Title: It Means Nothing
Summary: A re-write of the first episode, through a different lens. Some things are slightly different to fit within my writing style.
Author's Note: I started this during the summer when I was on a re-writing rampage. I have like 5 different episode re-writes in my drive. None of them have progressed very far except this one. I also have some less Kim-centric stories as well as some that have been inspired by all the Criminal Minds I've been watching. Who knows when I'll have another one complete though. Also I may have edited this one very little I was just in a rush to publish it cause I feel like it's been too long since I've given y'all something.
"Jack, clear your schedule!" Rudy announced, marching out of his office with his eyes set on Jack. He completely ignored everyone else's presence.
Jack's smile fell slightly as he turned his attention away from Kim and turned to look at Rudy. Jerry and Milton stopped their conversation as well to hear whatever juicy drama was going on now. There really was never a dull moment with this bunch.
"Huh?" he questioned, needing more context, as always.
"We have a new student orientation on Thursday," Rudy said, as if that easily explained why Jack needed to clear his schedule.
"Rudy, what does that have to do with Jack?" Kim questioned.
Jack sighed, this wasn't the first time Rudy had come to him for something like this. In fact, it was the third time in as many months. It wasn't that Jack didn't like it, but he did always feel a little odd showing off.
"Because, Kim," Jack explained. "We need more students and Rudy thinks if I demonstrate a few moves he can convince prospective students to stick around long enough to learn those same moves."
"So he's falsely advertising that he taught you everything you know, to convince other people that they should join if they want to be like you?" Milton translated.
"Yeah, basically," Jack shrugged, nodding at Milton. He hit it right on the nose.
"No!" Rudy scoffed, scowling. All four kids gave him a deadpan look and he rolled his eyes. "Okay, yes. But it works! Since Jack joined the dojo and started helping me with orientations, our enrollment has gone up exponentially!"
"Just how long have you been helping with orientations, Jack?" Jerry asked. Three years and he had never heard of Jack helping. It was no secret Rudy used Jack as a boasting piece for the dojo, but monthly orientations?
Jack shrugged, "I mean on and off but… Three years."
Kim balked at that revelation. "You mean the whole time?"
Jack, startled at the hostility in Kim's voice, scooted back a little. "Uh… yeah?"
Kim looked back at Milton and Jerry, all of them sharing an offended look.
"You didn't even think to ask any of us, did you?" Kim questioned Rudy, turning her wrath on him.
Rudy scoffed. "Jack's the highest ranking black belt to have ever attended this dojo. Of course I told him to do it."
Everyone frowned, although Kim's was the biggest. She felt personally attacked.
"What?" Rudy seemed genuinely shocked at everyone's reaction. They didn't explicitly say it very often, it was true, but Jack was the best. They all knew it.
"Look guys," Jack said, speaking up and trying to mediate the situation now that it had kind of spiraled. "Rudy asked me to help not that long after I joined and since then it's kind of just been an unspoken agreement between us. I help out with orientations, and he lets me do my thing. And we keep the dojo open. And really, I didn't think anyone else would want to do it. It's not a glamorous or fun job, trust me."
Kim pouted. "Still would've been nice to have been asked."
Jack rolled his eyes at her. He understood her feelings of jealousy, but really they were unnecessary. He was positive Kim didn't actually want the gig. She would have to take time out of her schedule to do Rudy's every bidding. She hated being told what to do, especially when it was something stupid like it always was with Rudy.
"Kim, come on," Jack said, giving her a lazy smirk and reaching over to grab her hand.
Kim had to push down the smile that threatened to rise. Jack always did this. Every time she was starting to get upset all he had to do was touch her and suddenly she was all happy again. She was trying to be mad at him, dang it!
"You know," Kim said, shoving down the smile and setting everyone with an uppity glare. "I used to be the highest ranking student in the dojo."
Jack sat up a little straighter at Kim's declaration. There had always been an undertone of friendly competition between him and Kim. It was totally healthy and positive, and Jack made sure to keep it that way. There really was no need to fight about who was better. They'd been through that in the past and it always ended up in some kind of issue. They both worked hard and they both were black belts and they both deserved it. It didn't matter that Jack was just a little better than her. He never rubbed it in her face.
"What, uh, what do you mean?" Jack asked, trying to keep his voice level but failing when it got just a little higher than normal.
Jerry burst out laughing, seeing right through Jack's cool demeanor.
Part of the reason why Jack was so chill about the competition between him and Kim was because he was convinced he was better. He didn't need to brag or bring it up because he was sure he knew where he stood.
