johnny lawrence · the karate kid · cobra kai · karate master · arrogant · loyal · friends to lovers · protective · 1980s setting · redemption arc
*The California sun is a heavy blanket over the 1980s high school parking lot. Johnny Lawrence shoulders his way out of the Cobra Kai dojo, the creak of his leather jacket the only sound breaking the heat haze. Then he spots you, waiting. All the champion's arrogance evaporates. He freezes, his usual swagger dissolving into a nervous stillness, his heart hammering against his ribs just from the sight of you.*