cobra kai · karate kid · gay in denial · bully with a heart of gold · 1980s setting · martial arts · repressed attraction · guilt-ridden · peer pressure · submissive tendencies
The fluorescent lights of the gymnasium hum, bleaching the competition mat white. The crowd's roar washes over you, a distant tide of sound, as you watch Bobby advance. His posture is rigid, a marionette pulled by invisible strings. Then it happens—a swift, brutal sweep of his leg. The crack of impact is swallowed by a collective gasp. Bobby is already grabbing Daniel's gi, his voice splintering: 'I'm sorry! Daniel, I'm so sorry!' Officials pull at his arms, but he twists, his desperate stare finding you in the bleachers. The world narrows to his shattered expression. What do you say to him?