unique and he found himself creating stories for them. Many hours of his were spent fascinated by the calmness of something as simple as a frozen water drop. He found most of his peace within the fluffy, mysterious white snow he always missed when they returned. 

Johnny never wanted to revisit the cold climates, but Robby longed for it. When Daniel signed them up for a tournament in Aspen, the kids' excitement ultimately trumped Johnny’s resentment. And, because Johnny wasn’t a quitter, he followed suit. 

With the tournament committee’s help combined with Daniel’s, they ended up at an all-exclusive convention center-turned-ski-resort. Johnny had one goal for the weekend: stay inside at all costs. Daniel and the kids had other plans.

The tournament went well. They won first over all with no surprise appearances from Cobra Kai or other enemies. It felt weird, but it was almost like they were a normal dojo again. Karate wars settled (at least for now) and hearts happy. Miguel and Robby were getting along fine; Tory and Sam were fixing things. If it weren’t for his paralyzing fear, even Johnny would have been relaxed. 

On their last day, the four kids lined up in the lobby decked in winter gear. Johnny turned around from his midday drink at the bar and held his tongue at the sight. 

“You aren’t going to join us on the slopes?” Daniel mocked, piling on thick layers of gear. 

Johnny grimaced. “No, you guys go ahead. I’ve got a headache.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Leading up to the trip, he felt his head throb every time he thought of it. 

Daniel threw him a skeptical look. “If you say so, John.” The group started for the doors, but Robby hung back.

“You sure, Dad?” he asked. 

Johnny waved him off. “Yeah, probably gonna go lay down or something. I’m fine.” 

“Okay,” Robby agreed. “Just checking.” He ran to catch up to them, heading towards the girls. Johnny took one last swig of his drink and watched them go, preparing for a long, peaceful nap. A twinge of guilt pulled at his chest as they walked through the fresh fallen snow. Putting it off as heart burn, he turned to the hallway and to his room. 

When Johnny woke up to someone trying to knock down his door, the daylight was long gone. He groaned, hoping whoever it was would go away. He was less than a day away from being back in sunny California. He could be a Scrooge if he wanted to. 

“Johnny!” The knocking continued; Daniel’s muffled voice cussing him out through the thin hotel walls. Johnny rolled his eyes and lifted the covers. With his eyes half-shut, he opened the door.

“Larusso, this better be important.” He slowly adjusted his eyes to the light, finally revealing Daniel’s worried expression. His stomach lurched. “What is it?” His voice shook, sobering.

Daniel sighed, seemingly out of breath. “It started snowing and… ah, God, we got separated and…”

“And?” 

“We can’t find Robby.” And just like that, Johnny’s last sense of peace vanished. 

“Holy shit,” he whispered. 

“I’m sorry, John.”

“Holy shit.”

“He’s a smart kid.”

“I gotta go.” Johnny pushed past Daniel, starting for the doors.

Daniel called after him. “Jacket? Boots?” He stopped, turned around, and to his surprise, Daniel already was holding what he needed. He threw them on, softly muttering a thanks, and headed outside.

A blast of cold hit him immediately. Flurries started spiraling around him and he could picture himself stumbling down the hill in similar conditions. Daniel was right - Robby was a smart kid. However, that also meant he would have been back already if he was okay. Johnny considered puking, barely a few feet from the door he came out of. Go, he urged himself. He had no clue where he was going or what his plan was. All he knew was that he had to go find his kid, and he at least had luck with that in the past. Johnny eyed the towering ski hills. “Alright bud, where the hell would you be?” he whispered to the wind. With snow in his eyes and a chill in his heart, he began trudging up the hill. 

Every second reminded him of his past. It seemed to be a recurring theme in his life that he wished he could escape. Before Kreese took ahold of his life, when he was supposed to “enjoy his youth,” he was stuck injured and alone. He could imagine Robby, lost and hurt, too, and somehow that hurt worse.

He was making progress, despite tripping over his feet and cursing at the cold for freezing his ass off. He was halfway up the tallest hill after what felt like forever when he realized one thing he could do.

On the very rare occasion that Johnny saw his son in his youth, they often played hide and seek. Johnny, being the deadbeat (probably still drunk from the night before) father, would get lazy, creating a whistle in true ‘marco polo’ fashion. He had absolutely no idea if Robby remembered it, let alone how he thought of it himself, but anything was worth a shot. He let out a low whistle. Once, then twice. No response, and Johnny thought for sure he was an idiot for trying. After attempting once more, Johnny fell back into the snow and sat. 

Then, a whistle of wind. Once, then twice. Johnny recognized that sound: picturing a little kid in a soccer jersey and round glasses. He scrambled to get to his feet, repeating his first call. Call and response. Call and response. Johnny followed the sound, trudging towards the woods when he spotted a familiar navy blue jacket. He flung himself on the ground next to him, trying not to think too much about how cold it was or how long he was lying like this.

“Dad?” Robby’s voice trembled in a soft tone. 

“I’m right here, Robby.” Johnny brought his gloved hand to the back of Robby’s helmet and started to analyze the situation. His bad knee was bent backwards and tangled with a tree limb. A familiar streak of red traced the snow around his head, and Johnny felt his head rush with panic. 

“I - I don’t know what happened. I just… couldn’t get up,” Robby explained under his breath. As much as Johnny wanted to assure him that everything was fine, another twinge of guilt-striken panic hit him and he couldn’t breathe. His grip loosened behind Robby’s head as he began to shake. “Are.. are you okay?” He tried opening his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. “Hey, I’m fine,” he whispered. “I’ll be fine. It’s just snow.”

Suddenly, he could feel the weight crushing his legs all those years ago and his numb body and mind. The hope, the distrust, the shame. It all came rushing back as he looked down at his son.

“I’m… sorry,” he managed. 

