Title: Patching You Up

Summary: 3 times Kim patched Jack up and the 1 time he patched her up.

Author's note: This is quite long. You're welcome 😏

One

Kim had been enjoying her day. It wasn't that she didn't like the boys-in fact, they were her best friends. They knew how to have a good time together and she really did enjoy their company. But recently she had been spending all her time with them and she was itching for some time alone.

Jack had promised her a day to herself and took the other boys to the skate park with him. It was enough to keep all three of them occupied for hours and Kim would have all the time she needed to not be pestered by them wanting to do something fun.

Kim had gone to the library first, taking her time walking around and browsing different sections of books. When she had a handful picked out, she snagged a cute tote bag from the counter and headed to the pool. She lathered up on sunscreen before taking off her cover-up and settling down on a lounge chair under an umbrella.

It was the perfect way to spend the day. Every time the boys came to the pool, they would always rope her into playing games. Not that she didn't love roughing around with the guys, if she didn't then she simply wouldn't. But the problem was she couldn't resist paying with them and today she really did just want to relax.

She was about 12 chapters into a thrilling murder mystery when her phone buzzed. The sound pulled her out of her trance and she blinked as she looked away, realizing how bright the sun was. She lifted her arms and swung her legs to the side of the chair, looking around the pool. She had been off in her own world for a good little while, not noticing the family that had come in, or the group of middle schoolers, or the other girl she vaguely recognized from school also reading across the pool.

When her phone kept buzzing Kim dropped her arms and grabbed her phone, seeing Jerry was calling her.

"So much for a guy-free afternoon," she sighed, hitting answer.

"Didn't Jack tell you I was trying to have some me-time?" Kim said as soon as the call connected, not bothering with a proper greeting.

"About that…" Jerry said, similarly forgoing a simple hello.

"What?"

"So, like, we did go to the skate park and it's been super fun. We even got Milton to try-"

"Jerry," Kim interrupted, shutting her book with a bookmark in place. "What's your point?"

"So, don't freak out-"

"Jerry, that's literally the worst thing you could say if you think I'm going to freak out. What's wrong?"

"We were just like, messing around, and Jack kinda, sorta, maybe fell. He kinda, like, hit his head… and his face… and like his whole right side…"

"What do you mean 'hit his head'?" Kim demanded, her body suddenly going rigid at the news that Jack had gotten hurt. If Jerry was calling her then it had to be bad, right? "He was wearing his helmet, right?" Kim suddenly asked. She was always pestering him to wear it because he usually refused, thinking it made his hair matted and greasy.

"Was he wearing his helmet? Uh… yeah, sure he was wearing it. Um, but like, he just kinda, fell? His board got caught at the top of the ramp," Jerry said, in broken phrases.

"At the top of the ramp?" Kim asked worriedly.

"Oh, uh, did I say top? More like… 7/8ths?" he said. "It wasn't… the top top, you know? Like that would be bad. But like yeah it wasn't that bad. He's just a little hurt, you know? Like it totally could have been worse."

Kim let out a sharp sigh, realizing she was not going to get good information out of Jerry.

"I'll be there in six minutes," Kim said, throwing everything in her new tote bag.

"Oh, you don't have to like, come," Jerry said quickly, like he was hiding something.

"Then why did you call me?" Kim asked, throwing the bag over her shoulder. "If it was bad enough to think to call me, why would I not come?"

"Well, like, in hindsight, it's not bad. Not a scratch– Okay, minor scratches– only bleeding a little–"

"Bleeding?" Kim interrupted.

"Dude, I can't tell what you're saying... She's already freaking out-" Kim heard Jerry's muffled voice and had a sneaking suspicion that somebody was trying to feed him lines and coach him through the phone call.

"I'm coming, Jerry," Kim said again, hanging up.

She threw her cover-up on while she walked to her car and threw her bag in the passenger seat.

She sped through all the backstreets, rolling through a few stop signs, and finally rushing into the skatepark parking lot. She barely turned off her car before she hurried out of her car and toward the area the gang always liked to hang out around.

She scanned the ramps and concrete and finally found three familiar bodies all gathered around a picnic table. She could see Jerry and Milton's faces, but Jack had his back turned.

Jerry saw Kim storming toward them first, nudging Milton and giving Jack wild eyes as his mouth moved quickly.

Kim knew he told Jack she was coming as soon as his shoulders tensed.

He turned around slowly, eyeing Kim carefully.

Kim took that as her chance to assess the damage for herself. His hair was ruffled and he had a scrape on the side of his chin and eyes that were squinted in a wince.

"Hey, Kim, what are you doing here?" he asked as she rounded the table.

"Why don't you ask Jerry?" Kim spat, coming closer to inspect Jack. "He's the one who called me. Oh, but you didn't want me to know, did you?"

"What are you talking about?" Jack lied with a terribly fake chuckle.

"I heard you guys fighting on the phone. You were trying to get Jerry to tell me you weren't hurt," Kim said, glaring at Jack for another brief second before letting her eyes trail down the rest of his body.

Aside from his face, his right arm was pretty badly scratched up. His knee was also scratched and his right shoe was sitting next to him on the table. He was still covered in blood that dripped from his bigger wounds and Kim had to wonder if the guys had done anything since he had fallen.

"It's okay," Jack insisted. "Just a few paper cuts."

"Those are not paper cuts," Kim scowled. "And you two," Kim said, rearing on Jerry and Milton who both backed away quickly. "You just let him sit here like this?"

"He wouldn't let us touch him!" Milton defended with his hands in the air. "We did give him water." Milton nodded to the table and Kim turned and saw an empty, crushed water bottle sitting next to Jack.

"Yeah, he was kinda out of it for a minute too," Jerry added. "Not like we could do anything while he was falling over."

"What?" Kim shrieked, looking between all the guys. None of them had mentioned anything like that. "You were wearing your helmet, weren't you?" Kim asked again, through gritted teeth.

Jack gave her a frown and a shrug, but no answer. Because he wasn't.

"Jackson Brewer," Kim seethed. "How many times have I told you to wear your helmet whenever you skate? This is exactly why! I don't care how good you are, sometimes accidents just happen and now you could be concussed! I told you about that kid that died from a TBI, I know I did. You're smarter than this, you're a martial artist for goodness sake, Jack!"

Jack winced, knowing he deserved the rant that was coming. When Kim got like this it was impossible to argue with her, especially when Jack knew she was right.

"And you two!" Kim added, to Milton and Jerry. "You know the rules! You know you're all supposed to wear a helmet! You couldn't have reminded him?"

Jerry opened his mouth to argue back but Milton slapped him before he made that mistake. They had long since learned that when Kim was yelling at them the best thing to do was take it and reason with her later.

"I can't believe you all. I ask for one afternoon and this is what happens! I get that you're all teenage boys, but can't you at least try not to be stupid? Ugh! I'm so mad at you. All of you! Now stay here," she commanded, leaving with a huff.

She had her jaw set as she walked back to her car.

"I think we messed up," Jerry winced when she was out of ear-shot.

"You think?" Jack asked, rubbing his hand over his face and groaning.

"What do you think she's doing?" Milton asked.

"Getting an axe to chop our boards into pieces?" Jerry suggested with a frown.

