Title: Hangry Road Trip

Summary: When the gang has a far-away tournament and a weekend road trip, Kim must survive two days in a confined space with the guys.

Author's Note: lol this idea definitely came from personal experience. I am usually the nicest, calmest, easy-tempered girl ever but when I'm hungry I am so hangry. It gets bad how hangry I get and then I eat something and I'm like... oh... whoops. so yeah, if you get hangry, you'll understand.

It was just past Thanksgiving when the Bobby Wasabi dojo was invited to compete in a prestigious tournament in Washington state. Of course, everyone wanted to go and was excited to participate.

The tournament itself was on a Saturday but traveling to the tournament was the tricky part. Airline tickets were the fastest but also the most expensive option. The train wasn't a terrible idea, although there was still the issue of traveling to and from the train station and with hotel fees on top of it all, the trip was becoming more expensive than it was worth.

Until Rudy had a brilliant idea.

Rather than pay for travel and lodging, they could combine both into one payment without going bankrupt.

The kids all met at the dojo on Thursday morning, eager to go. They got to skip two whole days of school for the trip since it would take almost 20 hours on the road.

"A camper?"

The kids blinked as they watched Rudy, giddy smile and all, explain that they could travel and sleep in the vehicle and it cost a fraction of what anything else would.

"Are you sure about this, Rudy?" Jack asked hesitantly.

"This is the only way we can afford the trip, Jack. Now, this is Sam, he's going to be our driver since none of us have our non-commercial class-B driver's license," Rudy explained, gesturing to the man in the front.

He was wearing a hat and his face had no expression on it as he offered the smallest wave.

"Now come on, I'll show you around inside!" Rudy said excitedly.

The kids looked around and at each other for a moment before shrugging and following Rudy in.

The RV was decently sized, thank goodness, and actually had lots of room. There was a table and benches and a tv and a fully functional bathroom. There were also beds everywhere, in every nook and cranny.

"Kim will sleep on this bed up here," Rudy explained, pointing to the small bed nearly touching the ceiling. There was a small privacy curtain and it was relatively separated from the other beds.

"The rest of you can split up however you want. There's the loft up there, the couch makes a bed, the bed in the back, and the bunk over here," Rudy said.

He continued pointing out this and that until it was time to head out.

Everyone ran back out to say goodbye to their parents one last time and they boarded the RV, two days of traveling ahead of them.

Everyone settled in, putting their pillows and blankets on their beds and finding all the best spots to sit. Once the RV was moving, they were supposed to find a seat and stay put, so they ended up making good use of the TV and watched one of Bobby Wasabi's trilogies.

When they stopped for lunch, they ate at a park and played an impromptu game of baseball to stretch their legs. Sam stayed behind and took a nap.

The game was good for the group, all of them had been antsy and the moving around helped them get tired enough to last another few hours driving.

By the time they got back on the road, everyone kept to themselves reading, playing on their phone, or listening to music quietly.

They got a quick dinner and then were off again for the last hour or two of the day. Sam parked in a parking lot for the night and everyone was left to get ready for bed.

Kim called dibs on the bathroom first, knowing if she waited until even just one or two of the guys had used it she would be incredibly sorry. She tried to be fast, but she also needed enough time to properly get ready for bed and soak in the still-clean bathroom while it lasted.

When Kim finished, she heard grumbling but ignored it as she crawled into bed, bidding everyone goodnight and shutting her curtain closed.

The next day, they slept in, having only a handful of hours until they arrived in Washington.

Kim wished she could have slept longer, but Rudy had been sleep-talking and kept her up in the middle of the night. Plus her bed, although the most private, was not very big. Kim was not very big either, more likely the reason she got the bed than simple privacy, but even she got cramped. Needless to say, she didn't sleep super well.

Still, she really wanted to go to Washington so she couldn't be too mad at Rudy for finding a clever way to get them all there.

They had a small breakfast of granola bars and muffins that Milton's mom had packed and then they were off.

The morning started off with some video games, Rudy had brought his console and all four controllers. Of course, there were 5 people, so somebody had to sit out.

"Milton, you can have loser's controller," Jack offered again, not able to spare a glance away from the screen as he battled against Rudy, Jerry, and Kim.

"Jerry won't mind," Kim pipped up. "He's played this game plenty of times."

"Hey!" Jerry shrieked. "Rudy's the one losing right now!"

"Not anymore!" Rudy snickered, landing a hit on Jerry's player, putting him in last.

"Hey!"

Kim just giggled as she and Jack battled things out. The other two were far behind them.

Half an hour later, it came down to a battle between Jack and Kim. But then, of course, Jack had years of experience that Kim didn't have and, ultimately, he ended up winning.

"Milton, you sure you don't want to hop in?" Jack asked, always looking out for others.

"I'm sure," Milton sighed, standing up. "I actually was just about to get some homework done."

Kim sighed as she put down her controller. She ought to do some of hers as well. "Me too," she admitted. "You both should probably as well. We're missing two days and if you don't get a head start you'll be sorry when we get back."

Jack and Jerry just looked at each other and shrugged. "Eh, sounds like a later problem," Jack said.

Kim rolled her eyes. Jack was fine, he would be okay to do it all later. He always got his work done on time with relatively little consequence. It was Jerry who usually struggled yet he still didn't care.

"Fine," Kim said. "Have fun, then."