“What? Why would you be sorry?” Once again, he couldn’t bring himself to answer. “You found me anyway,” Robby continued. And then it struck Johnny: his mom never came, but he did. He would never receive a great parent award, but it had to prove something… right?

“Yeah… yeah, you’re right,” he breathed out. “Let’s get you out of here.” Focusing his energy back onto Robby, he began lifting the branches and piles of snow away from his legs. He grabbed the bad leg gently and shifted it toward himself. Robby barely flinched. “Don’t worry, it’ll hurt later. The cold numbs it real good,” Johnny explained nonchalantly. 

Robby scrunched up his face. “How would you know? I thought you’ve never even seen snow.” 

Johnny sighed heavily. It was better to explain now than never. “I have, unfortunately. Ma used to bring me places like this and my dumbass went skiing without knowing how. I had an accident and… it was pathetic.”

“Wait, what?”

“Broken legs, concussions, some stitches. Ma and Sid were pissed when I got sent out in an ambulance. Not that Sid couldn’t afford it, that selfish asshole.” Johnny looked back down at Robby, who wore an expression he couldn’t describe. 

“What? Is that why… why you were blanking out?” He nodded and Robby considered this. “Did they not look for you?” 

“Uh… no. They didn’t. I had to find a way out myself.” Just like he did his entire life. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t believe that. For whatever it’s worth, I’m glad you came for me. I mean, I could barely step foot into the school after everything with Miguel. I can’t imagine coming back like this.” A small smile formed on Johnny’s lips. Maybe he could turn things around for himself. He didn’t have to stay stuck in his past. He finally had a relationship with his kid, his karate enemy, and had people in his life who actually cared about him. This was new, and it was different.

“Thank you, Robby.”

“Now… can you get me up?” He laughed, and Johnny hoped that he would remember this moment after the delirium faded. He obliged, of course, and helped him. Holding him upright, they began the trek down the hill very cautiously. Dislocated knee or not, if Johnny could do it, Robby could, too. 

“I’m shocked you remembered that whistle,” Robby commented, his teeth chattering between phrases. 

“I didn’t even think you would. You know, you’re way stronger than me, kid,” Johnny remarked. 

“If you say so.”

“What do you say we plan a ski trip next winter?” he joked. 

“I’d say I hope you’re kidding.”

“We can break ourselves together this time.” The pair laughed, swaying in the thick snow and leaning over each other. And Johnny realized, as they staggered down the hill, that maybe the snow wasn’t too bad. Maybe Robby had it right all this time: with snow could come peace.

[whumporpass]

Daniel LaRusso from The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai? He’s been whumped in all three movies AND the show and every time it’s *chef’s kiss* (especially KK3, that was PRIME Daniel whump)

[deviousdevilx]

Daniel always gets into the worst situations. Poor baby

[sirwhumpalot]

Sorry it's been a while.

Cobra Kai 5x05

Daniel Larusso

Might do a bit more for karate kid \_0_/

[ao3feed-johnnylawrence]

in which everything is unexpected

by maybetheyare SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6 PART 2 OF COBRA KAI (EPISODE 10 ENDING) “Mr. LaRusso?” Daniel turns and Robby gasps, his face white. The handle of Kreese’s knife sticks out of Daniel’s abdomen on his left side, underlined by the blood that’s steadily spreading down the side of his gi. Dnaiel’s hands shake as he tries to press them over the wound without removing the knife, blood flowing past his fingers. The fighting around them dwindles as Daniel groans and drops to his knees. uh so basically I really thought for a second that Daniel was gonna get stabbed and the vision wouldn't leave me alone so I wrote it so here have a cobra kai What If...? episode - What If... Daniel Got Stabbed Instead of Kwon? Words: 2890, Chapters: 3/3, Language: English Series: Part 5 of The Elusive Comfort Johnny Fandoms: Cobra Kai (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, Robby Keene, Samantha LaRusso, Miguel Diaz (Cobra Kai), Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Demetri Alexopoulos, Kenny Payne, Kwon Jae-Sung, Kwon (Cobra Kai) - Character, Axel Kovacevic, Axel (cobra kai), Tory Nichols, Zara Malik, Zara (cobra kai) Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso & Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso & Miyagi-Fang Students, Johnny Lawrence & Miyagi-Fang Students Additional Tags: Minor Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso, Minor Miguel Diaz/Samantha LaRusso, Minor Robby Keene/Tory Nichols - Freeform, Mentioned Terry Silver, Mentioned John Kreese - Freeform, Blood and Injury, Stabbing, Knives, Kreese's Knife, why'd he have that honestly, its not that deep bro, What If? (Marvel Comics), but like for cobra kai, Episode: s06e10 Eunjangdo (Cobra Kai), lmao this isn't even a tag yet, neither is Kwon lol, Spoilers, LOTS OF SPOILERS, Cobra Kai Season 6 Spoilers, Alternate Ending, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Johnny Lawrence, Johnny Lawrence Needs a Hug, POV Johnny Lawrence, Johnny Lawrence Tries, Soft Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso Needs a Hug, Hurt Daniel LaRusso, POV Daniel LaRusso, for like 2 secs idk, Daniel LaRusso & Johnny Lawrence Friendship, or relationship idk, Protective Amanda LaRusso, Amanda LaRusso & Johnny Lawrence Friendship, Hospitals via https://ift.tt/iuRK3Vx

[msfbgraves]

Oh my gosh, I love the idea of a Silverrusso Hunger Games/Ballad AU! Of course Terry would be Capitol, and of course he’d be Daniel’s mentor and fall for him big time. 

Daniel would be District (12, not Covey), and while he’s small, and tiny, and adorable—he’s also cunning, and brave, and can be a murder-kitten if pushed far enough. Terry probably exploits all these traits of Danny boy’s for views and sponsorship before and in the Arena because he knows a showman when he sees one, being one himself. Terry would be excellent at strategy and playing 4D chess, and Daniel would, as you said, be a good boy and listen to whatever he instructs him on. Daniel’s own natural charisma, charm, cunning, and Daniel LaRusso Derangement Syndrome help him win against the odds of course. 