"She's never going to let me skate again, is she?" Jack realized.

"I did tell you to wear your helmet," Milton reminded him.

"Yeah and he told you to back the eff off or-"

"Okay!" Jack interrupted, not needing Jerry to repeat what was definitely a lapse in his judgment. "I made a mistake, yeah. Do you think she's going to forgive me? I mean, I promised her she would have the entire day to herself and now she's here and she's mad…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine. See, look, she's already coming back!" Milton said, patting Jack on the shoulder gently.

Jack looked over his shoulder and saw Kim coming back, this time with her first aid kit in hand. He smiled, glad she hadn't stormed off immediately.

"Hey, that was quick-"

"Shut up, I'm still mad at you," Kim said, throwing the box on the table.

Jack shut his mouth immediately, now confused.

Kim fished through the kit, pulling out alcohol wipes and turning her attention to Jack's knee first. She didn't give him a warning at all as she pressed the cold towel to his open wound.

Jack immediately cursed and pulled back his knee. "Ow!" he complained.

Kim had a small smirk at his pain before trying to hide it and continuing.

Jack studied her, realizing more and more that she was still upset at him, but not as much as he thought. When she was finished patching up his leg and arm, and had moved on to his face, he decided it was safe enough to talk again.

"I'm sorry, Kim. I didn't mean to ruin your day."

"That's not why I'm mad at you, Jack," Kim sighed, not making eye-contact as she continued delicately wiping at his chin.

"But you are mad?" Jack asked, trying to find Kim's eyes.

She nodded, biting on her lip as she kept wiping at a spot on his cheek that Jack was pretty sure was clean and disinfected by now.

"Kim," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away.

Kim threw the cloth into the pile of used wipes and looked back up at Jack.

"I've told you to wear your helmet…" she said, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

Jack was confused. "Kim, I really am sorry. I didn't know it was so important to you. I'll wear one from now on."

"From now on?" Kim asked with a humorless laugh. "You're not skating from now on."

"Kim, come on," Jack argued immediately. "You know that's not happening."

Kim did, but that didn't change the fact that she didn't want him to do it again.

"You're seriously mad because I forgot to wear a helmet?" Jack prodded. "I didn't even hit my head that hard. My side got the brunt of the fall."

"It's about the principle, Jack," Kim argued. "I asked you to wear your helmet for your own safety and you promised me you would!" she said, choking down the last word.

Jack frowned, Kim was getting emotional and she didn't get emotional about helmets.

"I'm sorry, Kim," Jack repeated softly.

"This is why!" she insisted, gesturing to his whole body.

Jack suddenly realized why Kim was so mad. "I got hurt," he said. "Is that why you're mad?" he asked, pretty sure he was right, even if Kim didn't know that herself.

"I'm mad because I told you-"

"You told me to wear a helmet and I didn't and now I'm hurt," Jack interrupted. "It's okay. I'm okay, Kim, really. Thanks for caring about me."

Kim didn't say anything, not able to admit to herself or out loud that Jack had been right. Jack didn't care, he knew Kim and he knew how stubborn she could be, especially with her feelings. Instead, he just pulled her into his chest, even when she let out a sound of protest and tried to push away. Eventually, she melted into him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Promise me you'll be more careful from now on?" she asked, praying she would never get another call about Jack being hurt. Not that he was really hurt that bad, but that was just this time and she didn't know if next time it would be worse. She preferred him completely uninjured.

"I promise. I'll always wear my helmet from now on, how about that for a start?" Jack offered, pulling his head up from Kim's shoulder.

"That's a given," she argues. "How about knee pads and elbow pads too?"

"How about a helmet and long sleeve shirts?" Jack suggested.

Kim rolled her eyes, Jack could also be stubborn on the things he cared about, in a much less obvious way.

"Deal. As long as I get tomorrow completely boy-free. That includes phone calls," Kim said.

"Deal. Although, I kinda like seeing you straight from the pool," Jack said with a smirk as he looked Kim up and down.

Kim glanced down at herself quickly, remembering that in her rush, she hadn't changed and was still in her swimsuit and sheer cover-up. It wasn't super revealing, but definitely more scandalous than regular clothes like everyone else was wearing at the skatepark.

Swatting at Jack, Kim stepped away. "You pervert," she said, rolling her eyes. "Throw that away will you?" she asked, nodding at the pile of wipes. "I'm going to put on a shirt and you can show me the video."

"What video?" Jack asked with a big smile.

"The video Jerry took of you before you fell, doofus," Kim said, sauntering off. She knew Jack and the guys well enough to know they liked to record themselves doing things they thought were cool. There was no doubt in her mind that Jerry captured most of the afternoon on his phone.

Jack laughed as he watched her, realizing how grateful he was to have her care so much about him. She was something special and if he had to be hurt, he was glad she was there to help him.

Two

"Jack, are you sure you're ready for this?" Kim asked.

She was worried about his match. She wasn't sure if he was ready to compete, at least not against a tougher opponent. He was still recovering from his last match. It wasn't unusual for Jack to attend more tournaments than Kim or the other guys. He qualified for more, got more invitations, and just took it more seriously.

Kim was just worried he didn't have enough time between matches.

"I'm okay, Kim," was all Jack said.

She knew he was just being short with her because he was trying to focus, so she let it be. Jack had been to plenty of tournaments. He knew what he was doing.

"Okay," she sighed with pursed lips. Clearly, Jack didn't want to have this conversation with her. She would rather he spend his focus on the match than start a fight. "Well, good luck then."

"Thanks," he mumbled.

Kim nodded and found her way to the side with her seat. She didn't like sitting down, she preferred to be with Rudy on the bench where she could move and pace around as she pleased. But this tournament was more serious and official and she wasn't allowed down on the floor.

She forced herself to pull her eyes away from Jack, trying to seem normal like the rest of the spectators.

"Kim, come on," Milton urged, tugging on Kim's arm trying to get her to follow him and Jerry off the bleachers.

Kim shook her head, she couldn't take her eyes off the floor and what she just witnessed. She had seen karate matches before, she was in karate matches before. But the one she just witnessed was… gruesome. There was no other word for it. It was just ugly.

Sometimes matches were more technical, more about the movements themselves. They were never pretty, but this one was all about hurting the opponent.

Jack won, but not without paying a price.

The match had gone on for far too long in Kim's opinion and she didn't like the way his opponent had escalated things so quickly.

Jack was strong and he didn't back down even when it was probably the safer option and Kim both admired and hated that about him.

Now he was slumped on a bench with Rudy checking him over, guzzling water that was spilling more on the floor and on his gi than actually in his mouth. He was bleeding and bruises were already forming and Kim could just tell he was exhausted and drained. Completely.

"Kim," Milton repeated, pulling harder.

Kim ripped her arm out of Milton's grasp and shoved him away, not sparing him a glance as she did so. Milton stumbled back into Jerry who righted him before stepping around Milton to stand in front of Kim and block her view.

"Hey," he waved a hand in front of her face. "Let's go, Kim. No use in staying up here, alright? We'll see him when he comes out of the locker room, 'kay?" he tried.

