When Theo woke up the next morning, he looked around in confusion. It wasn't until he heard soft snores from beside him he remembered what happened. Theo and Tory watched 10 Things I Hate About You and in turn Theo introduced her to The Shawshank Redemption which in Theo's opinion was the best film ever released.

Once the film was finished, Tory and Theo sunk a few more beers while talking more about their lives. Tory told him of her aunt who was waiting for Tory's mother to die to try and get some money, and in turn Theo told her of his uncle who was a Naval Aviator who had been more like a father to him than Daniel, and of his grandpa.

Tory laughed heartedly when Theo told her how his Uncle Maverick took him to the beach with his Uncle Razzle (Maverick's radar intercept officer) and Razzle's son when he was eight and they played Dogfight Football, which ended with Theo breaking his arm in two places.

Theo checked his phone, eyes widening when he saw the time.

"Tory, Tory," he whispered, shaking her lightly. When her eyes fluttered open, green meeting blue, Theo smiled, unconsciously reaching up and tucking a loose strand of hair behind Tory's ear. "Hey, I got to go," he whispered, placing a quick kiss to her cheek. "I'll text you later."

Tory nodded, a light blush on her cheeks as she watched Theo go.

—————

"Ready?" Johnny asked, Miguel and Theo in protective gear in front of two baseball launchers.

"Yes, sensei," they both said in unison. Johnny clicked the remote for Theo's three times, causing three balls to launch simultaneously from the machine. Theo blocked the first two with his left and right arm before roundhouse kicking the third away, ending up cracking a mirror.

"Shit, sorry, sensei," Theo apologised. Johnny shook his head, pressing the remote for Miguel's machine. He weakly blocked the first one, but looked back at them excitedly, until Johnny pressed the remote again and the Diaz boy groaned as he was hit in the head.

"What does a Cobra do?" Johnny asked, watching as Theo held Miguel in a headlock. "What does a Cobra do?" Johnny asked again as Theo applied more pressure to his neck.

Theo laughed as Miguel began tapping his arm. "There's no tapping in karate."

"Watch your arms," Johnny told the Diaz boy when he blocked Theo's first strike but not his kick, sending Miguel to the ground. "Get your arms up."

"My arms were up," Miguel said defeatedly.

"You want a fair fight? Dream on," Johnny told him when Miguel managed to down get Theo on the floor. He pressed the button for the baseball machine which struck Miguel in the ear. "You can't always think your enemies are gonna play by the rules."

"Yeah, but my ear!" Miguel whimpered, taking the hand Theo offered to help him up.

"What if that baseball was your Kyler or one of his friends coming at you from behind?" Theo asked, getting a nod from Johnny.

"You have to be prepared for everything," Johnny agreed. "Let me look," he sighed. Theo and Johnny both winced at the bruising that was already forming.

The bell above the door chimed and Theo furrowed his eyebrows as he watched a group of women walk into the Dojo. He looked towards Johnny, who groaned in annoyance.

"Hello," the woman at the front of the pack said, nodding respectfully to the three guys.

"Ah, shit," Johnny groaned.

"What the fuck is happening?" Theo asked Johnny, a little too loudly as the woman heard him.

"It's 5:00. Twilight is upon us," the woman explained to him.

"Oh, right, okay," Theo said, looking back at Johnny. "What's going on?" He whispered to Johnny.

"Uh, I had to sublet the, uh, dojo for a few hours," Johnny explained to both his students. "Just till we get more students."

"Hi, ladies," the familiar voice of Amanda LaRusso rang around the Dojo, causing Theo's head to snap towards her. "Hi, Theo," she told him sweetly, approaching the three Cobra Kai's.

"Dude, is that your mom?" Miguel whispered to him.

"No, that's his stepmom," Johnny replied back, both him and the Diaz boy staring at Amanda.

"And she is off limits to the both of you," he told them sternly, walking away from them and meeting Amanda in the middle of the Dojo. "What're you doing here? Does Dad know?"