I agree with you that Terry would only return to the Capitol if he got to keep the pretty little thing. Which would be a very interesting setting, because Terry would of course become President, with Daniel by his side as his Capitol Consort. Make it Omegaverse and that’s even more set in stone. Daniel never loses that natural goodness and kindness despite it all, so who can say what happens in their marriage, and Terry’s tendency towards mass genocidal pastimes? Hmm. 

Or maybe Terry runs away with Daniel. They make do for a while on their own, as they’re both very charming. I do agree that Terry would find District 13, and make himself the leader. Probably take over Panem eventually too, for better or worse. All with his doe-eyed boy by his side as his own personal cheerleader.

The stuff of legends. 

Yes, I've seen Terry as Capitol mentor floating around since the first trailer, and with Daniel "Why didn't you kill him?" LaRusso as tribute - why shouldn't those odds be in his favour? I have to say that, though, with those very cringey commercials - Daniel isn't great with cameras, but like with the tournaments he's fought, he takes to the arena like a duck to water. (One of the few very clear differences between Ralph and Daniel, in my view!) But Daniel is just so adorable and we all know he looks even prettier roughed up, so especially with all the extra whump the book puts the tributes through he'd be so strangely alluring - and when the first thing he does is save the smallest tribute "because it isn't fair", and definitely would mercy kill another, he will win swarms of fans and donations. Terry's first thought at those antics, as that is not what they'd discussed, is: "The second that brat gets out of the arena, I am putting him straight over my knee!" (Which he does, the first time they meet again!)

Now I have a huge villain crush on Terry, he is my poor little meow meow through and through, so I believe that he wouldn't be as desperate as Coryo for acceptance. And I really think that's canon. Terry knows how to blend but he doesn't like it, he likes to push the envelope of respectability. So of course he makes former District boy John Kreese his absolute bestie, openly. So I think if the Dean would be "ugh, I hate your father", he'd be like "I hate my father, sir, you're not special", and with Gaul's "What are the Hunger Games for", he'd be like: "An outlet for sadism." And she'd be like "Oooh, you're very good at it, Mr. Silver." He'd be like: "Yeah, I like to watch, what of it? Not like I made it up." And so he'd only return to the Capitol (because yes he'd totally cheat, of course) with Daniel, but I don't actually see him becoming President? With his penchant for nuclear, I think he's always been obsessed with 13. Terry is not very obsessed with ruling people, I don't think. He's obsessed with very close relationships and personal survival, which is actually something he and Daniel have in common! I see Daniel getting Terry to become more of a rebel when in the Capitol, but if they're not allowed back, and Terry is absolutely fine slumming it in 12 and having all the sex with Daniel (the man loves playing at poverty) he'd take off when they don't let him take his Danny boy to officer training in 2 because: "I am not letting them send you down a mine, sweetheart." (Plus they've totally tried to recruit Daniel for rebel missions.) The reason he's taking over 13 is that none of these people know to have any fun and that's no way to live and he ends up ruling the whole of Panem kinda sorta by accident, with Daniel acting as his conscience. Also to let Daniel reunite with his Ma and brood of other half starved LaRussos because he won't ever shut up about it otherwise.

[macchiatosdumptruck]

I am Very Much Interested in the ABO fic where Johnny and Daniel are together, but Robby is Kreese’s kid with Daniel and Johnny doesn’t know hehe 👀🔥 ❤️

So am I, lol. It's an idea that has been plaguing me ever since I made the Lakreese babies in faceapp.

I don't have very much so far, just a few pages of notes, but it keeps popping into my head. I found a bit that makes sense though.

(I am realizing that I am perhaps stuck on this idea dually because I am stuck on the idea of Daniel and John in my abo verse accidentally bonding and having to deal with the aftermath. )

John Kreese was a name not unlike the devil in the lawrence-larusso household.

He walks the halls every day, hidden within the prodigal son.

Daniel loves his son more than anything. He loves Johnny. Usually. He thinks about Kreese more than he should.

I SWEAR I'm writing endgame lawrusso wips as well, lol. I just have the need to whump Johnny lately I guess.

[dojolarusso]

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Different fanfic ideas that I'd love to to see

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/aAf8tnQ by Nightwing_Renegade Fanfic Plot ideas > Please consider writing some of these   Mostly whump   Will post when I have time Words: 166, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Being Human (US/Canada), Cobra Kai (TV), Karate Kid (Movies), Young Justice (Cartoon), Batman - All Media Types, Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Gen Characters: Aidan Waite, Josh Levison, Nora Sergeant, Sally Malik, Slade Wilson, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, James Bishop, Aqualad (DCU), M'gann M'orzz, Artemis Crock, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Wally West, Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Marcus Damnian, Johnny Lawrence, Bobby Brown (Karate Kid), Dutch (Karate Kid), Tommy (Karate Kid), Jimmy (Karate Kid), Johnny Lawrence's Father, John Kreese, Daniel LaRusso, Henry Durham, Amanda LaRusso, Samantha LaRusso, Anthony LaRusso, Robby Keene, Miguel Diaz (Cobra Kai), Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Demetri Alexopoulos, Terry Silver, Kenny Payne, Rebecca Flynt, Sid Weinberg, Shannon Keene Relationships: Josh Levison/Nora Sergeant, Carmen Diaz/Johnny Lawrence, Johnny Lawrence/Ali Mills, Daniel LaRusso/Ali Mills, Kon-El | Conner Kent/M'gann M'orzz, Aang/Katara (Avatar), Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso, Sokka/Suki (Avatar) Additional Tags: Kidnapping, Torture, Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts, Whump, Episode Related, Sickfic, Time Travel, Bodyswap read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/aAf8tnQ

[danielslaw]

DANIEL LARUSSO         THE KARATE KID PART II // COBRA KAI SEASON 2 EPISODE 5 THEY EVEN TOOK MR. MIYAGI’S MEDAL OF HONOR.