Kim didn't want to wait until Jack was done in the locker room. By then he would be in a bad, snappy mood and he wouldn't want to even think about the match. He wouldn't let her ask any of the questions she needed answered or let her get close enough to inspect his injuries herself. She couldn't wait until then.

Kim tried to side-step Jerry and fix her gaze back on Jack but Jerry blocked her again, putting both his hands on her arms and holding her in place until she looked at him.

"They'll kick us out anyway," he told her, glancing around the nearly empty room. "Let's go," he repeated, a little more firm this time.

Kim shrugged out of Jerry's hold but followed him nevertheless.

It took all of seven minutes outside Jack's makeshift locker room (a school classroom that the tournament had added a mirror and a few chairs and towels to) before Kim had enough.

She stormed in before Jerry and Milton could stop her.

"Woah! Hey!" Jack screeched, arms flying to cover his bare chest as he jumped back. He hadn't been expecting an intruder in his private changing area.

Kim quickly took note that he was not naked, just shirtless, before shutting the door behind her and marching into the room.

"Kim? You're not supposed to be here," Rudy said, peeking out from around the corner where he was stuffing Jack's bag full of stinky clothes.

Kim ignored Rudy and looked Jack over. He had cleaned up a little, but not much. His upper half that was previously clothed she could easily see was bruised.

"Hey, what are you…" The words died on Jack's lips as he saw the stubborn, hard shell on Kim's face crack ever-so-slightly and reveal a much deeper emotion. "Kim? What's up?"

Kim shook her head, not giving him a verbal answer as she walked a little closer to assess what would need to be done with the wounds on his skin. When she made her assessment, she started looking around the room for the supplies she would need. She spotted a big first-aid kit on the side of the room and grabbed it, walking back to Jack.

"Kim," Rudy said when he realized what Kim was trying to do. "I already-"

Jack cut Rudy off with a glance and shook his head.

Rudy pursed his lips but stopped talking, muttering something about adequacy and how nobody appreciated everything he did. "I'll be in the hall," he added, keeping his head down and leaving the room.

"You know Rudy already had me checked out, right?" Jack asked Kim, a small smirk on his face.

"Clearly not enough," she choked out, gesturing to his wounds.

"Nah, I'm fine," Jack said, trying to brush it off.

Kim sniffled and turned her head away in embarrassment. She didn't mean to get emotional but it wasn't like she could control it. Seeing Jack during the match and now, even if he was joking around and acting like it was fine, did something to her.

Jack frowned in sympathy, realizing how concerned Kim was about him.

"I hate karate," Kim muttered into her hands, wiping them down her face just in case any tears leaked down.

Jack shook his head, grabbing Kim's hands and pulling them off her face. "No you don't," he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but I hate watching you do it," Kim argued, giving Jack a big frown.

"No you don't," Jack repeated, giving Kim a look.

"Well I hate when you get hurt!" she relented. "Come on, you know that kid should have been disqualified. He was too rough with you."

"He was pretty rough," Jack agreed. It had been one of the harder matches Jack had faced. The kid had good, intense training and it showed. But Jack had faced many opponents like him, he grew up right alongside an opponent who fought like that. It was hard, but nothing new. "But Kim, you know I can handle it, don't you?"

Kim pulled her hands out of Jack's loose grip. "I know you like to be tough, especially for me and Rudy and the guys. But that doesn't mean you're invincible. I don't like watching that," she insisted. "What if it was me? And you were watching? Can't you imagine how hard that is for me?"

Jack let his head bob to the side as he considered it and his jaw tightened thinking about Kim getting pummeled in a match because her opponent was being too rough for the sport.

"Okay, you're right," Jack sighed, Kim made a fair point. "But look, I really am fine."

"Well you're not clean," Kim informed him. "Sit down," she commanded.

"Yes ma'am," Jack saluted, hopping up and plopping his tush down on the desk.

Jack watched with his mouth shut, more than happy to simply observe Kim while she worked. She had a look of determination as she gently wiped the sweat, grim, and blood off Jack's face, arms, and torso. She carefully prodded each of his bruises, even though Rudy had already looked for breaks. When she reached his wrist, she nearly had a fit when Jack told her Rudy had already guessed he would need a brace for a little while.

It took a lot longer than Jack was used to. Usually, Rudy would give a quick assessment, Jack would wipe his face with a wet cloth, and the rest he would deal with when he got home and showered. He didn't ever sit still like this while someone carefully inspected every inch of him. He had started to squirm when Kim was looking at his back. He had been patiently sitting there for a while now but now that he couldn't actually see her, he was not enjoying it.

"Well," Kim sighed loudly from behind. "I did the best I could. But if you ever pair up with that kid again, I'm getting involved. He can't act like that."

Pushing down the fact that Jack didn't ever want Kim getting 'involved' in anything, he let out a laugh. "I don't think he would dare. All that and he still lost. I scared him off, don't worry."

Kim gave Jack a tight smile as he pulled her into his side and ruffled her hair.

"Jack!" she squirmed, looking up at him with angry eyes through her mangled hair. "Oh, it's on," she grinned, reaching up and messing with Jack's hair.

"Not the hair!" Jack screeched, letting Kim go and hopping away.

Kim laughed and chased him down, jumping onto his side so she could reach his hair.

He winced slightly and she immediately jumped down, all sobered up, and apologized for hurting him. Jack promised her it was fine, but the mood was ruined anyway.

"Let's get out of here," Jack said. "Did the guys leave you?"

Kim raised an eyebrow at that as she took Jack's offered arm and snuggled next to him. She grabbed his bag, sending him a glare when he tried to carry it himself.

"No. And they were here for you," Kim scoffed. It was just like Jack to act like everyone was there at his own match because Kim was and not because they actually all loved him and wanted to support him and that they were also impressed and respected him. He was too humble for his own good sometimes.

"Yeah, but," Jack trailed with teasing in his voice, "none of them stormed in here to patch me up."

Kim scowled, Jack struck a nerve. Was it really so bad that she cared about him and that she was rightfully worried when he got pounded during a brutal karate match?

"Jack," Kim snapped. "You matter to all of us."

Jack was slightly taken aback, he had only been joking with his comments, but he could see his words hit Kim a little harder than intended.

"I know, I'm sorry," he quickly apologized.

"Do you know?" Kim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Kim," Jack assured her with a sigh. "I really do know that, okay? I'm grateful for all of you guys."

There was a count of silence, where Kim had to determine how she felt about the whole situation and how she wanted to react. She wanted to be angry still, angry that Jack had been hurt, angry that he was so nonchalant. But that would be misdirected anger.

"Especially me?" she asked instead, looking up at Jack with sweet and innocent eyes.

Jack looked down, feeling hypnotized by Kim, even if he knew she was trying to manipulate him.

"Especially you," he relented with a laugh.

Three

Jack and Kim were sitting in his car in the parking lot at the mall. Jack had gotten a text from none other than his stupid cousin Kai and that had already set the pair on edge. They were a little snappy with each other, even though they both disliked Kai–not each other.

Then, to top it all off, while they were sitting in the car, mutually trying to cool down before they got out and walked to the dojo, they spotted Kai's car not too far away.

Kim immediately told Jack that she was going to go over there and give him a piece of her mind.