"He knows I'm doing yoga in Reseda," Amanda said back, smirking a little as she pulled Theo into a hug, kissing his cheek. "I just thought I'd come and check in on you, make sure you're staying out of trouble."

"I'm fine, really," Theo smiled at her.

"Well, either way I left a lasagna in your van, enough for you and your friends," she leaned in and whispered, "there may or may not be a crate of beer there too," she leaned back and put a smile on her face, "but you didn't hear that from me."

"You're the best," said Theo.

"I know."

—————

"What's he doing here?" Theo asked after training that day, walking into the small warehouse turned recording studio Social Scum bought in the Los Angeles docks. He received a message of Freddie telling him to meet them here, and was surprised to see Kai Tanaka sat in a spinny chair in front of the massive sound board.

"Nice to see you too, asshole," Kai rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. The green haired boy span the chair, flipping Theo off.

"Kai here is our new guitarist," said Cami, before Theo could snap back at the boy.

"Oh, is he?" Theo raised an eyebrow. "I thought we made decisions as a group? And do we even know if he can play guitar?"

"Hey, fuck you, man," Kai spat at him, getting up off the chair and shoving Theo down to the sofa behind him. "Let me prove it to you."

"Fine, but it needs to be a Social Scum song," Theo shrugged. Kai nodded with a sigh, going to the song book the band left on the table.

"This one?" Kai asked, holding up a page titled 'Dakota'.

"No, definitely not," Theo denied him instantly. He ripped the book from Kai's hands and flicked through the pages, landing on a song called 'All Right Now'. "This one."

"Done," Kai shrugged, going into the recording booth. He put the book onto the stand and grabbed the purple fluorescent guitar of the wall, plugging it into the amplifier.

"Whenever you're ready," said Freddie into the intercom.

"So?" Kai asked once he finished playing. Cami and Freddie looked to Theo pleadingly. Theo sat in the same chair by the sound board.

"Fine, you're in," said Theo, causing Kai and Freddie to grin as Cami clapped her hands excitedly.

—————

"What's the second rule of the Way of the Fist?" Johnny asked both his students that next afternoon. Theo was striking the pads on Johnny's hands with a combination of different kicks and strikes while Miguel struck the dummy.

"Strike hard!" They both replied in unison.

"That's right," Johnny nodded, going to strike Theo but the boy ducked under his punch. "There's only one reason to hit someone. To inflict pain. Striking hard is about giving your all," the bell above the door chimed, causing the three to turn around. "What the hell? No yoga till 5:00. No matter how bad you need it."

"You're a dick," Theo told him, causing Johnny to shrug. Aisha Robinson walked closer.

"I-I'm actually here for karate," she said nervously. "I saw your website. It said that there was supposed to be a session today."

"I appreciate you coming in," Johnny nodded, "but there are no girls in Cobra Kai."

"Why not?" Aisha asked, while Theo and Miguel raised her eyebrows at him.

"Same reason there aren't women in the Army, doesn't make sense."

"Sensei, Miguel and I need to show you something in the office," said Theo, walking away quickly. Johnny and Miguel followed him into the office.

"Don't give me this "sexist" bullshit," Johnny rolled his eyes, sitting on his desk. "All right, I'm just saying, women aren't meant to fight. They have tiny, hollow bones."

"What about my mom?" Theo asked, sitting in Johnny's chair. "The first and only ever All-Valley Champion that was a girl and she was representing Cobra Kai, she was a four time winner," Theo listed off. Johnny looked hurt by the mention of her. "You know how hard she fought for more girls to be in Cobra Kai."

"Your mom was different, kid," Johnny said softly, and Miguel looked concerned as he had never seen Johnny act so soft before. "She had this fire in her eyes and this pent up anger in her mind that made her the four time champ."

"Aisha definitely has all that," Miguel nodded when the other two fell silent for a moment. "Aren't you desperate for new students?"

"Yes, but this isn't a knitting class," Johnny sighed, rubbing his forehead. "This is a dojo. She isn't Theo's mom, alright?"

"The kids at school call her names, make fun of her," Theo explained

"That's what happens when you eat an entire box of Twinkies every day," Johnny said like it was obvious.