[ohnoitsthebat]

Written for the @allvalley100 prompt BANDAGES. Continues on from this. My take on what happened after Johnny's fight with Silver.

--

Johnny had told Daniel he didn’t want to talk about it, but Daniel pressed the issue anyway. His dark eyes searched Johnny’s face, then his body, as he carefully bandaged his wounds (minor, thank God) and applied antibiotic cream to his cuts.

“Talk to me, Johnny. What happened?”

“Nothing,” was the mumbled reply. Daniel rolled his eyes and grabbed another Band-Aid, ripping the paper off with his teeth.

“You’re bleeding on my kitchen floor; I don’t think that qualifies as nothing.”

What was Johnny supposed to say? I fought your arch-nemesis and got my ass kicked?

“I settled a score.”

[deviousdevilx]

oh poor baby

[jensensfanfic]

THE FIRST STUDENT

[my gif - from sideblog @dojolarusso​​]

pairing: daniel larusso x fem!reader

word count: 5491

warnings: a little bit of whump, a couple of curse words, secret keeping? not sure - i'm just trying to cover all bases!

a/n: can also be found on wattpad and ao3 :)

You'd almost had it: almost. Mr Miyagi had said he was teaching you karate, yet you had been stood there covered in paint, arms completely dead, incredibly tired and confused. You remember when he had come home from the apartment complex on that night, you finally snapped at him, yelling accusations at Mr Miyagi, you complained about acting like his slave. "I would've done all of these things for you, anyway! But you said I was training; this is bullshit!" Mr Miyagi grunted, claiming, 'Ah, you are." At which point, you swore at him for a second time and began to walk away, fully intending not to come back. But, something in his voice as he called your name to, 'come here,' made you stop in your tracks and turn around. The next few minutes were intense and felt like something out of an expertly written hero novel.

How were you to know that all along, he was teaching you perseverance and muscle memory? Each chore - waxing, washing, painting, sanding... was his genius way of instilling the blocks into your mind. You felt stupid, though you probably had good reason to get mad, and you realised that he knew you eventually would.

After that, you did everything he told you to do. If he wanted you to join him on a fishing trip and stand dangerously on the edge of the bow, you would. If he asked you to fix up a hole in the wall, hammer some nails, sweep the floors - whatever the task may be; you would do it, knowing that there was always a lesson to learn with him. And even if there wasn't one, you couldn't deny helping your best friend.

You had a great deal of respect for your friend and sensei. When you moved into the apartment complex, you were pretty introverted, and you didn't get out all that much. You only left the house for school and a little fresh air every so often. You also didn't have many friends; the people you spoke to were merely classmates and project partners. But then the fridge at your place had decided to pack in, everything inside melted and turned rotten, so your Mum told you to go and find the 'maintenance man'. That's when you first met Mr Miyagi.

A few weeks later, after your shower had decided to break this time, you went to see him again and found him trimming little bonsai trees. You had had a few bonsais since you were young, but unfortunately, you always managed to kill them; that was until Mr Miyagi happily agreed to teach you how to care for them properly.

A few months passed, and you had somehow learned about his family karate, and it took a lot of convincing, but you managed to get him to agree to train you, thinking that it would give you more to do and it would, of course, come in handy if you ever needed to use it. Your parents were thrilled about this. Finally, you had made a friend and had more reasons to leave the house daily, rather than spending so much time watching TV.

A pact, some chores, and a magical moment later, you were best friends first, and then teacher and a student second. And there was not a single day where you didn't go to see him for at least a minute, even if it was just to say a quick hello.

-

About a year later, when Mr Miyagi casually brought up in conversation that he had a new student, you were pretty damn confused. "Since when? How did I not notice this?"

"Ah, bad timing. Every time Miyagi with him, you with bonsai, or someplace else." He pointed out. "New student, ah, live only a few doors from Y/N-san apartment, too."

"Oh." You wonder if you've already met this person or maybe passed them on the way to school without really noticing. You carefully snip some more leaves from your latest little bonsai project. "Well, how come you're training this kid, anyway? It took me some real grovelling and persistence to convince you to teach me."

"Hai." Mr Miyagi laughs at this. "Boy, uh, have problem with friends. Beat up many times, so make a deal with wacko sensei." You hear the little sounds of him gently spraying some of the trees. "Fight in tournament, then leave boy alone."

"The All Valley?" You frown.

"Hai."

"So, this new student of yours... has to win the whole tournament, and then they'll stop beating up on him?"

"Win, lose, no matter. If he makes good fight, will earn respect, then nobody bother." Mr Miyagi pauses for a moment then, before smiling and nodding at you. "Miyagi, glad you no get into fights."

"I don't know anyone to get into a fight with." You laugh. "Unless you are down for a match, huh, Mr Miyagi?"

"Ha, Y/N-san, you much humour." He looks thoughtful for a moment, and then you watch as he smirks a little. "Much like Daniel-san. Hm, you would make good friends."

"Daniel.. that's his name, then?"

"Ah, yes. And both ask a lot of question, too."

"So," You put down your clippers and shuffle around on your chair to face Mr Miyagi properly, resting your elbow on the counter. "When can I meet this new student of yours?"

"Come. We go right now."

"Uh... now?" You watch him place the spray bottle down and walk towards the door. "Wait, Mr Miyagi?" You laugh in disbelief as you take your jacket from a small peg and slip it back on, swiftly moving to follow your friend.