"No, Kim," Jack said, throwing her a glance to make sure she wasn't going to follow through. "Just leave it alone."

"No!" Kim scoffed. "I'm just going to go over there and talk to him. He needs to leave you alone."

"Kim, I'm not kidding. You are not going to talk to him," Jack said seriously.

"Oh?" she said, her head snapping in his direction with a sharp twist.

You are not going to talk to him.

Jack winced at his choice of words. Probably not the smartest move to tell Kim what she will not do.

"Really, Kim, he's my cousin. I'll do the dealing with him, 'kay?" he said cautiously, moving the conversation in a different direction and hoping Kim would let it go.

"If you deal with him, we already know how it's going to end," Kim snapped viciously, the reminder of every interaction she had witnessed between Jack and Kai lingering. "I've seen that before and it ended with both of you hurt and even more angry with each other. I'm not saying it's your fault but when you get together there is always going to be some sort of physical confrontation. I can be a mediator, talk to him calmly, rationally-"

"Calmly?" Jack interrupted with a scoff. "You? Yeah right."

Kim was offended, rightfully so, that Jack was so quick to brush her off.

"Excuse me?" she retorted.

"Come on," Jack rolled his eyes. "When have you ever been rational and calm during a confrontation?"

"Wow," Kim laughed humorlessly, "So that's what you think of me? Some kind of friend you are."

Jack narrowed his eyes at Kim's sarcasm. "I'm right, and you know it. I'm just being honest."

"You're one to talk!" Kim snapped back, her voice rising. "You always-"

"Me?" Jack shouted back. "Was it me who got banned from Sephora for life for throwing away the displays?"

"Please!" Kim screamed. "Those displays were sexist and disgusting and you agreed!"

"Doesn't mean I was going to commit a crime-"

"Why don't you tell me how whenever there's a fight, it's always you! Huh? Explain that to me!"

"It's not my fault if other people-"

"Oh my gosh! Take responsibility for your own actions, Jack! I've seen you throw a punch–that makes it your fault!"

"So now defending myself isn't allowed?"

"How about egging people on?"

"That's rich coming from you-"

"All you care about is the thrill of the fight-"

"-maybe you should just shut up!"

The car went silent after that. Kim folded her arms and turned away, Jack didn't get to talk to her if he was going to shout. Jack looked down, slightly regretting letting himself get so worked up.

There was a knock on Jack's window that startled them both. When they looked up, it was Jerry, eyeing them as he waited for Jack to roll down the window.

"Hey," he said, looking between them carefully. He had heard their screams the second he turned his engine off when he pulled into the parking lot. He saw them fight before, but this was a different level and he was genuinely concerned this time. "Everything okay?"

Jack waited for Kim to answer, but when it was clear she was giving him the silent treatment, he nodded. "It's fine. Just giving Kim a ride."

Kim glanced at Jack and narrowed her eyes at his choice of words.

"You're not coming in?" Jerry asked, confused.

Jack shot a brief glance toward Kai's car before looking back at Jerry. "I have somewhere I need to go. Run a quick errand."

"Kim's not going with you?" Jerry asked because those two were stuck at the hip these days. It didn't matter if one was getting more gas for their car, returning a library book at school, or even picking up a loaf of bread for their mom before dinner–they did it together.

Before Kim could answer for herself, Jack did. "No. She's not."

Jerry nodded and looked over at Kim, seeing her fold her arms with a huff. She obviously didn't like that, but she also didn't say a word.

"Okay, well, you ready to go then, Kim?" Jerry asked her, his voice a little shaky because dealing with Kim when she was upset was never fun.

Kim didn't move an inch, just moved her gaze down slightly.

Jerry looked back at Jack who just nodded in Kim's direction like a command–get her out of here.

Jerry sighed, and let out a little whine as he crossed in front of Jack's car, muttering a quick prayer.

He opened Kim's door, waiting for her to get out. With her, it was just a game of chicken. Always a game of who can outwait the other. So after another minute of uncomfortable staring, Kim unbuckled her seat belt aggressively. She looked back at Jack, seeming like she wanted to stay to yell or shout or punch or argue.

Grabbing her arm, Jerry pulled her out of the car and to his side on the concrete. "Let's go before we're late," he says, only as an excuse for slightly manhandling her and not because either of them actually cared about being late.

Kim scowled, not at Jack, she didn't look at Jack at all, and slammed the door while Jerry dragged her inside. Stupid Jack.

Kim was angry the entire time she was at the dojo. She hardly spoke to anyone and they all noticed she would glance at the door, waiting for Jack to show up. She wasn't sure how she would react if he did, and that made her even more upset.

Of course, he didn't show up. In the back of her mind, she knew he wouldn't, but it still hurt that he had just up and left like that. What hurt even more was the realization that she didn't even have a ride home since Jack had been the one to drive her to the mall.

"I'll take you home," Jerry had said, nodding toward the door after class.

Kim shook her head–even though she really did need the ride. It was not a walk Kim could reasonably make.

"Kim," Jerry argued.

"I'm going to stay and work on some things," Kim insisted, not bothering to spare Jerry a look because it really was not that big of a deal. "Go, I'm fine."

Jerry frowned but ultimately left. He would have tried harder, but he knew Kim and she wasn't going to budge any time soon. Not that he didn't see right through her. And he didn't think it was a good idea either. But he couldn't really do anything to stop her. So he left.

Rudy had questioned Kim when he saw she was still there. She told him she really needed to clear her mind and Rudy couldn't argue with that. If his students wanted to spend more time on their technique and get better and bring more success to the dojo, then he was the last one to stop them.

But it was dinner time and Rudy was hungry so he told her he was leaving and it was her responsibility to lock up.

Kim put in some earbuds and got to work, bringing out a dummy and tiring herself out. It wasn't the best workout, but it was exhausting and that's what she needed.

She was completely spaced out, having forgotten where she was when the door to the dojo opened and scared her.

She let out a quick shriek as she turned and saw Jack standing there, with a wince on his face as he spotted her.

"Hey…" he said tentatively.

Kim looked him over, seeing his knuckles red and bleeding, a small cut on his face, and a swollen lip.

"Hey?" Kim snapped, marching toward Jack. "You kicked me out after we had a fight, you didn't show up to practice, left me without a ride, and it looks like you got hit by a car!" Kim shouted, taking in his appearance. She stopped just short of him, raising her arm like she wanted to smack him, but didn't. She couldn't.

"All you have to say is hey?" Kim questioned with a glare.

"Sorry?" Jack guessed with a shrug.

Kim took a big breath as she prepared to let one rip on Jack, ready to scold him for every choice and action he had ever taken.

Reconsidering, Jack shakes his head. Kim deserves a better explanation.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he said, this time certain and sincere about the apology. "I probably shouldn't have handled all that the way I did."

"Probably?" Kim asked with her eyebrow still raised, ready for a hostile verbal confrontation.

"I was with Kai," he offered up instead of further addressing an oversight in his judgment earlier.

"I know," Kim sighed. "It wasn't hard to figure that out after everything that happened," she added bitterly.