"Yo, Jack can't even handle that anyone might be better than him!" Jerry laughed, slapping Milton. Milton let out a small smile of his own, finding some enjoyment in the matter as well.
"Come on, Jack. Kim is a great martial artist, isn't she?" Milton asked, egging him on.
Jack would never deny that, and he would never purposefully put Kim down. Even when it came to competition, he didn't ever want to insult her. The boys knew that, and they were using it against him to acknowledge that Kim might be better than him at karate.
"Yes, she's great," he said in a clipped tone.
Kim rolled her eyes. She was well aware Jack had convinced himself he was the best. It didn't bother her, not anymore. She knew she had beat him on multiple occasions. She knew they both had good days and bad days. And she knew that he outranked her by a degree. It was fine. She didn't really care. Karate was Jack's life and she knew he cared about the sport more than she did. She'd let him have the win. Admittedly, Jack was a little better than her most days most of the time. Not always, but often.
Still, she would never shy away from rubbing in Jack's face a time when she was the undisputed 'better' martial artist.
"I mean when we all became friends, when we joined the dojo. Technically I was the highest ranked student. I was a black belt," Kim explained. Apparently she was the only one who remembered the technical details of that time.
"Jack was a black belt too?" Jerry said, confused.
"No," Rudy chimed in, remembering the time Kim was talking about. "No, Kim's right."
"How?" Jerry asked. "Jack was mad good at karate before he ever even joined the dojo."
"He was good," Kim conceded. "But technically untrained. He had never been officially part of a dojo, he had never officially advanced any belts. When he joined the dojo, he was still a white belt. Yes, he advanced faster than any other student has ever advanced-"
"I gotta write that down for orientation!" Rudy gasped, running off to his office. That true fact would be a fantastic promotional tagline for this weekend!
Kim rolled her eyes.
"He advanced faster than any other student, but until then, I was ranked higher. I got my black belt from the Black Dragons before I joined this dojo," Kim smiled.
"Dude!" Jerry laughed, pointing at Jack.
"Wait… I remember that!" Milton gasped.
About three years ago…
Sitting down at her usual table with her usual friends at the usual time, Kim couldn't help but let her mind linger on the unusual boy she'd just met.
While he exuded this air of cocky confidence, Kim couldn't help but feel slightly attracted to the dark haired boy who effortlessly caught her apple on the arch of his foot. Besides, with moves like that, how could she blame him for having confidence higher than the Seaford Tower?
"Kim!"
"What!" Kim gasped, blinking at Jillian who was trying to get her attention.
"Girl, Chase asked who was going to get burrito bowls tonight for the soccer fundraiser," Jillian said, rolling her eyes. "I called your name like 4 times. Are you going?"
It took Kim a second to process what Jillian was talking about.
"You know, the fundraiser? If you buy a burrito bowl they're donating 50% of the profit to the soccer program? Chase said he could drive since he has his license," Jillian explained, looking around at the lunch table and sharing a look of humor with the others. Kim intrigued them sometimes, she was a great friend but her head was always off in the clouds. She was never quite with them. It was nobody's fault, but Kim just never really felt like she'd found her friend group. So she floated between crowds, happy and content with everyone.
"Oh, sorry. I can't, I have karate tonight," Kim told them.
In all honesty, Kim could afford to skip this one practice. But her sensei had drilled a sense of commitment into all the students. Plus, Kim honestly didn't care enough about the fundraiser or the accompanying hang-out to skip practice. She'd have to have her dad call Ty and that was just too much work for something as simple as a soccer fundraiser.
After the table muttered something about excuses, Kim zoned back out, sneaking a glance around the cafeteria to see where Jack had ended up. He was sitting at the far table with… ugh.
Somehow he had ended up at those losers' table. Kim had half a mind to go over there and save him, but she had only just met the kid. He would figure it out on his own soon enough anyways.
Just then something flew toward Milton and Kim quickly saw the boys dressed in their bright red tracksuits flinging their food at the Wasabis. She bit back a laugh, they really were pathetic. Acting hurt over a french fry. They never stood up for themselves and that only egged on Frank and the others. Kim didn't participate, but she had to admit she got some level of amusement from it.
But then Jack was standing up and marching over to Frank and Kim could feel that something was happening.
Jack confronted Frank and Frank stood up, ready to intimidate him and possibly throw a few punches.