-

"Y/N-san?" Mr Miyagi calls your name just as you get to catch up to him, and you both start to walk towards where the truck is, parked up outside of the apartment complex. "Ah. You drive, let's go."

He hands you the keys, and you frown. "I didn't mean we should go right now, you know."

"Is good time to go, Daniel-san is back at house. Have to check on him anyway."

"What-" You flashback to the day you spent washing and waxing every single car in Miyagi's front yard. "Oh! First lesson, huh?"

"Hai." You give each other a knowing look, and then both hop into the truck and head off. You spend the short journey wondering how long Daniel will last before losing it over the chores and sore shoulders.

-

"Ah, good work, Daniel-san." Mr Miyagi looks over the cars as he walks by them all. Before Daniel can register his comment or even speak, Mr Miyagi introduces the two of you. "This is Y/N-san, a special friend to Miyagi."

"Hey! Yeah, I'm Y/N Y/L/N." You offer a hand to Daniel while Miyagi disappears into the house. "Good to meet you."

"Uh, hi." Daniel drops the giant yellow sponge into the bucket by his feet, wipes his sweaty forehead with his arm and then shakes your hand. 

"Daniel... LaRusso."

"So, how's it going, newbie?"

"'Newbie'?" Daniel frowns. "What do you mean, 'newbie'?"

"Well, I was Mr Miyagi's first student, so that makes you the newbie... right?" You smirk and then turn around and start to circle the car, pretending to inspect his work.

"You know karate?" You stop and look over the car at Daniel, giving him an accusatory look, as if to say, 'are you being judgemental because I am a female who knows martial arts?' Daniel catches it right away and starts fumbling with his words. "No! I didn't mean because you're- I mean, I'm not being- I was asking as a general question, I-"

"Okay, okay. Jeez, chill out, rambles. You know I was messing with you?"

"Yeah... yeah." His mouth slightly agape, he diverts his eyes, looking anywhere but at you. "Right."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to go and say goodbye to Miyagi, and then head home, so", You finish your circle around the car, standing next to Daniel again and giving the car a couple of slaps. "I will hopefully see you soon. Nice meeting ya."

"You too." As you walk towards the house, you hear the sloshing of the water as Daniel picks up the sponge. You smile and mutter to yourself as you walk, "Good luck with the sanders."

-

The next day, Mr Miyagi sits in the garden, sanding the edges of the boardwalk, waiting for Daniel. You had spent the morning here, throwing punches and practising kicks on the heavy bag.

"Oh, man, this is beautiful. Mr Miyagi, this is great. You've got real fish in there." You stop kicking, catching the bag and watching as Daniel walks through the garden, spilling compliments and looking around in awe. "This is outrageous. I thought Chung Lee's restaurant was nice. You beat his act. This is paradise."

You find yourself laughing at his rambling as Mr Miyagi just carries on with his work. He barely mutters an "Hai" when Daniel asks, "Did you do this yourself?"

You walk over to join them, staring down as Daniel sits down and picks up the sanders. "Are these bongos? No, I got it."

You giggle when he starts to sing. Mr Miyagi finally looks up, too, joining in on the laughter. "Daniel-san, you much humour." You twitch a brow at that same compliment Mr Miyagi had paid you just last night.

"Mr Miyagi, I'm going to head home now." You walk around them, patting Daniel on the shoulder. "See you around, Danny."

He looks up, and you momentarily find yourself enjoying the sunlit view of his tanned face and perfectly shaped lips. "You're not staying?"

"Uh-" You shake your head a little, snapping yourself out of it. "No. Probably best I leave you guys to it."

Daniel looks between you and Miyagi. "But aren't you, like, still learning, too?"

"Always. But I don't want to be intruding; this is only your second lesson, after all." You look back to your teacher, who is smiling at you both. "Mr Miyagi, I'll see you tomorrow."

You bow to your sensei and then to Daniel. During your bike ride home, you can't help grinning as you think about your fellow student, especially in that green plaid he'd been wearing.

-

You are sitting with your legs dangling over the edge of the pool when Daniel walks through the complex. "Y/N?"

"Oh, hey, Danny."

"What're you doin' out here" He stops next to the steps and sits down on the lowest one.

"Just enjoying the evening breeze. How was it with Mr Miyagi today?"

You clock the hand he has rested against his shoulder. He moves it around, grimacing. "Um..."

"Something wrong?" You prompt.

"No, it's just, I-" He stands up again. "What was your second lesson with him?"

You think quickly about how to reply, not wanting to give anything away. "The first few weeks were mostly learning to block and balance. Why?"

Daniel opens and closes his mouth like a fish, wanting to reply but not knowing what to say. "I- Nothin'."

"What's the matter, Danny?" You feel a pang of sympathy for him, remembering how bad your shoulders ached after sanding floors all day long. "You okay?"

"Yeah.. yeah, I'm good. Forget it." He points up to his apartment. "I gotta go. I'll see you... Well, whenever I do."

He starts walking up the steps as you move to stand. "Goodnight, Daniel."

He turns and smiles. "I think I like you calling me 'Danny', actually."

"Alright, then. Night, Danny." You bow to him, and he does the same back, but you stop him before he turns around. "Hey!"

"What?" He looks alarmed.

"When you bow, you must always keep eye contact." He nods, and then you bow to each other properly before you both head home.

-

Early the next day, you catch Daniel on his way out. "Danny!"

"Y/N." He runs down the steps to where you're sitting with Mrs Milo's dog. You'd said you would sit with him while she stepped out for a few hours. "Hey, pup." Daniel reaches down to pet the dog, scratching his neck and ears.

"Off to Mr Miyagi's?"

"Yeah." He spots your watch as he glances up from the dog. "And I'm late already. See you!" He runs off, waving back at you as he goes.

"Bye!" You yell back, your eyes popping open when you remember it's just past six in the morning: your neighbours are probably sleeping still. You glance down at the dog, rubbing his head. "Oops."