"I'm sorry that we fought, but I'm not sorry for keeping you out of things. I won't apologize for that. I was serious when I said I didn't want you and Kai together in any sort of confrontation. I don't trust him around you," Jack said, meaning every word. Too often he had mental images play in his mind of Kai getting his hands on Kim, and every single time it ended poorly for her. Jack wasn't willing to risk any of those possibilities coming true.

"I can handle myself-"

"Not against Kai!" Jack interrupted. Kim flinched away and Jack had to remind himself not to yell at her, she wasn't the enemy. "You can handle yourself, you can handle stuck-up little daddy's boys, you can handle jocks and guys named Tiger whose black belt authenticity is questionable-" Kim smirked a little at the reminder of her match against a kid named Tiger last week. She absolutely crushed him and everyone was left to wonder if Tiger found a black belt in a closet that morning and decided to try karate.

"But you can't handle Kai," Jack finished with finality.

Kim was, justifiably, offended at the notion of something she couldn't do. "But-"

"He has years of experience and seventy-five pounds of muscle on you. You can't."

Kim was silent for a while, mulling over Jack's reasoning. He was right, painfully right, about basically everything. She could win in a fight against most opponents both because of her skill and her personality of confidence and perseverance. But that could only get her so far, and Kai was beyond that. If he wanted to hurt her, he could. That angered Kim more than anything, knowing Jack was right. She was pissed at nobody in particular, because who could she blame?

"Yeah, well it doesn't look like you can handle him either!" Kim quipped defensively.

Jack looked at her for a second and laughed. Kim didn't find out quite as funny as he did, but even she couldn't help but crack a smile.

"I can't stand you," she groaned. "Go sit down, let me see how bad it is."

Jack smirked to himself as he sat down and watched Kim return with a fist aid kit.

"Just so you know, Kai didn't exactly walk away clean either," Jack said offhandedly.

"I didn't ask about him," Kim answered, pressing down a little too hard on Jack's knuckles that she was wiping with hydrogen peroxide.

Jack hissed and pulled back, playfully glaring at her. "So you don't want to know what happened?" Jack asked, not believing his words. He knew Kim well and she was always up in everyone's business. If there was something to be heard, she wanted to hear it.

"No," she lied, holding her head up.

Jack cocked his head slightly and Kim deflated. "Yes."

Kim continued cleaning up Jack while he explained that after their fight, Jack wanted to make clear to Kai that he wasn't welcome in Jack's or his friends' lives. Kai shoved Jack's shoulder and it wasn't long until they were rolling around on the ground wrestling each other. Each time she reached a new or interesting injury, she interrupted the story and asked for an explanation. And each time his story revealed an injury she didn't know about yet, she stopped what she was doing to address that injury.

When they were done Kim had ended up curled next to Jack, both of them rubbing little circles into the other's arm or chest, comforting each other. They didn't say anything for a while, just breathing slowly and letting their minds roll.

Kim was angry. Their fight earlier still left a pit in her stomach every time she thought about it. They both had said some bold things that weren't very fair and definitely not kind. She didn't even want to think about it.

And then there was the whole going after Kai. She couldn't fault him for it, really. She couldn't fault him for wanting to take care of things or even for stating that he didn't like Kai near her. But he went and got hurt like she predicted. She had told him that would happen and it did. She wanted to yell at him all over again. Which just reminded her of their fight. The cyclical nature of her thoughts was making her nauseous and before she got sick, Kim quickly sat up.

"Hey," Jack said, quickly sitting up with her. He looked over her with concern, noticing she looked a little paler and was breathing heavily. Her hair was wilder than usual, the telltale sign that she had been working hard before he showed up, maybe even overworking herself. "You okay? Do you need some water?"

Kim shook her head, swallowing her thoughts before she spiraled.

"You look a little pale," Jack said carefully. "Are you dizzy?"

Kim shook her head again. Jack was so caring and sweet and sometimes he was cold and cocky and intense but right now he was so so sweet.

"Kim? What's up?" Jack asked, realizing Kim wasn't sick, but thinking about something heavier.

"I'm conflicted," she admitted, pressing her palms into her face and swiping the hair plastered there away. "You- I- Our fight was… not cool and you went after Kai and got hurt even though you know my thoughts about you confronting people and getting hurt. You're just so reckless and-" Kim stopped herself, she was just repeating everything they already discussed. "And you're also being so sweet and I can't help that I'm, like, totally in love with you."

Jack battled the smile that wanted to break out, his eyes growing big and wide with emotion. "You're in love with me?"

Kim blushed but tried to cover it up as she groaned and slapped Jack. "Yes."

"Good thing I'm kinda in love with you too, then," he said, letting out a big sigh and flipping onto his back.

"You are?" Kim asked, letting her genuine surprise slip just a little in her tone. After everything that happened, it was hard for her to not have a few doubts. Of course, she tried to shove those away immediately, Jack was her friend first and they had always liked each other, at the very least.

"Unfortunately," Jack confirmed.

Kim let out a big sigh, pursing her lips as she considered everything. As big as their fight had been, they loved each other. It wasn't a kind of love that was fragile either. It was the kind that made Kim want to be with Jack always. The kind that meant that she would rather spend time doing nothing at all with him than anything at all without. She could see them farther in the future, still friends laughing and joking around. They were bigger than all this and it didn't make sense to dwell on it now anyway.

"What?" Jack asked curiously. He was more perceptive than Kim liked sometimes.

"I was just thinking about how I forgive you," she said, in a tone that said that she was not so happy to reveal that to him. It was probably just going to feed into his ego.

"You do?" Jack asked, holding her gaze as he brushed his fingers against her arm, causing goosebumps to rise.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm okay with you picking fights," Kim reminded him. "Still against that. Forever."

"I know."

"Good."

Jack kept moving his fingers, now his movements becoming less unconscious and more intentional. He moved them up her arm and then, even though she knew it was coming, attacked her middle and began tickling her like there was no tomorrow.

"Jack!" she shrieked, laughing hard and smiling wide.

She loved her guy.

+One

Kim hesitated at the door, desperately wanting to avoid seeing the guys. She couldn't imagine anything worse than seeing them right now, but she knew she had to. They were expecting her and it wasn't like she could lift her arms enough to wipe the blood off her face by herself.

Preparing herself for the absolute earth-shattering debacle that was bound to occur when she went inside, she limped up the steps to Jack's house and rang the doorbell.

Jack's parents were away at a wedding for the weekend and they had trusted Jack to stay alone, allowing him to invite his friends from the dojo, but no big gatherings. Jack took the suggestion to have friends over and told the gang not only were his parents okay with it, but they encouraged it. He figured his parents thought if they let him have friends over, it would dissuade him from throwing a bigger party, not that Jack was really into that sort of thing if they bothered to get to know him a little better.

Kim was already late now, so she was sure Jerry and Milton were already there and that made it worse because now everyone was going to know what happened. Honestly, she just felt embarrassed about the whole thing.

She had been trying to do something nice for them and then it had gotten out of hand and now she felt like she just made things worse. She didn't want to bother them and ruin the fun night.

Maybe she should just leave. She didn't want to face her dad in her condition, but she wasn't sure she could face Jack either.

She was already halfway turned around when the door opened.

"Hey, Kim. What took so lo… What the actual heck? Kim?"