Kim was all for teasing, but sometimes Frank did take it too far. He was so quick to jump to violence, Kim found it so annoying. Teasing was one thing, but physically dominating and hurting someone was another. And this situation had just escalated from the former to the latter.
Kim winced as Frank tried to attack Jack from behind, but then Jack caught his fist.
The entire room stilled and Kim was mesmerized as she watched a beautiful fight ensue.
The other Black Dragons jumped up to help Frank and Kim knew from personal experience that they were good martial artists.
And yet, Jack was better. He bested all of them, by himself.
At one point he'd even made eye contact with her and sent her a wink. She laughed it off but on the inside she completely died.
It stuck with her for the rest of the day and Kim found herself searching every class to see if Jack had been added to her same bell.
By the end of the day, she realized the boy had thoroughly and completely occupied her mind.
This wasn't good.
Crushes weren't good.
It was simple, she didn't have a crush on Jack. No way. He was new and fascinating and mysterious but she did not like him. She just enjoyed watching him. That's all.
When Frank had reported back to Ty about the new kid that afternoon at karate, Ty immediately went on an information gathering rampage.
When Ty got wind of potential for the Bobby Wasabi dojo shutting down if they don't perform well at the upcoming tournament, it became so much more important. If they could keep Jack away, there was zero chance the lame dojo could stay in business.
A little later, when Kim had mentioned a detail about Jack, that his follow through was solid (she'd been paying attention during the fight in the cafeteria, okay?) Ty turned his attention on her. Soon, she was tasked with enlisting Jack to join their dojo. Not that she really had to be asked to spend time with him.
After school the next day, Kim rode her bike to the mall where the Bobby Wasabi dojo was. She had to brace herself a bit as she walked into enemy territory. This was for the greater good. She could do it.
She'd done some intel gathering of her own and through eavesdropping and asking around, she found out the kids at the Bobby Wasabi dojo liked to hang out at the neighboring Falafel takeout restaurant.
As she approached, she immediately noticed it wasn't the most… clean, but maybe the food was really good and that's why they always went there.
She found the boys easily when she walked in, finding it strange as she noticed the joy on all their faces—even Jack's—as they talked. Surely Jack was pretending? There was no way he actually enjoyed hanging out with these losers.
But then she saw Jack's face again, smiling that charming little smile. She couldn't help but feel a small flutter in her chest. Jack wasn't the enemy.
Deciding to turn on some of her own charm, she approached with a smile.
"Hey, Jack," she greeted, completely ignoring the others at the table. They weren't worth her time. They were all insignificant little nerds who had done karate for over a year and still hadn't progressed.
"Hello, Kim!" they all responded.
Kim, shocked a little by the fact that those same little nerds were talking to her, frowned, a little creeped out.
"Can I talk to you, Jack?" she asked earnestly, looking around at his company and hoping they would get the message and leave.
"Yeah!"
"For sure!"
"What's up?"
They all responded at the same time.
Kim's frown only deepened at that. Jack clocked the look immediately and looked around.
"Guys, can you give us some space?"
They hardly flinched, still staring at Kim like she was some kind of exhibit.
Kim scrunched her face a little. The other boys knew she was a Black Dragon, but she also never participated in the bullying so they weren't really afraid of her. Rather, she was one of the few girls they saw in any capacity outside of school (even if it was at tournaments and competitions where she crushed them). She was also the prettiest. It was hard not to stare.
Seeing nobody was moving, Jack slapped the table lightly to grab their attention. "Guys! Come on, get up!"
At Jack's shout, they all grumbled and stood up to leave, talking about how Jack "had no chill" and "could be a little more patient" and something else in Spanish that Jerry mumbled.
Kim slid into the seat across from Jack easily, and he admired the way she moved. Something about it was so… attractive.
"Sorry about them," Jack apologized, not exactly sure why the other boys had had that reaction to Kim. It was clear they knew her, enough to ogle her, but Jack seriously doubted they were friends. It was curious.
Kim waved it off, already forgetting about them and smiling at Jack. He really was so charming. His long brown hair and bright smile. Not even just his looks, but the way he gave her all his attention so suddenly. The way he was able to command the table. It was hot, okay?
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Jack asked, not noticing the way Kim had completely spaced out.
Snapping out of it, Kim answered. "I saw your fight in the cafeteria, it looks like you know a little something about karate."
Jack had to fight the smirk that was growing on his face. He'd been wondering about that fight. How much had Kim seen, what did she think of it? He saw her briefly during it, and gave her a daring wink, but that was about it.