-

That same evening, you see Daniel again when you are just about to go into your apartment. You just get your key in the door when you hear his little grunts of pain. "Someone's home late. Where you been, Danny boy? Hm?"

"At Mr Miyagi's place." He glances up and looks somewhat annoyed at your question. "You know that!"

"Oh, sorry." You hold your hands up in mock surrender, smiling.

"Sorry. Just-"

"Something wrong?"

"I-" Daniel stands at the bottom of the stairs, while you stand at the top, looking down on him while he squeezes his shoulder with one hand, occasionally wincing. "My shoulders just hurt pretty bad."

"Oh, well, just put some ice or heat on them and get some rest; I'm sure you'll be just fine. And right as rain for your next lesson, huh?" You nod at him and then spin around, knowing full well that he's going to call you back.

"Wait, Y/N." You smirk; your prediction was correct. You turn back around. "Can I ask you something about your training?"

"Of course. Anything."

"Did Mr Miyagi ever- I mean did he ask you to- I mean did you end up doing-"

You raise your brows, tapping your fingers in a patterned sequence against the railing. "Come on, Danny. Get it out."

He huffs. "Look at this!"

He points to his clothing, particular spots that have splashes of paint on them. Some of it is dried, but other bits are still shiny in the moonlight, showing you that it's still fresh; and that he hasn't long finished chore number three. He also turns his head to show the paint smudge that decorates his left ear and the spots that made it into his hair. "I've been painting the goddamn fences all night! My shoulders are killing, my legs ache... and I haven't learned a thing that's gonna help me in the tournament!"

"What about your other lessons? Maybe this was just something Mr Miyagi needed help with." You keep up your play-dumb act. "I mean, I did have to go grocery shopping for him a few times."

"Washing and waxing the cars, sanding the floors..." Daniel sighs, letting the grip on his shoulder go and rotating it in circles, stretching. "I guess he had his first student, and now I'm just the chore boy, the personal assistant, the-"

"Danny," You climb swiftly down the stairs, putting your finger to his mouth. "Shush. Chill out! Mr Miyagi is a great man. Maybe... maybe he just needed some help with a few things. Stick it out, and help the man who - by the way - saved your life... yes, I know about Halloween, and then just trust me when I say that you won't regret it. He's the best teacher I could've asked for. Not that I've ever known another teacher, but... you get my point."

"Um," Daniel follows your finger as you pull it away from his pouty lips. He looks dumbstruck for a while before he collects himself and responds. 

"Right. Yeah, yeah. If you say so."

"I do say so." Your gaze flicker between Daniel's eyes and his shoulder. "Can I, um-"

He blinks, his head jerking back a tiny bit, confused. "Can you what?"

"Let me," You push his so that he turns a little, giving you better access to his pained shoulder. "Here." You put both hands on the area, watching his face for any non-consensual hesitation. When he doesn't show any, you start rubbing his skin, kneading like you would with dough. Every couple of seconds, you squeeze his shoulder, trying to ease out any amount of tension and - or - pain. Only a few minutes pass before you start to feel a little bit awkward, but also somewhat comfortable; like taking care of Daniel is something you could possibly enjoy and do each day, every day.

Your eyes widen a little, and you clear your throat. "Uh, any better?"

"Wow." His moonlight lit cocoa brown eyes have a sparkle to them as your gazes meet this time. "Yeah. Yeah, thank you."

"It's fine. So, what are you going to do about Mr Miyagi?"

"I'm gonna meet him tomorrow, of course, I am."

"Okay," You feel a little sad for Daniel again. You'd kind of been enjoying the turnaround thus far: watching someone else have to do all of Mr Miyagi's chores and not knowing why. But Daniel was losing it quicker than you did back when, and you were starting to feel sad for him. You hope more than anything that he keeps showing up so that he can finally see that he's been learning all along. "Danny, come 'ere."

"Wh- oh!" Before he can ask what you mean, you throw your arms up and around his neck, pulling him down slightly for a hug. It takes a short moment for him to return the gesture, his own arms coming to circle your waist. "What's this for?"

You feel the puffs of air as he speaks on your neck, and it sends little tingles running along your scalp, arms and legs. "Just 'cause. Just wishing my friend goodnight, you know?"

"Yeah, okay." He frowns as you pull away, not meeting his eye now. 

"Goodnight, Y/N."

"Night, Danny." You run back up the stairs and head back to your apartment. "Don't go running off yet, okay?"

He nods, and then you are back inside in ten seconds flat, closing the door behind you and wondering why you had suddenly gotten so shy out there. You cover your face with your hands, "damn it."

"What, honey?" Your Mum makes you jump with her sudden question.

"Nothin'!" You reply.

She looks at you with an amused expression. "Okay, well, get some sleep; you have school tomorrow."

You nod and then plop yourself down on the sofa. 'Damn it,' You think. 'I'm crushing on the new kid, aren't I?'

-

"... maybe next time you'll get some better bites, huh?" You hop down from Mr Miyagi's truck, closing the door and waiting for a reply.

He gets down from the passenger's side and goes to collect his fishing gear from the back. "Miyagi hope so, Y/N-san."

"Danny!" When you look up, you see Daniel stood on the highest part of the ladder, paintbrush in hand and looking rather tired. "How's it going up there?"

"Y/N!?"

"Ah, missed spot." You shake your head at Mr Miyagi, trying not to laugh.

"What spot!?" He climbs down from the ladder and follows you and Mr Miyagi into the garden. "Hey, how come you didn't tell me you were going fishing?"

"You not here when we go."

"'We?' Y/N, you too?" Daniel glares at you, causing you to look surprised. "Maybe I wanted to go, too, didn't you think of that?"

"You karate training."

"Danny, you're supposed to be training." You and Mr Miyagi both talk at once, chuckling to yourselves afterwards.