"Dude, her dad is Isaiah Robinson," said Theo while rolling his eyes. Johnny looked at him blankly. "Hall of Fame lineman for the Chargers? Dude, I swear you watch football?"

"Yeah, so you're saying it's genetic?" Johnny asked. "Her love for Twinkies comes from her dad?" Theo face-palmed.

"No, he's saying her family's loaded!" Miguel said, gesturing to Theo. "All right, and she's a paying customer."

"But you don't need the money, right?" Theo asked sarcastically. Johnny sighed, hitting the pads together before standing up. Theo and Miguel fist-bumped, looking at each other with a smirk, bowing as they rejoined the mat.

"Okay, take off your shoes. Hop on the mat," said Johnny to Aisha, gesturing in front of him. Aisha nodded, doing as she was told silently. "Okay, after further review, I've decided to allow female students, but if you want to be in Cobra Kai, you can't act like a girl."

"What do you mean?" Aisha asked, looking at Miguel and Theo for help, but both boys shrugged. "How do girls act?"

"Oh, don't give me that-- you know, all emotional, loud, complain-y, never letting you finish a sentence," Johnny listed off.

"Well, I know a few guys who act just--"

"Quiet!" Johnny shouted, causing Theo to laugh silently as Johnny directly proved her point. "My students tells me you've been harassed at school."

"Yeah, mostly online," Aisha nodded. "I get mean texts and emails sent to me, makes me not want to go."

"And who sends you these messages?" Johnny asked, pacing in front of her.

"Well, they're mostly anonymous," Aisha said. "These kids create fake accounts, and they tell me things like I'm ugly and that I should kill myself."

"Oh, my God," said Johnny, stopping in front of her. "What a bunch of pussies!" He exclaimed, continuing to pace. "Back in my day, if you wanted to tease someone, you did it to their face. There was honor, respect," he listed off. "These geeks hiding behind their computers, what a bunch of spineless losers. You're not afraid of these losers, are you?" Johnny asked her, stopping in front of her again.

"No."

"Are you gonna take shit from these losers?" He asked her.

"No."

"Good, because when I'm done with you, you're gonna be sending a message back, only it's not gonna be with your keyboard," he smirked, raising his fists. "It's gonna be with your fists," Aisha smiled at him.

Theo was knelt on the edge of the mat opposite Johnny as Miguel and Aisha faced each other.

"Okay, let's see what you got, Ms. Robinson," Johnny smirked. "Face me. Bow. Face each other. Bow," they both did as they told. "Mr. Diaz, show her everything you've learned."

"Uh, whoa, wait, I don't think this is right, Sensei," Miguel said unsurely, looking between Johnny and Aisha.

"You don't think what's right?" Johnny retorted.

"She's a girl, I'm not gonna..." he trailed off.

"And? I thought you and LaRusso said women were equal to men?" Johnny shrugged, looking at Theo who stayed silent.

"I did say that. I didn't mean it like that," Miguel tried to reason.

"I meant that she--"

"All right, show her women are equal," Johnny shrugged. "Give her everything you got."

"Wait," Aisha stopped him. "I just want to remind everyone this is my first day."

"Your enemies don't care what day it is," said Johnny. "They prey on weakness. If you want to beat them, you gotta conquer your fears and jump face first into the fire. Now, are you ready, Ms. Robinson?"

"I guess."

"Mr. Diaz?" Miguel looked unsure. "Fight!" Johnny yelled. "Don't just stand there. Fight!" Theo watched as they both got into fighting stances.

"I'm sorry," Miguel said quietly. Miguel hit her with a side kick to the gut, sending her to the floor. The three guys walked quickly to her. "Oh, my God, Aisha, are you okay? I'm so sorry."

"Ugh!" Aisha groaned, getting up and tackling Miguel to the floor before turning towards Theo and trying to do the same.

"What the fuck did I do!?" Theo exclaimed, getting chased down by the girl, eventually getting tackled on top of Miguel, causing both boys to groan. She used her whole body weight to then knee both of them in the stomach.