She was his first friend, he wanted to know if he'd impressed her.
But more than that, she was a girl and Jack couldn't lie that he had hoped he'd also caught a different kind of attention from her.
"Yeah," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I do."
Kim's smile faded a little and Jack briefly wondered if he'd done something wrong, but then she spoke again. "So what are you doing at the Bobby Wasabi dojo?"
Now it was Jack's turn to frown. What did Kim know about that? He'd only just joined two days ago. Had someone told her? Who?
"What do you mean?"
"You're good, Jack. I saw you. You should be training at the best dojo in town," she explained with a smile and a hint of a southern accent peaking through. Jack added it to the list of things he was extra curious about concerning Kim.
"No offense or anything, but what do you know about karate?" Jack asked, genuinely curious.
Kim smirked. "How 'bout I show ya?" she offered, fullying leaning into the accent.
Jack gave it a second of thought before nodding. What was there to lose? Plus, he was now fully drawn in by the funny little way she talked.
"Great!" she cheered, popping up out of the seat. "Let's go!"
Jack laughed and followed her out to the front of the mall.
"So, you from the South?" Jack asked, breaking the silence.
Kim smiled. "Tennessee. I was born there, lived there most my life. Moved here just a few years ago."
"So you were the new kid once, too," Jack observed, wondering what it had been like for Kim when she moved. Maybe she could give him some advice.
"Yeah, I guess I was."
"So… How come you moved? If you loved Tennessee so much?"
Kim swallowed. She knew this was coming, it was just hard to talk about when you barely knew someone. With Jack, it wasn't that she wasn't comfortable, she just didn't want to make him uncomfortable.
"Why did you move here?" Kim asked instead.
Jack turned away, sensing he had asked her something that made her uncomfortable.
"My Dad got a new job," Jack shrugged.
Kim nodded.
Now Jack felt bad. He could have just left it. He probably should have, that's probably what Kim wanted, to ignore it. But he couldn't stand that he'd done something wrong.
"Hey, I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me why you moved. I didn't mean to pry-"
"You weren't prying," Kim answered easily. "It's okay. It's a normal question to ask. It's just…"
Kim stopped. And then she kept going.
"My mom got sick. She died and we just… It was just hard. We needed something fresh and we ended up here."
Kim wasn't sure why but, it just felt so natural to tell Jack. He seemed to genuinely care and she realized she wanted him to know about her past. She'd been so used to keeping that information to herself, to not over share with people. But she wanted him to get to know her and she wanted to get to know him.
"I'm sorry," Jack answered.
"Don't be," Kim smiled. "It's okay. I'm fine now. Obviously I miss my mom but… We'd known for a while it was going to happen. And she died peacefully. It was her time. I just… Don't really talk about it, you know?"
Jack nodded. Not that he really knew, but he understood.
"I'm sorry, you didn't have to share that-" Jack apologized again. He felt like a total jerk.
"Really, Jack," Kim laguehd. "It's okay. Just… Don't go sharing it around, you know?"
Jack nodded immediately. "Of course."
"Thanks."
They approached the front of the mall, by the parking lot, and Jack wondered where they were going. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"Um, I rode my bike here but we can just walk. It's not too far," Kim started, realizing Jack might not have the same kind of transportation she did.
"That's okay," Jack shrugged. "I have my board."
Kim watched as Jack walked around the corner and grabbed a skateboard that had been propped up against the wall, hidden from view.
He plopped it down and easily rode it down the sidewalk, looking back at Kim before jumping off the curb and landing perfectly.
That was a little hot.
Shaking off her stupor, Kim quickly hopped on her bike and led the way to her dojo.
The rest of the ride, Jack tried to talk about lighter things and he found it insanely easy. Kim was so quick to give an answer and so quick to share little personality quirks and interests. And Jack so quick to give his own answers.
When they slowed in front of the dojo, the conversation died down as each teen was consumed with their own thoughts.
Jack was impressed with the dojo. Even from the outside, it looked to be a high quality establishment. It had solid branding and it was clean too. More than Jack could say about his new dojo.
But looks weren't everything and he was still intrigued to see what Kim was going to show him when they walked inside.
Kim, for her part, felt herself change a little. Seeing the dojo reminded her what she was doing. She wasn't just hanging out with the new kid who she couldn't help but enjoy his presence, she was here to recruit him. This was a strategic play. She needed to remember that and focus.
"We're here," she announced, although it was obvious.
They both hopped out of the car and Kim led Jack inside.