Daniel looks between you both like you are crazy. "I'm what!? I'm being your goddamn slave; that's what's happening! We made a deal here."

"So?"

"'So?' You're supposed to teach, and I'm supposed to learn."

You stop when you reach the doors to the house, you catch his hand, trying to get him to stop and calm down with your softened voice. "Danny..."

"No." He huffs and pulls his hand from your hold. "For four days, I've been busting my ass, and I haven't learned a thing!"

You steal Mr Miyagi's line, the same one he'd said to you at this point a year ago. "You've learned plenty."

"I've learned plenty?" Daniel turns back to Mr Miyagi. "I've learned to sand your decks, maybe. I've waxed your car, I paint your house, paint your fence. I've learned plenty, right."

"Not everything is as seems."

Daniel glances at you once again, with his mouth hanging open. He gestures to Mr Miyagi, eyes burning into yours like he is waiting for an explanation from you. You just smirk and nod, and he shakes his head in disbelief. "I don't believe this- this is bullshit!" He turns around, "I'm going home, man!"

"Daniel-san. Daniel-san!" The boom in Mr Miyagai's voice causes you to jump a little.

Daniel spins around, gripping his shoulder and looking wholly done with everything. "What?"

"Come here."

You pat Daniel's back. "And that's my cue to duck out. See you later!" You disappear into the front yard quickly, hopping onto your bike and heading home, leaving Daniel to his big moment of realisation.

-

The following day, Mr Miyagi called and invited you to join him and Daniel at the beach; it was time for his lesson in balance. You'd rarely uttered the word 'no' to your teacher in the past, but today was a different story.

"No... I don't think I can make it, Mr Miyagi."

"Ah, you have other plans?"

"Uh- no. I just... don't feel well."

"Miyagi know when Y/N-san no telling the truth, even through telephone."

"What? I-"

"Y/N-san, come. We go to the beach: one of your favourite places, ah?"

You hold the phone away from yourself for a second, huffing and then replying. "Okay, fine. I'll bike there, though, don't worry about coming to pick me up."

"Ah!" You can practically hear Mr Miyagi's glee through the phone. "Very good. See you soon."

"Okay, bye-bye."

You put down the phone and get ready to leave as slowly as possible. You had come home last night happy; you were pretty amused at yourself because you got out of there so quickly once Mr Miyagi had called Daniel back. You had been finding all of it somewhat funny. Watching the new student go through all of the chores, slowly getting more and more frustrated before they finally had enough and... well, you were regretting it a little bit now.

Daniel had rejected you when you tried to hold his hand and calm him last night. He'd looked at you like a hurt puppy, and that one evening when he'd complained to you about his aching shoulder: everything was twisting in your mind from a joke to a matter of feeling like a terrible friend. You thought that maybe Daniel would be mad at you for not telling him what was going on, primarily since it had caused him physical pain. But then, you'd also been through the same thing, feeling confused and taken advantage of by an older man who had made you a promise.

You were just messed up in your head, and it probably had a lot to do with the fact that you were also crushing on Daniel now. You sighed loudly, finally ready to go.

-

When you arrived at the beach, you instantly spotted Mr Miyagi's truck, parked up and empty. You hopped off of your bike and lifted it into the back, knowing that Mr Miyagi wouldn't mind you doing so and then headed down to the sand.

You felt like running away the second you saw your teacher and fellow student waiting for you. You tried not to meet Daniel's eye and looked straight to Mr Miyagi instead. He bowed upon you reaching them and then gave out his instructions. "Daniel-san, you go water. Practise kick, learn balance."

Daniel nodded, taking his headband from his pocket and tying it around his head. Meanwhile, Mr Miyagi turned his attention to you. "You go, too. Practise balance."

Your eyes popped open. "Wait, what? I didn't come prepared to get in the water!" You gestured down at your clothes: jeans, a graphic tee and an oversized button-up shirt that was tied around your waist. However, when you looked up again, Mr Miyagi was halfway up the beach, walkings towards the stumps. "Uh, okay. I guess I'm doing it anyway, then."

You listen, despite your slight annoyance. At the end of the day, you knew that balance was the skill you needed to work on the most. So you walked up to the water, with Daniel following close behind.

With the water barely touching your toes, you rolled up your jeans as far as they would go. Daniel walked into the water first, taking a few steps before stopping and putting his hands on his hips. He looked back at you, yelling, "It's freezing!"

You simply nodded, walking a few feet away from Daniel and into the water yourself. You shivered at the temperature as you went as far out as you could before the water came up to your knees. It took merely two kicks before you were wiped out by a huge wave. You looked over at Daniel, who was actually doing okay. His kicks weren't perfect, but he hadn't fallen yet.

When he noticed you shuffling back onto the squishy sand, he walked closer. "Are you good?"

"Fine." He offered his hand, but you waved it off, pushing yourself up and simply standing far enough in the water so that you could watch it wash over your feet and disappear again. "Go. I'm fine. Just not really dressed for this right now."

Daniel frowned but went back to his training anyway.

-

"How did you do that!?"

"How did you do that!?" You and Daniel both freaked out at the same time after watching Mr Miyagi break four beer bottles at once.

The drunk men were the opposite in their reactions, looking rather shocked and possibly scared. They quickly moved the bottles and brushed away the broken glass into a bag along with the rest of their trash.

You follow Mr Miyagi as he gets up into the truck, "Hey, how did you do that?"

"Don't know. First time." He looks pleased with himself as you chuckle in disbelief. "Y/N-san, you want ride back?"

"Uh, no. I can just take my bike; it's okay, I promise."

"Okay." He nods. "You come for dinner later?"

"Sure, yeah."

You bow to each other and then walk to the back of the truck to get your bike. As you do, a gust of wind sweeps over you, causing shivers and goosebumps over your skin.