Jack completely stopped and his smile dropped when he saw the condition Kim was in. She was hunched over herself, her leg bent like she had a limp, she was cradling her arm, and she was covered in blood and bruises.

"Hi," she coughed, trying to give Jack a smile. It came out more pitiful than encouraging and it probably made things worse for her because now Jack was furious.

"Get in here," he demanded opening the door wider. "Can you walk?" he asked, looking around behind her to see how on earth she had shown up to his doorstep looking the way she was. It looked like she could hardly move.

He spotted her car parked lopsided on the driveway and let out an angry huff.

"I can walk," she rasped, trying to push Jack away when he gently wrapped his arms around her and guided her through the door.

Jack kept himself right by Kim's side, even if she insisted she was fine. He noticed immediately that she let him hold most of her weight and that she clearly was not okay.

Jack used his foot to shut the door quickly and led Kim through the front of the house and to the living room so he could set her in an armchair. Kim squirmed, protesting the way Jack was placing her where he could examine her more closely. She didn't want to be taken care of, even if she desperately needed it.

"Kim, sit down. Seriously." Jack gave her a stern look and Kim finally stopped, looking up at Jack with big eyes full of guilt and hurt. He studied her face, trying to understand how she ended up in the situation she was in. He didn't understand how she wasn't concerned by her condition. He didn't under why she was trying to downplay whatever happened because he was ready to murder whoever was responsible for this.

Jack was pulled out of his thoughts when a drop of blood dripped out of Kim's nose and down her face.

Kim lifted her fingers to her face to see what it was, trying to quickly wipe it away when she realized it was blood and not snot.

Unfortunately, it didn't stop right away.

"Oh no," she exhaled, holding her hand to her face. The blood quickly dripped past her fingers, showing no signs of stopping.

Jack swore as he hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a roll of paper towels. He rolled up a handful and pressed them to Kim's face unceremoniously, gripping the back of her head with one hand and pushing her into the paper towels in his other hand.

Kim was too stunned to care that Jack was being so aggressive in the way that he was helping her.

After holding the towels there for a minute, Jack pulled them back and looked at Kim's nose. It was still bleeding a little and he pushed the towels back on her face. "Can you hold these?" he asked her, looking her over all over again.

Kim nodded a little and brought her hand up to hold the paper towels herself. It took more effort than she would have liked just to raise her arm up a few inches. When Jack was freed of that obligation, he stepped out of Kim's line of sight. Kim took the time to let out a breath she'd been holding, observing Jack's house with a new interest. It's not like she'd never been to his house, but suddenly she was noticing all the small details. It made her curious and she wanted to ask Jack all about it.

When Jack returned, however, he was hardly in the mood for answering Kim's questions about paint color and marble tiles and crown molding. He had a plastic bin that looked like it was filled with various half-used medical supplies.

"What's with the hospital-in-a-bin?" she joked, cracking a smile.

Jack just looked over at her funny. She was in no condition to be making light jokes right now. He wondered if maybe she had a concussion too.

"My mom put it together forever ago. Might have gone overboard but it comes in handy when you compete in tournaments every other week," Jack explained emotionlessly, rifling through the bin until he found some wipes.

"Oh," was all Kim said, watching as Jack came over and sat on the arm of the chair, looking down slightly at her face.

"Can I…" He gestured to her face, wiping the air in swirling motions.

Kim nodded and felt as Jack gently pulled the paper towels away from Kim's nose so he could wipe the blood off her chin, neck, and cheeks. He worked gently and the cool wipes put Kim in a kind of trance.

That, and maybe she was having a bit of an adrenaline letdown.

"Kim?"

Kim blinked, looking down at Jack who was now crouched on the floor in front of her. When had he moved? Had she been sleeping?

"What?" she asked, her heart beating a little faster at having been scared so suddenly.

"I said I can't look at your knee. I can't get your pant leg that high," he said, nodding to the leg that Kim may or may not have fallen on, taking the brunt of the fall on concrete.

"Oh."

"What are your opinions on cutting them?" he asked hesitantly, already pretty sure he knew the answer.

"These are my favorite jeans. You cut them, I cut your hair," Kim scowled menacingly. If Jack tried to cut them, he'd have to enlist the help of five other people to hold her down because she would not willingly let him come near the fabric with scissors.

Jack raised his hands up in surrender. "Message received. Why don't you stay here, I have another idea."

Jack stood up and walked away then as Kim muttered "'M not going anywhere."

Kim closed her eyes, taking a deep breath—or, at least as deep as she could manage without causing any more pain. In retrospect, maybe she had made a mistake. Her dad had always warned her that her fiery attitude was going to get her into trouble one day. That's one of the reasons he always had her in karate, he knew she'd get into trouble and he figured she may as well be prepared for it.

"Okay," Jack sighed, reentering the room quickly and standing in front of Kim. "I've got some old clothes. A, uh, sweatshirt and shorts. My mom is kinda sentimental and likes to keep all my old stuff. You can change into them, at least for a little while I look at your battle wounds."

There was a mix of judgment, pride, and humor behind Jack's words. For one, he was angry that Kim had any kind of wounds, but he also couldn't help but admire how strong and spunky she was. Because if anyone else had the injuries she had, they would likely be lying on the ground somewhere, complaining and crying and unable to move but Kim wasn't. And as much as he was serious about her current condition, he couldn't help but try to lighten the mood just a tiny bit.

Kim looked up at Jack, then to his shoulder and down his arm to land on the bundle of clothes in his hand. "Okay," she nodded.

She moved her arms to push herself up, fighting a wince. Jack moved to help her but she swatted him away, even if she could have used his help.

Jack showed her to the bathroom, walking a step behind her with his hands out in case she collapsed. Kim would have found it annoying, but she was only half-sure she was able to walk all by herself.

She did, however, draw a firm line when she walked into the bathroom. Not that Jack would ever do anything disrespectful, but he had made a move to step into the bathroom—probably unconsciously—and Kim promptly snatched the clothes and slammed the door. "Thanks!" she called through the door as genuinely as she could. "I got it!"

It took Jack a moment to respond. "Okay. Um, let me know if you need anything."

Kim chose not to answer as she set Jack's old shorts and shirt on the counter and began to undress herself.

Her shirt was fairly simple, but when it came time to take her jeans off, she found herself breaking a sweat and near tears on the bathroom floor.

She had worn skinny jeans and it was a struggle to put them on or take them off on a normal day. And today she was exhausted, fed up, and in pain. She was hot and sweaty and her knee hurt something terrible now, what with being scraped up and all. Her jeans were pooled at her ankles, refusing to budge with any amount of force Kim could manage.

"Hey, Kim?" A soft knock sounded at the door while Jack carefully called to her.

"What?" she sniffled back a little harshly.

"Is everything okay?"

Kim looked around the bathroom and at herself. This was ridiculous. She didn't want to spend any more time here or she was sure she was going to die of heat stroke.

"Yeah," she called back shakily.

With another surge of energy fueled by anger, Kim managed to rip her jeans off and she promptly threw them at the door as hard as she could. They may be her favorite pair but right now she wanted nothing to do with them.

Kim didn't even bother standing up to finish changing, just reached up and pulled Jack's shorts down to her level and shimmied them on while sitting on the floor.