"Wait here," Kim said, directing Jack to a bench. Jack shrugged and took a seat, watching Kim walk to what looked like locker rooms.
When she was gone, he took the time to look around a little more.
Everything was very red. Like, everything. Even the ceiling was red. There were trophies everywhere and motifs of dragons on every single post, painting, and uniform. The more Jack looked around, the more he felt like it was a little over the top. As if half the appeal of the dojo was that you got to look like you were in a high-intensity karate movie dojo. Not that it would persuade him, but he was sure there were customers who came to the dojo purely because it looked cool and made them feel like they were a ninja just by being there.
When Kim finally reemerged, she was dressed the same as some students on one of the other mats. Wearing a red and black gi with a black belt tied tightly around her small waist.
It looked just like those ugly little tracksuits those bullies were wearing the day Jack first came to school. Was… Was Kim one of them?
"So," a voice said to the left as someone approached Jack. "You must be Jack."
Jack turned and saw what must have been the sensei. He was also wearing a belt around his forehead. Completely unnecessary and purely for show. Just like the rest of the dojo.
"Uh, yeah," Jack answered, feeling a little bit like he had just been baited into something.
"Kim told me about you. She's a great martial artist, you know."
Jack nodded along politely, but feeling a little uncomfortable with the easy way this stranger was chatting him up.
"Jack, come train with me," Kim beckoned, calling him over with an easy smile.
Jack had the faint realization that it would be near impossible to say no to that smile.
"Okay," Kim said when he stopped in front of her. "Hold these. And don't go easy on me."
Jack smirked, recognizing the competitive flare in her statement. If there was a 6th love language, Jack's would be good old friendly competition. And there wasn't anybody he loved being competitive with more than his friends. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Kim smirked back and just like that, they were off.
Kim started easy, doing warmups while Jack followed her lead and blocked her shots. After a few warmup drills, Kim brought it up a notch. She moved faster, punched harder, and incorporated kicks as well.
Jack absorbed them all and he could feel the increasing strength behind her strikes. Her movements were fluid and perfect. Like she'd practiced them over and over again.
Jack was very impressed. She seemed a little robotic, but still very good.
After about 15 minutes, they called it quits for a water break.
"Well, I guess you do know a little something about karate," Jack relented, slightly winded from the exercise.
Kim smirked back, she could see Jack was impressed. Good. Now if she could just get him to join their dojo.
"This place made me a black belt," she said. "Everything here is the best of the best."
Jack looked around, considering Kim's words. Everything did appear to be top notch.
Kim walked off to grab Jack an extra plastic bottle while the Sensei from before approached with another student—one Jack recognized as a bully from school.
"So Jack, thinking of becoming a Black Dragon?" he asked.
"W-"
"If you join us, you'll become quick as a cobra. Strong as a tiger. Respected as-"
"What Sensei is trying to say," Kim interrupted, putting her hand out when she saw Ty was scaring Jack off. He didn't need to be dissuaded by Sensei Ty's weird way of talking. Not yet. "Is if you train here, we'll make you a champion!"
"Check out this bo staff," Ty said, turning around to grab a long rod from the kid behind him. "Four ounces of perfectly balanced graphite. Go on, feel it."
Ty passed it over to Jack, hoping it would do the trick to impress the skilled kid.
Jack gladly held the staff, even taking a step forward to get some space to fully test it out. After making sure he'd given himself enough room, he spun it around slowly.
When he liked the way it handled—and he really did—he worked a little harder. He pulled out one of the routines his grandpa had drilled into him a little while ago and he was so impressed with the way it glided through the air. It really was balanced.
When he finished, Kim walked up with an impressed nod. He really was so good. She hadn't seen much of his skills, and now that she had, she couldn't take her mind off of it. He was incredible.
"So… what do you say? Will you join the Black Dragons?" she asked hopefully. If for no other reason, she really just wanted to watch him do that routine again.
Jack gave her a sorry look as he shrugged. "I'd like to. But I can't."
Kim sucked in a breath. Jack had refused so quickly, so easily. Sensei Ty was not going to be happy. Not after he had done so much to bait him in. Not after Kim had done so much.
Sparing the quickest glance at Sensei Ty, Kim saw him glaring right back at her and nodding toward Jack.
She knew if she didn't fix this, it was going to be her fault and she was going to end up in trouble.
