Work Text:
He didn’t get up of that chair to talk with her, he just sat there looking at her, and so did she.
She was wearing the same black leather jacked he last saw her wearing when they went to shave Hawk’s mohawk, back when they were in cobra kai.
Well, back when he was in cobra kai.
Her hair was perfect, considering that it was raining outside and they both went to that bar to hide from that evening rain.
She was playing with her drink, torturing the lemon on the glass and not even taking a sip of whatever she had in that glass.
She was with someone, Robby didn’t know who for sure and didn’t even want to know, but he was from her dojo.
A jerk, that’s for sure.
She was beautiful, he thought, maybe not what he should think.
Their eyes were staring at each others since she entered the bar and sat down, which was at least 30 minutes ago.
The rain seemed to have no intention on stopping.
She laughed at something that jerk said, and for no reason Robby clenched his jaw, his stomach twisting with jealousy.
He had no right, he knew it.
He wanted to talk with her, or at least that’s what he kept saying to himself and to his friends, but what can he even say.
He hadn’t even planned on being there that night, but something had drawn him in, an almost magnetic pull.
Maybe to forget or whatever, he didn’t know.
He did not drink anything tho, he does not drink.
Even tho that would probably have been the best thing to do.
When he saw that they were leaving, he had no choice but to do the same.
Why would he even want to stay in that horrible bar?
And he needed to talk with her, or at least try to, even tho he didn’t know what to tell her at all.
“Tory” he called.
She turned around, her little smile on her face disappearing while he got fully out of the bar”
“Robby,” she said, her voice cautious, as if she wasn’t sure how to handle this “What do you want?”
“Can we talk?” He asked, the rain starting to wet his clothes, just like hers.
The guy Tory was with seemed to catch on to the tension between them and he glanced between them, frowning, before leaning toward Tory. “Is everything okay here?”
“Yeah,” Tory said quickly, waving him off with a forced smile “Go ahead, I’ll meet you later”
Tory tugged the collar of her jacket up, trying to shield herself from the downpour as they stood under the flickering neon sign of the bar, the other guy a past thought already.
For some reasons, Robby didn’t know what to say.
The only sound was the pounding rain, filling the silence between them like a wall.
“So this is what you’re doing now?” He said, almost a whisper.
Tory let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head as the rain poured down on them.
“I’m doing what’s best for me” she said firmly.
“Yeah sure” he said sarcastically, knowing she hated that tone.
“Why do you care, Robby? It’s not like we’re…”
“Not like we’re what?” Robby interrupted, his eyes filled with frustration “Not like we’re anything or ever were? Is that what you’re trying to say Tory?”
Tory blinked, momentarily taken aback by the intensity in his voice.
She opened her mouth to respond, but the words seemed to catch in her throat.
“Why don’t you try to understand…” she said, her voice breaking.
“If you trusted me enough to tell me that you were joining Kreese again, maybe I would’ve. But you know, it’s kinda hard to after you literally just appeared in front of me on that mat. Not even a message or anything”
His voice was high, and when he saw that the people in that bar started to stare, they went to a dead-end street near it.
“You told me you met Kreese and talked with him, and that was it. It’s like one minute you trust me and they other you don’t” he said.
“That’s different, Robby” she raised her voice too “If I told you about me joining cobra kai again, you would’ve told the whole miyagi-do and to your senseis. And thats not what I needed”
“I wouldn’t have” he said firmly.
“When I told you about Kreese and me meeting, I asked you to keep the secret and you probably…”
“I didn’t say a word.” He said, leaving a pause between them following.
He ran a hand through his wet hair, his dark eyes filled with an intensity that mirrored the storm raging above them.
“Just…” robby said, his voice breaking “why do you keep pushing me away?”
“I…don’t know” she said, running a hand through her hair.
"You just push everyone away. You push me away. You shut me out, and then make me feel I’m the problem!"
He didn’t know why is voice was still so high, it wasn’t suppose to be.
Why is he shouting at her.
"Don’t turn this on me, Robby! You think I’m the one pushing people away? Look in the mirror. Last time we broke up, it was because of you” she shouted back.
“Because of me?” We laughed, not knowing why “or was it because again you couldn’t trust me”
She didn’t say anything, and he realised his mistake.
He came after her with the idea to talk, and was instead just shouting at her for no reason or any valid reason.
“Sorry” he said.
She was angry, he was angry, that conversation won’t lead to anything.
And they both realised it.
And the storm seemed to calm somehow for a while, just for it to start again.
“Who was that guy?” Robby asked, even tho he did not care.
Tory let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest “Seriously?”
“I don’t know. You don’t tell me anything for almost 1 week since we saw each others again, and then I see you at the bar with a jerk, laughing at all his jokes”
“You don’t even know him” she said firmly.
The rain made her hair a mess, and he probably didn’t look any better, his hoodie all wet.
“And I don’t want to, the thing isn’t him” he said, getting the angriest look from her.
The rain was hitting their faces and was filling the silence that built up after that, both trying to take their anger out.
They failed.
“You know what? I don’t care what you think. I can decide for myself” she said.
She always says this, which is getting tired, and he understands it.
“I know, but how can you expect me not to care”
“Why do you even care that much?” She asked angry.
“Because I love you” he shouted.
Silence.
Tory froze.
She didn’t know how to respond, didn’t know if she even could.
"You… love me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain.
Robby paused for a while.
“Yeah…” he said.
"I love you. And I don’t care how messy it is, or how many times we screw up. I just… I just want to be with you." He added.
Tory’s heart pounded in her chest, the rain blurring her vision as she looked at him, standing there in the storm, drenched and vulnerable.
She had spent so long trying to protect herself, to build walls around her heart, but now, standing here with Robby, those walls were crumbling.
Without thinking, she stepped forward, grabbing the collar of his jacket and pulling him into a kiss.
A kiss that’s gonna screw him up forever, knowing that the next day it will be just as the same as it was the day before.
It wasn’t gentle or soft; it was fierce, desperate.
Robby responded instantly, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her closer as they kissed in the pouring rain, the world around them fading away.
The rain pounded down harder, soaking them both to the bone, but neither of them cared.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless and soaked, Tory looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of confusion and something softer.
"I don’t know how to do this," she admitted, her voice shaky. "I don’t know how to be what you need."
“Don’t. Be what you need” he said playing with a lock of her hair and getting it behind her ear.
“Im sorry” she said.
“Me too”
The rain seemed to calm for a while, yet it didn’t stop.
“I have to stay in cobra kai Robby. I have to do it for her”
“I know” he said caressing her hands, that somehow ended in his
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t stay…you know” she said.
“Yeah, we stick together” he said reminding their deal.
“Me and you on the podium still right?”
“Yeah”
And just like that, they kissed again holding each others close.
And for a while, they let themselves believe everything was alright again.