"Why don't you have a towel?" Daniel asks then, coming up beside you.

"It's like I said, I didn't really come prepared to go in the sea."

"Here," he tries to wrap his towel around you, but you shove him away. "Wh-? I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah... and then you'll be the one freezing instead, idiot."

"Oh, so last night I was 'Danny', and now I'm 'idiot', huh?" He wraps the towel around you successfully the second time, not letting you push him away. "Here. We'll share."

You roll your eyes, sighing, but grabbing on to the end of the towel anyway, pulling it around you a little more. "Thanks."

"What's up with you, anyway? Something wrong?"

Your head whips around to look up at him. "What? Why?"

"You were all helpful the other night and today; it's like you hate me all of a sudden."

You huffed and looked away again.

"Mr Miyagi, Y/N and me want to stay here a little while... if that's okay." Your eyes widen as Daniel leans onto the window of the truck, letting go of the towel so that it hangs on you only.

"Wait-" Daniel shush you by simply raising his hand. Mr Miyagi lets him know that it's just fine before he shuffles into the driver's seat and is gone before you know it. "I- my bike..."

"Come on, Y/N, we'll just walk back. It's not that far."

"But-"

"Come on, let's just go and sit down for a little bit." You follow him to the stone wall, where you both sit, dangling your legs over the edge. "So what's up?"

"You." You blurt out.

Daniel laughs. "Wait, why me? What did I do?"

"It's what I did."

"You're really confusing me, Y/N."

You turn around then, finally meeting his eye and trying to act tough. "Why aren't you annoyed at me? I didn't tell you about the lessons! I kept it secret and watched you suffer through all those damn chores when I knew all along, and just- ugh- you should so mad that I didn't tell you-"

"That's it!?" Daniel shuts you up by raising his own voice to get your attention back; it works. "That's why you're acting so strange? Man, you are weird."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Weirdo."

"Wow." You scoff. "I really shouldn't have felt so bad about it."

"No, you shouldn't. It's not a huge deal, Y/N. At least I know now."

"But I still feel bad. You looked more annoyed than I did at that point last night."

"Hey, wait." Daniel frowns, knocking his knee into yours. "Did you curse at Mr Miyagi too?"

"Uh- yes! Of course. I also accused him of making me his little worker bee." You laugh. "Although, it took me a little longer. I had one more lesson before I went nuts."

"Which was?" Daniel prods.

"I'm not telling! You'll find out soon enough."

"But you just made a big deal out of feeling bad for not telling me about the chores!"

"And you just said it wasn't a big deal!"

"Ugh." Daniel huffs.

"Ugh." You copy him.

You look out at the sea for a moment, watching it glitter in the sunlight. Then you close your eyes and flashback to training with Mr Miyagi on the cliffs. "He'll teach you kata soon. I really love that; it's... relaxing."

"Really?" You nod, and then you start to feel awkward again as Daniel continues to look at you without saying anything further.

"What?"

Daniel shrugs. "Nothin'." He looks away again but keeps looking back every couple of seconds. You're about to say something when he suddenly stands up. "Oh! I have something for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah..." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a headband. It's black with a white line pattern that forms star shapes throughout.

"Mr Miyagi, let me have this one," he adjusts his own as he mentions it, "but I noticed that you haven't worn one yet. So... I'm hoping you don't have one already. Otherwise, this is a terrible gift. Do you have one already? 'Cause I'll just go and bury myself in the sand if this is the worst gift ever."

"Danny, the ramble king, is back, I see. Shut up and give me the damn thing!"

"Uh, if you're gonna be rude, then no." He moves it away, but you snatch it from his hands and tie it around your head straight away. "Does it look good?"

"Looks great."

You fiddle with it until it feels right, then smile up at your friend. "Thanks, Danny."

"Does the nickname mean we're good? You're not mad at me for being mad at you, even though I wasn't mad at you, to begin with?"

"I can't believe I understood that. But we're better than good."

"Okay." Daniel sits back down, and it doesn't go unnoticed by you that he sits closer this time, your arms and legs pressed against each other.

"Good. 'Cause, there's something I wanna ask you."

"What's that?"

"There isn't some teacher or co-worker style of a rule that says two karate students can't go out... right?" Your eyes widen, and your full attention is on Daniel, watching his talk as he looks out to sea and slowly sneaks his hand over to cover yours. "Right?"

"Uh, I don't think there is, actually."

"So?"

You try to sustain the grin that threatens to show itself on your face. "Gold 'N' Stuff?"

"What?"

"For our date? On... Saturday?"

"Uh- yes! Saturday's my birthday. Talk about the best birthday ever!" Daniel's fist pumps the air, and you can't hold back your laughter at his dork nature.

"Pick me up at 7?"

"You got it."

You smile again, reaching up to take his chin between your fingers and turning him to face you once more. You glance at his lips and then up to his eyes, asking for permission. He looks surprised, but he nods before putting his free hand on your neck and pulling you in for a soft, sweet and utterly too short of a kiss. You pull your bottom lip between your teeth as you pull away, eyes closed.

Daniel sighs before saying, "the chores and achy arms were worth it to get to meet you, you know, Y/N."

[lulamadison]

Off-Balance (17395 words) by LulaMadison Characters: Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso, Amanda LaRusso, Carmen Diaz (Cobra Kai), Robby Keene, Miguel Diaz (Cobra Kai), Samantha LaRusso Additional Tags: Sickfic, Sick Character, Ear infection, Sick Johnny Lawrence, Whump, balance wheel, Illnesses, Major Illness, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:

Daniel wants to master the Balance Wheel with Johnny, but they can't quite get the hang of it, and end up spending more time in the pond than on the wheel.

When Johnny develops an ear infection and blames it on the dirty water, Daniel does his best to help him.

Read it on AO3