"Come on, Jack!" Kim cried, throwing her hands up as she made a scene. "Bobby Wasabi is a joke! Th-"
"Not to me!" Jack interrupted, giving Kim a look that was a mix between a glare and confusion. He wasn't sure exactly where her attitude had come from, and he didn't like the way she was talking about his new friends. "I gave my word. It's the Wasabi Code."
Jack spoke about his loyalty to the dying dojo with such reverence, Kim was stunned into silence. She had never seen anyone have such dedication like that—especially for a place he'd barely joined. Suddenly her respect for him grew tenfold and she didn't care so much about the trouble she was going to be in. She wanted him to hold on to his morals. She wanted him to keep his loyalty.
If she wanted to get him on her side, she'd just have to be patient and win his loyalty.
"Here," Jack said, passing the bo staff back to Ty with a sorry expression.
"Keep it," Sensei Ty said, not moving his hands from behind his back. "Let it be a reminder that you always have a spot at our dojo."
Jack's eyes filled with amazement as he looked back down at the bo. "Really? Sweet! Thanks, man!"
Kim let out a chuckle at Jack's enthusiasm. When she made eye contact with Frank and Ty and saw the harsh look they were giving her, however, she quickly quieted down.
"Um, I'm going to walk him out, then," she said softly. "I'll be back soon."
Neither said anything as Kim walked off to show Jack the way out.
She was quieter on that walk. It was fine, Jack filled the air with talk about how cool the bo staff was and how his grandpa had once gotten a bo staff worth over $3,000 and how there had been a student so angry with his performance that he threw it into a river.
It was a crazy story and when Jack had finished, they just walked in silence.
When Kim dropped him off at the entrance, he thanked her again, asked if she would be at school tomorrow, and said a quick goodbye.
Kim was left with a lot to think about as she walked back into her dojo for practice. She was kind of dreading today. She was positive Ty was going to be extra hard on her now since they had to outperform the Wasabi Warriors and since she'd failed in her mission.
The day of the tournament, Kim was filled with an odd combination of excitement and dread. Excitement because she really did love karate and she loved competing. It gave her a thrill she chased after. The dread was because she knew the tournament was of critical importance to the Bobby Wasabi dojo and Ty was determined to see them fail.
Still, when they made their entrance to the tournament, Kim was mostly just excited. She was doing what she loved.
As things settled down, and everyone took their seats, Kim breathed deeply and focused on centering herself. She wanted to perform well today and she was feeling confident in her ability to do just that.
When the first few events began, Kim watched curiously as the Wasabi Warriors performed. It was odd, they weren't the most skilled by far and yet they still stepped up and tried their best.
It was even more shocking when they'd actually managed to make a few advancements. Maybe they weren't such losers after all, they just needed the right motivation.
She felt a new respect growing for the rival dojo and she felt like she understood Jack on a new level.
He wasn't with them because they were the best dojo in town or because he knew he could win the most trophies. He was there for honor, bravery, and loyalty—-all things she aspired to have for herself. As a Black Dragon, virtues like that were foreign. Ty didn't believe in those things and Kim realized they were a big part in the art of Karate.
At some point into the tournament, Ty seemed to realize just how well the other dojo was doing. They were actually going to do it, they were actually going to save their dojo.
The thought, oddly enough, had happy little butterflies fluttering in Kim's stomach and brought a smile to her face. Win or lose, this was shaping up to be a great day.
When Kim was called up along with Jack, a flood of friendly competition and smack talk descended on the pair. It was a glorious feeling.
"Looks like we'll be fighting each other for this one," Jack commented nonchalantly, as if the fate of his dojo wasn't on the line. As if he was just here for pure, unadulterated karate. Just like Kim.
"Guess so," Kim shrugged back, pushing down a smirk.
"You know," Jack trailed teasingly, "I think you have a little crush on me."
Kim gasped. How dare he! "I do not!" she insisted immediately, appalled that anyone would suggest something of the kind. It didn't matter if he was right or not, Kim was not about to admit to having any sort of feelings in front of this crowd. Absolutely not.
"Mhmm," Jack hummed, not believing Kim at all. He wore a cocky smile, knowing he'd hit the nail on the head. It was just a little crush, no harm in it. They hardly even knew each other. It really wasn't a big deal.
Kim, coming to the same conclusion, just shook her head with a laugh. It really wasn't a huge deal—although admitting the crush was still the last thing she would ever do. Jack wasn't being rude or sneaky, he was making some light-hearted chatter to rattle her nerves. If anything, it'd had the opposite effect. Kim now felt insanely calm and comfortable with him.