Finally done, Kim put her clothes in a heap on the floor and grabbed the handle. "I'm done," she said, poking her head into the hall.

Jack looked up, pushing off the wall he had been lazily leaning against and opening the door wider.

He didn't mention anything about how long it took or the fact that Kim was panting. Instead, he offered Kim an arm, which she gratefully took, and led her back to the armchair that was now her designated spot.

As Kim sat down and her knee bent further, she couldn't help but wince and let out a quiet hiss to go with it. The bending back and forth from walking and undressing had aggravated it and now it burned something fierce.

"It's okay, I'm sorry, it's gonna be okay," Jack whispered quietly as he helped Kim scoot back and position her so he could take a closer look. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" He asked nonchalantly, trying to make it sound casual when really his brain was spinning at a hundred miles an hour, trying to figure out what happened and who he needed to talk to.

Kim chewed on her lip, trying to swallow the pain and embarrassment. "I don't want to," she admitted as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. She couldn't help that she was crying now, and that just added to her embarrassment.

Jack stopped what he was doing to look at Kim. She was crying freely and he could hardly contain himself from bombarding her with questions and demanding she explain herself. It tore him apart to see her cry because of what someone did to her.

Instead of prying, Jack went back to taking care of Kim's knee. After his assessment, he grabbed some wipes and began to clean it up. Kim was hissing slightly and biting her lip as she stared at the wall, forcing herself not to pay attention. Not only did it sting when Jack wiped her skin, but the fact that he was kneeling down in front of her, below her, was such a tender and intimate action that she couldn't stand it. It was almost making her nauseous how sweet it was.

"Yo, Jack! Dude, what's taking so… long…" Jerry stormed up the stairs and burst into the kitchen, his joking annoyance fading into silence. He opened his mouth again in question, but couldn't make a sound come out.

Kim stiffened, wiping her tears and trying to sit herself a little more upright. Her efforts to go unnoticed likely made it worse because the tears kept falling anyway and Jack was holding her leg still so when she tried to move she was jerked back down.

Jack tilted his head at Kim curiously before letting go of her leg and looking over at Jerry.

"Sorry, was busy taking care of… a situation…" Jack answered with a short pause.

Jerry nodded understandingly because it was obvious there was a situation that needed handling and Jack was doing just that. But he still couldn't quite find the words to express whatever he was thinking.

The sound of another set of legs storming up the stairs came next as Milton joined the party, not even getting a word out before he saw Kim and stood next to Jerry, equally stupified.

Kim sucked in a shaking breath to calm herself and wiped her cheeks again, willing the tears to at least stay welled up in her eyes instead of letting them fall. It was bad enough to cry in front of Jack but adding Jerry and Milton to the mix was her worst nightmare. Deep down, she knew they cared about her, but she also knew she would tease them the first chance she had and they would do the same.

"I'm fine," Kim insisted with a sniffle. "'s no big deal," she shrugged.

"It is a big deal," Jack muttered pointedly.

"It's not," Kim bit, lying straight through her teeth.

Jack hummed disapprovingly as he pressed the wipe to her knee a little harder than necessary, eliciting a cry from Kim. He felt a little bad but also he was proved right that Kim was in pain. Lying to herself and him wasn't going to help them.

"Did you get hit by a car?" Milton exclaimed as if that was the only possible explanation.

Kim frowned at him, rolling her teary eyes. "No."

"A truck?" Jerry chimed in, equally insistent and curious.

Kim wrapped her arms around her middle and tucked her chin onto her chest. "No."

It was obvious to everyone that Kim had had some sort of unfavorable interaction, and the boy's jabs at her were not appreciated. Jack could see they were making Kim uncomfortable and he knew she would never open up if she was defensive.

Jack wanted her alone. "Guys, go wait downstairs."

There was a protest of the tip of Jerry and Milton's lips but a pleading gaze from Jack had them retreating, mumbling about starting another round of their video game.

It took a minute or two, but by the time Jack had put a bandage over Kim's knee, she had relaxed the arms around her body and was resting the back of her head on the chair, staring at the ceiling.

"So," Jack huffed while he tossed the wrappers and dirty wipes in a trash bag.

Kim blinked, she was tired and she knew Jack was determined to hear what happened. He knew how to break her down and right now he had way more endurance than she did.

"I got into a fight."

Jack paused. "A fight? You got into a fight? What does that mean?" He shook his head, trying to figure out how those words could mean something. Because surely they didn't mean what he thought...

Kim didn't lift her head, choosing instead to stare at the lines where the wall met the ceiling.

"I got into a fight. I hit someone. He hit back. I pushed. He pushed back," she said as if it was just no big deal that she got into a fight. And Jack didn't miss the way she worded it. She hit first, she started it.

"Kim…" Jack warned. She knew better than to get involved in fights, especially alone.

"I'm not apologizing," she insisted slowly, resolutely.

"Who was it? What happened?" Jack asked. He knew Kim and he believed she wasn't going to apologize, not if she had already made up her mind.

Kim finally lifted her head but didn't answer. She wasn't willing to give up that piece of information quite as easily.

"Kim."

Kim stubbornly looked away.

"Kim. Come on."

A new round of tears welled up in Kim's eyes and she let out a shaky breath.

"I was at the gas station cause my car was on empty. I was going to pick up some snacks too and on my way to the door I saw Tad."

At Jack's raised brow, Kim continued. "That misogynistic jerk from that go-kart competition."

Jack thought back to that day when Kim had blown him away with her skills. He had been so proud of her, especially when she stood up to the jerk and the jerk's father. Apparently, that was Tad.

"I was going to ignore him, but he recognized me. He started going off about how it was unfair that I competed and that if it weren't for his dad he would have had me in a checkered leather skirt. Obviously, I had to remind him that I won. He didn't like that and he kept talking about me like I was nothing. The things he was saying… They were just threats but they were so specific." Kim shivered at the memory. She knew, logically, that there were some boys who viewed girls as objects, but to hear it actually spoken to her, about her, was another story. She didn't know words could make someone feel that way. She didn't know words could make you want to peel your skin off or throw up your insides until there's nothing left.

"He was there with a friend. When his friend showed up too I got… I got scared so I started yelling at him and I think I made it worse…escalating the situation and all. It was my fault. And then he cornered me in the dark and when I tried to get away he grabbed me. So I hit him. He fell but his friend hit me back. You know how that kind of thing goes," Kim finished with a sigh, blowing out a shaky exhale.

Jack did know how that kind of thing went, and it wasn't pretty. Knowing what Kim looked like when he showed up, he could only imagine what the fight had looked like. He could picture countless scenarios—Kim being thrown into a wall, Kim being pushed to the ground, Kim having her arm pinned painfully to her back, Kim hitting her head on the concrete—it terrified him that any of those ideas could have happened. They all could have happened.

The worst part was that she had engaged Tad, she had given in to what he wanted and she was outnumbered. She was smarter than that and because she hadn't stopped herself it ended up with a fight that she wasn't prepared for and didn't walk away from uninjured. She wasn't sorry for defending herself, but she was a little sorry for the way it had turned out.