"Girl's a natural Cobra," said Johnny impressed. The four heard shouting through the walls, causing them to fall silent. "All right. Students, wait here. Theo, you're in charge."

—————

"Sam! Sam!" Theo called out on Monday morning when he saw his little sister enter the cafeteria. Sam ignored him, keeping on walking until Theo caught up, yanking her by the arm until they were around the corner and out of ear shot.

"What do you want, Theo?" Sam asked, tears of frustration built up in her eyes as she looked up at her older brother.

"I want to know why the fuck everyone is making up bullshit rumours," Theo said back, holding her wrist.

"Why do you care? You hate me," Sam threw the words back that Theo spat her when he filed for emancipation.

"I know I said some hurtful shit when I left but I was angry you were taking Dad's side, you and Amanda were there for me through everything and I was horrible," said Theo regrettably. "No matter what, Sam, you're my little sister, the one I vowed to protect from boys and bullies when you were seven."

"I saw what Kyler did to you guys in the library last Friday," said Sam, a tear leaking from her eye. "I asked him about it when we went to movies and he lied about it so I left and then he spread all that bullshit!" Sam started sobbing uncontrollably into Theo's chest, clutching the back of his denim jacket like a lifeline while her tears stained his shirt.

Theo wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and cradled her head to his chest with his left hand, swaying them back and forth. It used to calm her down when she was younger and Theo was praying it still worked now. When Sam did eventually calm down, Theo held her at arms length, wiping her tears with a handkerchief from his back pocket.

"Go get yourself cleaned up and I'll deal with Kyler," said Theo, causing Sam to nod gratefully.

"Thank you, Theo," Sam said, hugging her older brother once more. She walked off to the nearest toilets and Theo walked back to his seat in between Miguel and Kai. It was a few minutes later Theo saw Sam approach Kyler, causing Theo to curse.

"You know that billboard with a big-ass dick on it?" Kyler said loudly, getting the attention of the cafeteria. "I guess Sam takes after her dad."

"Shut up, Kyler!" Theo snapped, his chair screeching across the floor as he stood up.

"What you say, LaPussso?" Kyler asked, approaching Theo and shoving him into the table. Kai and Miguel quickly stood up to defend their friend.

"Why don't you shut the hell up and stop being such an asshole?" Theo spat in his face.

"Huh? Tough guy now, huh?" Kyler asked him and Kai before turning towards Miguel. "Want another beatdown, 'Rhea? I'm ready for your lame-ass karate this time."

"It's not lame-ass karate," said Miguel as the three boys got into fighting stances. "It's Cobra Kai," said Miguel as Theo blocked a punch from one of Kyle's friends and headbutted him, just as Miguel punched Kyler and Kai roundhouse kicked Brucks in the stomach.

Kyler tackled Miguel onto a table and threw him across another before putting him into a headlock which Miguel quickly got out of by elbowing Kyler in the ribs and twisting his arm.

Theo was trading blows with one of Kyler's friends, but Theo rolled over Kai's back and came face-to-face with Brucks who swung wildly for the boy, but Theo dodged and swept his legs just as Kai knee'd the other friend in the nose and swept his legs, ruling the boy out of the fight.

"No mercy!" Aisha yelled excitedly, watching the three boys fight. Kai and Theo fist-bumped, double kicking Brucks in the stomach and sending him crashing into a table.

"Hey! Hey!" The councillor said when Kai, Miguel and Theo stood back to back on the table after Miguel knocked Kyler out with a plastic tray.

—————

"Didn't know you could fight like that," said Theo when the Social Scum reached their recording studio in the docks later that afternoon.

"I've been in karate all my life, a little less since we moved from Kashiwazaki but I remembered most of it," Kai shrugged, who was holding an ice-pack to his bruising eye.

"Hey, maybe you should join Cobra Kai?" Theo offered. "Maybe then you won't get friend zoned by Moon and my sister," Theo smirked.

"Oof, low blow, man," the green haired boy laughed, shoving Theo. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

A/n~ special thank you to sybilish for the new cover!