Kim was beyond thrilled to have a partner who respected her enough to tease and trash talk, but still retain good sportsmanship. At the Black Dragons everyone either was too afraid to treat her like the black belt she was, or they were overly cocky and condescending. There was no in-between.
The referee called the pair toward him and as they approached and bowed, Kim hadn't noticed Ty pull Frank to his side and whisper something in his ear.
It wasn't until the referee had stepped back and Jack and Kim had bent at the knees slightly that Kim saw Frank stalk over to Jack. He was approaching from behind so there was no way for Jack to see. Kim didn't have any time to warn him because by the time she had processed what Frank was doing, it was too late.
Frank had marched over with determination set in his features. In one movement he had kicked his leg out, striking Jack's knee from behind and sending him crashing to the ground. Like a thin piece of paper in a rainstorm, Jack crumpled to the ground immediately.
Kim gasped and rushed toward Jack worriedly, coming to kneel at his side. The others, his friends and sensei, came running as well and kneeled right down next to her. In that moment it didn't matter that they had never gotten along, they all cared about Jack and that was all that was running through their minds.
"Jack, are you okay?" she gasped, looking Jack up and down.
"It hurts," Jack hissed, clenching his eyes shut.
"Come on, Jack," Rudy pleaded. "You gotta be okay, you gotta be!"
"Rudy," Jack ground out, clearly in pain. "You're on my leg!"
Rudy froze and looked down, quickly getting back when he realized he'd been unintentionally kneeling on Jack's leg.
"Do you think it's broken?" Kim asked shakily, looking between Rudy and Jack.
"Can you still compete?" Eddie asked, earning a harsh glare from Kim.
"No!" Kim gasped. "He's hurt, he can't compete."
"You're just saying that because you're a Black Dragon!" Milton retorted, sure that Kim would be thrilled that her rival dojo was finally being put out of business.
As offended as Kim was by Milton's accusation, it was true that she was a Black Dragon and she was expected to despise the Bobby Wasabi Dojo. As long as she wore the red gi, Milton was right.
Standing up with determination, Kim marched over to her sensei who was watching Jack on the ground with a pleased look. It was disgusting. Kim hadn't known that Ty would go so far as to break someone's leg but now that it had happened, she realized the competition was steadily growing over the years and now it was completely unhealthy.
"Ty, that's it!" Kim cried loudly as she approached, drawing his attention and wiping that stupid smirk right off his face. "I refuse to be a part of this. I quit!"
To punctuate her statement, Kim ripped her black belt off and threw it at Ty's feet, followed by shedding the top of her gi and leaving her in just her plain black t-shirt.
Ty's face screwed tight in anger as he trained his eyes on Kim. He reached out and grabbed her arm, harshly pulling her back to their bench. "You can't quit!" he spat. "I made you! You'd be nothing without this dojo."
Kim's face screwed up in anger at the audacity of Ty to make such a claim. "I made myself."
Ty didn't seem to like that, and it might have had to do with the fact that without Kim, the dojo was losing one of their best martial artists. If she quit, she'd forfeit and the Bobby Wasabi Dojo would not only stay open, but they would have less competition in future tournaments with Kim out of the way.
Rearing his hand back, it almost looked like Ty was going to hit her right there in front of all the families, friends, athletes, and judges.
"Let me go," Kim commanded in a voice much deeper and bolder than Ty had ever heard from her before.
He let go out of shock. He realized, in that moment, that she really was something great. In that moment she had total control and he had given that ability to her. He had finally brought that out of her, that fire and confidence he had been working on getting out of her for years. If only it hadn't taken pushing her away.
Kim stumbled back when Ty released her and she turned around immediately, not wanting to linger next to the man who almost hurt her.
She nearly ran into Rudy, who had gotten up and watched the interaction between Ty and his student long enough to see that there might be trouble. She stumbled back and muttered an apology and Rudy watched the girl carefully, not sure whether to mention what had just happened or pretend like he hadn't seen.
He didn't have to choose because the girl spoke first.
"Um, I'm really sorry about all that. I swear I didn't know he was going to do that. I quit, forfeit, so, uh, Jack wins by default," she explained, all very quickly and swaying on her feet. She was nervous about Rudy's reaction.
"Jack wins?" Jerry chimed in from behind Rudy, having caught some of Kim's words.
Jerry's voice caught the attention of the other boys and they all looked up at Kim expectantly. Rudy stepped aside so they could have a better view.
Kim smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Um, yeah. Jack wins. You guys can keep your dojo."
