Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone

[strikefirster]

Who: Johnny, Daniel, Ortus, Gideon Nav's Exquisite Corpse, Paul, Kaworu, Deku, Harrow, Maybe more?
What: Kidnapping, Forced Adoption, Getting these kids away from the Emperor
When: Shortly after boatgate
Where: The Bone House and Cobra Kai

Content Warnings: Probably references to Murder, Manipulation, Johnny Lawrence.

Prompts and Mingle will be in the comments.

Comments

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon knows all about the casual, no big deal lean against a doorframe. She does it all the time, especially when things are a huge deal. There's a surge of warmth in her chest, mixed with guilt and shame.

She can't believe she waited this long to come back. Waited for closure, maybe, or at least for the man biologically related to her to see her, or to care. But he never mattered, not for a minute.

Here's what she's been searching for, all along.

Gideon offers a small, lopsided smile, followed by as precise of a Cohort salute as she can muster. ]

Yes, sensei. I'm... [ she swallows, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to sound completely pathetic, either ] I'll get there. I bet the sandwiches for men are gonna work wonders.

[strikefirster]

[Johnny was an emotionally stunted fuck up on the best of days. But he was absolutely trying his best for the kids he had taken under his wing. Mostly because they had also been teaching him so much, about what was actually important to focus on, what actually mattered.

...And now that he knew that he wasn't going to let them get dragged down by what had just happened.

He's a little surprised by how honest that answer is but he steps up and gives her a light punch in the arm to show some support.]

No one's expecting you to be at a hundred percent right now. Jus take it easy.

But trust me, you're going to love this shit.

[lipochrome]

[ Ordinarily, Gideon would punch him back. Or she'd laugh, and make some joke about how Johnny would need to try harder than that, or that he hits like an old man. But too often, when Gideon closes her eyes, she sees him lying lifeless in a pool of too-slick blood.

Instead, she takes the contact as an opportunity to try and pull her sensei into a tight hug, fierce and desperate. ]

Yes, sensei. [ Gideon agrees, in the low, soft tones of I'm glad you're back. I'm sorry I didn't save you. ]

I've -- [ There's a hitch in her breath, and it's ugly and awful and embarrassing, but Gideon just has to plow through ] -- I've always wanted to try a sandwich for men.

[strikefirster]

[Honestly Johnny has been receiving a whole lot of affection from his students lately and there is a part of his brain that doesn't know how to handle it. He feels that he doesn't deserve it after everything he's done to screw up his life and the life of his son. Of all the people around him. He fights it off briefly because he is absolutely trying his best not too be that person anymore and for the most part he thinks he's doing okay at best at it. But he knows there are still points when his sludgy behavior sinks through.

...But this. He really hadn't expected Gideon to come at him like this. He doesn't know that she was there to witness what happened with Willow. So... He can't help but wonder if John was as bad as he seemed or maybe even worse.

He takes the hug like a champ but there's an awkward moment where he sort of fidgets before he finally let's his arms wrap around Gideon to return it, and give her a light pat on the back too.]

Right... Well.

You are in for a fuckin' treat then. LaRusso might cry about them but these are the best damn meal you could ask for where I'm from.

[They are not that. But he liked them.

He also... Doesn't really make an effort to move or shift Gideon off of him. He just wanted her to know he was there for her.]

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon fully believes every word Johnny says, including the bit about manwiches being the best and that Daniel literally cries over them. He's probably a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Gideon takes her time. She stays there for a while, letting herself be held, letting herself hold Johnny, someone who is dead but isn't. Someone who's just like her.

Quieter, just for the two of them: ]

I know what happened. It's okay if you feel like shit, too.