It didn't matter what she did to them because they had done something to her. Then again, she was here. But by the way she was acting, Jack knew she was disappointed with her performance. She got away and finished it, but not in her preferred way.

"At least tell me you won," Jack finally said, looking between Kim's eyes as he tried to evaluate if she was really okay. Was she trying to downplay it? Was she trying to hide something from him? How far had they gone to hurt her?

"Of course I did," Kim scoffed. "But he has quick reflexes. And his friend was big. It wasn't really fair. He pushed me kinda hard."

Jack gave Kim a sympathetic nod, he knew the embarrassment of losing to someone you were so much better than, someone you in theory should have no trouble beating. In a fair fight she could take Tad any day, but two-on-one, while she was just getting gas, was not a fair fight.

"But I pushed him harder," Kim added with a smirk. Then she winced because it pinched her nose and the bruise was fresh.

"Well at least there's that good news," Jack agreed, offering Kim an ice pack that he broke and shook to activate. He wasn't over the fight and he wanted more details later on, but that could wait until it wasn't so fresh in Kim's mind. Instead, he had another discussion on the agenda. "So," Jack said, patting her thigh. "You want the lecture about going to sketchy places at night alone now, or later?"

Kim groaned. "Jack-"

Jack shook his head. Now it was. "Kim, you know better-"

"I know!" Kim interrupted. "I know I shouldn't go places alone at night but I just wanted to get some snacks! I needed gas anyways and it's not fair that I can't go places just because I'm a girl!"

"It's not fair," Jack agreed, "you shouldn't have to worry about that kind of thing, but you know it's dangerous. It was Tad tonight, but you do realize something worse could have happened, right? There are psychos and creeps and pedophiles and they won't hesitate to take advantage of you or hurt you. I-I don't mean to make you feel worse but you gotta take care of yourself and stay safe and… you get that right?"

Now it was Kim studying Jack, her eyes darting between his and studying the muscles in his jaw as they clenched in worry.

"I get it," Kim sighed, hanging her head low in defeat. "I don't want to go through anything like that again. And I am not looking forward to talking to my dad."

Jack winced in sympathy for that conversation. He had met Chuck and he knew the man cared so much about his daughter, Jack knew the lecture she would receive from him was going to be much worse than what he had given her. "Yeah, sorry, that's gotta suck." Jack pushed himself up to his feet and rounded on Kim, wrapping an arm around her shoulders from the side and pulling her in for a hug. "Just glad you're okay now," he sighed, kissing her temple.

"Ow," Kim winced, pulling back.

"Sorry," Jack apologized sheepishly. "Are you still… do you still want to… It's just we had plans to hang out and if you don't want to anymore that's okay. Um, so what do you want to do?"

Kim smiled softly. "Can I still stay?"

Jack nodded immediately and when he spoke, it was a little too loud. "Oh of course, yeah. Yes, please."

Kim let out a quiet giggle, relieved that Jack wasn't going to force her to call her dad or tell her she couldn't stay anymore or anything.

"Okay, well, let's go then. Here lift your arm, and I'll help you up… Okay, there you go. Easy- easy! Alright. Okay, you good?"

Jack fussed over Kim, holding her gently but completely. He didn't say anything when Kim gave him all her weight, and he was a true gentleman in helping her down the stairs and into the basement multi-purpose entertainment room.

When Jerry and Milton were using the best seat as a footrest, Jack shooed them away and helped Kim get settled in the corner with a mountain of blankets and ice and the remote so she could look for something to watch.

Jerry and Milton protested at first but after another look at Kim they stopped fighting, even offering up Jerry's blanket which Kim refused. It smelled like nacho cheese and cereal and feet.

Jack told Kim he was going to clean up upstairs and get the food, and the other boys tagged along, offering to help.

Upstairs, they immediately accosted Jack, asking what happened and if Kim was okay.

"She got into a fight with Tad," Jack sighed, collecting all the supplies he used and returning them to the bin.

"Who's Tad?" Jerry asked, leaning against the edge of the island and watching Jack work.

"That snob from the go-kart race?" Milton asked, getting himself some water.

"Yeah," Jack confirmed, groaning as he stood up with the bin in his hands. He brought it over to the kitchen and set it under the sink for now. "Wouldn't leave her alone. He had a friend and she felt threatened so she hit him and…" Jack waved his hands in the air and the others understood what it meant. Kim had started a fight any snob would be too proud to walk away from. He wouldn't back down and Kim especially wouldn't back down until she finished things. So they fought.

"Wait, how come she was with Tad anyway?" Milton asked. He hadn't seen the guy since the race and it was kind of late to just be out and about. Milton was worried Tad had somehow gone to Kim's house or something, like a grade-A stalker.

Jack's jaw clenched before he answered. "She went to the gas station alone. Nobody else was there. They stopped her outside. No cameras, no lights…"

"Dude…" Jerry breathed out, shaking his head. He knew what it meant for a young girl like Kim to be caught in that kind of situation.

"You talked to her, didn't you?" Milton asked Jack insistently. "Like you told her she can't do that, right?"

Jack set Milton with a look. "You know Kim, Milton. I'm not going to tell her she can't do something. But yes, I talked to her and told her how dangerous that was."

Jerry nodded along, he trusted Jack to make sure Kim was safe. While Jack didn't always communicate everything he was thinking with Kim, when it came to her safety he never held back.

"How'd she take that?" Jerry asked. It couldn't have been too pretty.

"As well as you'd think. But, she agreed. She was definitely spooked. And embarrassed. Tad didn't seem like much of a fighter to her."

"But you said he had a friend. It was two-on-one," Milton argued. He knew if it had been him, he would have been toast.

"Yeah, it was," Jack said. "But she's stubborn and proud. In her mind, Tad was nothing but an annoying little spider. The fact that he and his friend actually hurt her means she's not as good as she thought she was."

Jerry was confused. "But-"

"Look, it's messed up, I know," Jack agreed. "But I'm pretty sure that's how she feels."

The boys didn't pry any further than that, who were they to try to understand the way Kim's mind worked? Instead, they gathered up all the junk food they could find and went back downstairs.

They channeled their worry into smiles and jokes, providing the best kind of distraction. They offered Kim some popcorn and chocolate and she started them on a movie marathon that would last them well into the night. Jack took a seat next to Kim on the couch and halfway through the first movie she had fallen asleep snuggled into his chest, right where they both belonged.

This one has been in the works for like 3 or 4 months lol. Right now my pace is pretty slow but I was eager to get this one edited and published cause it's been a while and also I really enjoyed this one.

I tried to make them a little more realistic with the fighting scenes, so hopefully it reads easy. Let me know what you thought about it!

Also I'm back at school getting back into the swing of things. I went to a concert last weekend so that was fun. I also made enchiladas for the first time on Monday and they were delicious. And I fixed our fridge because it kept freezing everything and it froze my carrots and mac and cheese and my roommates yogurt. But I fixed it and I went shopping and I'm a big girl now. It only took 3 years of college haha.

Also my wifi SUCKS. it's the worst I've ever seen. I have a video I'm trying to upload right now and it's been 2 hours and it says it will be at least 3 more hours (it's a 5 minute video). So I hope this uploads faster than that video. This is why I try to save my videos for while I'm on campus 😔