All 4 boys broke out into the biggest grins Kim had ever seen, jumping up and down and slapping each other out of pure excitement. They even lifted up Jack, who couldn't put any weight on his left leg. They all hopped around in a circle, hugging and laughing.
Kim couldn't help but laugh as well, all the stress of being a Black Dragon and the pressure of being perfect completely dissipating as she felt what real friendship looked like. It didn't matter that she didn't know these boys, she could tell what they had was something great and even witnessing it was enough for her.
In the midst of all their celebrating, Jack put his hands out to the side and hopped forward toward Kim. The other guys quieted down, watching Kim curiously.
Jack looked Kim over, sending a quick glance behind her at the furious Ty who was shouting with a tournament official and Frank and another man he didn't recognize. He also spotted her discarded belt and top on the ground.
"So, I guess you're probably looking for a new dojo," he guessed casually, acting like he didn't really care about that.
Kim shrugged, matching his energy. "Maybe. Know anywhere?"
"I've been told Bobby Wasabi is the best. Best sensei, best students…"
"Well," Kim said, "if they'll have me…"
"Are you kidding?" Milton interrupted. "You're a black belt! Of course we will! Right Rudy?"
"Yeah, a hot babe and a black belt?" Eddie added.
"You got any friends? Sisters? Girl cousins?" Jerry asked.
Kim laughed, each response from the boys a testament to their own personalities. Then she looked at Jack, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"From what I've heard, we could use someone like you," Jack said, giving Kim the goofiest smile she'd ever seen.
"Rudy?" she asked, because she hadn't actually asked the man in charge.
"What're you looking at me for?" Rudy asked, genuinely confused.
"Uh, aren't you the sensei?" Kim asked, also confused.
"Oh! Yes, right! I am in charge," he said, more like he was reminding himself than anything else. "Practice starts on Monday. 4 o'clock. You pass the test and you're in."
Kim squealed, she couldn't help it.
"Oh…" Jack said quietly, stumped. "I- uh, I guess you're right."
"Of course I am," Kim said, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't have just made that all up."
"Well," Jack said, turning to Kim now as his eyes narrowed, like he was challenging her. "I guess that means you should be the one helping Rudy this weekend."
Kim tried to hide the small smile on her face. Jack was actually acknowledging her skills!
"And the weekend after. And the one after. And the one after that. For the rest of your life," Jack added slowly, leaning toward Kim with each sentence.
The smile immediately died down.
"Now hold on-"
"Nope!" Jack cut her off. "Nope you are right, Kim. You are so right. Rudy! Kim is going to help you this-"
"No!" Kim gasped, suddenly lurching forwards and tackling Jack in an attempt to cover his mouth. She knocked him all the way to the ground, sitting on his torso and holding both her hands over his mouth while his back was to the floor.
Jack laughed at her attempt, prying her hands away from his face.
"Okay… I think that's our cue to leave…" Milton said when he saw Kim fully on top of Jack. They did not need to witness that kind of PDA from the pair. "Come on, Jerry."
"What! But it was starting to get good- Okay fine." Jerry slumped along after Milton, although Kim and Jack had hardly even noticed they left, too caught up in their own world.
"What?" Jack asked Kim, pretending like he didn't know what was wrong.
"I never said I wanted to help Rudy," Kim said, knowing Jack knew full well she did not want that gig.
"Well only the best one in the dojo gets to help him," Jack said, hoping to get a rise out of Kim.
Kim smiled an evil little smile and Jack knew whatever he had just said, he'd messed up big time.
"Oh that's fine. I have plans this weekend anyways… See, me and my boyfriend were going to spend the whole weekend together. And on Saturday, we were going to watch a movie. At home. Alone."
Kim punctuated each sentence by moving slightly closer to Jack, stopping just short of kissing him and then swiftly sitting up on his stomach.
"But I haven't asked if he's busy yet. I guess I'll just have to ask someone else if he does have plans-"
"Rudy!" Jack shouted, turning his head as much as he could to face Rudy's door. "Can't do this weekend! Have plans! Next time!"
Kim's laugh was cut off when Jack suddenly sat up. She started to fall back but Jack caught the back of her head and the small of her back, pulling her up to meet him.
"Wha-"
She was cut off by a deep kiss and suddenly, it didn't even matter who was a black belt first or who was better. Karate was nothing compared to this.
This one goes out to Liam Payne. Jk i actually didn't really like Liam but I am mourning the fact that there will never been a 1D reunion tour with all 5 members. That is tragic for sure.