Kim left the boys with Rudy and retrieved her backpack, sitting near the back of the RV with Milton to do some work.

It was boring, but nothing too difficult, thankfully.

"Ah!" Milton muttered while furiously scratching down something on his paper. "So if that is the inverse sine of x… but then… the rotation isn't… ohhh, I see… there!"

Kim continued to watch him out of the side of her eyes, finding it hard to focus on her own work when Milton continued to talk to himself.

She tried to focus, but after listening to Milton for another ten minutes, she couldn't stand it.

Getting up wordlessly, Kim started to pack her things away.

"You're done already?" Milton questioned. "You know, given the amount of work you have and the time frame, you really should do more-"

"Are you my mother?" Kim asked, raising an eyebrow.

Milton shut his mouth immediately and backed up.

Kim sighed, feeling a little bad for snapping. "I didn't think so," she sighed.

At the sound of her movement, the other guys looked up and saw her putting her backpack away.

"Already done?" Rudy asked.

Kim didn't look up as she stuffed her bag away. "Looks like it."

Rudy shut his mouth immediately and looked at the others, wondering what he had said that made Kim upset. Teenagers were hard.

"Kim, come play with us," Rudy invited, deciding Kim just needed some good old-fashioned fun time.

"No thanks," Kim scoffed.

Rudy frowned as he turned to look at Kim. What was with the attitude?

"I wasn't asking, Kim. You can pick the game but we're going to have some family fun time," Rudy said, attempting to put his foot down.

"That's so unfair!" Kim whined. "I don't want to play some stupid game with you guys!"

Rudy opened his mouth, trying to figure out what to say.

"Well, young lady, you can either play with us and have fun or you can sit up front all alone. It's your choice."

"I'll sit up front," Kim spat, without hardly needing to think about it.

"What? Afraid you'll lose to me?" Jerry joked.

"You're worse than Jack's little sister," Kim scoffed. "Don't think so highly of yourself."

"Kim," Jack gaped. "He's just joking. And last I checked, you didn't even want to play so why do you care?"

"I don't," she rolled her eyes. "Just stop talking to me. I'm done with you guys."

Kim turned on her heel to march up front but Rudy stopped her.

"I- uh… well then give me your phone! You'll have to sit in silence." If she was going to be mean, she would have to suffer.

Kim grit her teeth as she fished her phone out of her pocket and practically chucked it at Rudy.

As she stomped off toward the front of the RV Rudy stashed her phone away and turned to Jack and Jerry.

"That went well," he sighed.

Kim tried to hold back the angry tears that formed, getting even angrier that they were there in the first place. She didn't need to cry.

And Rudy had been so unfair. Why should she have to play video games? They had been playing games literally all morning. She would have thought Rudy would be glad Kim didn't want her brains to rot. Not that that was the reason she didn't want to play but still, he can't force her to play video games.

Then again, Rudy wasn't a normal adult. And right now, Kim was finding him more annoying than ever.

She slumped in the chair next to Sam who wordlessly drove, not even sparing her a glance.

Kim's stomach growled angrily, only adding fuel to the fire.

Without her phone, Kim had nothing to do except mope in her seat.

And mope she did.

Kim was slumped in her seat, staring out the window at the passing trees. She was trying to relax and just enjoy the drive—since that was all she could do—but the sounds of the guys playing their games were so loud she couldn't think.

She was absolutely miserable.

She had started to feel lightheaded and bored and maybe a little carsick too. This was the worse trip she had ever been on.

A little while later, Jack suggested to Rudy that the gang pull off to get lunch. Rudy had argued against it, saying they were so close and they could eat when they got there, but Jack was really hungry and the guys were too. With enough begging, they finally convinced Rudy to stop.

When they pulled into the parking lot across from the fast food restaurant, Jack waited behind until Kim finally emerged.

"You okay?" he asked, studying her.

"I'm fine," she muttered.

Jack didn't believe her but didn't say anything more. He lifted his arm to wrap it around her, but quickly pulled back when he saw she squirmed away in anticipation, clearly not wanting to be touched.

Inside, everyone took turns using the nicer bathroom and then picked out a large booth big enough to seat all of them.

Kim stayed sitting in the booth while the rest of the guys went up to order.

"Aren't you going to get something?" Jack asked, waiting for Kim.

"No," she sulked, leaning on her hands.

"Are you sure? I can order for you."

"I don't want anything."

Jack sighed, leaving Kim alone.

Kim stared at the wall, looking at the cracked paneling in the corner, completely occupying herself with a frown she couldn't seem to get rid of.

Jack returned later, finding Kim spacing out staring blankly at the wall.

"Hey," he greeted, pulling her attention away. "Scoot over," he said patting her side.

Kim wordlessly scoffed over, barely looking away from the wall.

Jack set his tray down and from the corner of her eye, Kim watched Jack's big tray of food. But then he started setting things in front of her.

A fry, a burger, and a big drink. He had all the same in front of him as well.

"What is this?" she mumbled.

"Food. We haven't eaten in a while. I know you must be hungry."

"I'm not hungry for this," Kim muttered, leaning away from the food.

"For what? Food?" Jack asked incredulously.

Kim shrugged as she hummed and I don't know.

"I'm not eating until you are," Jack said decidedly.

Kim glared at Jack, disliking the way he was trying to make her feel guilty.

"If you're hungry then you should eat," Kim ground out.

"Not until you do," he shrugged.

Kim just looked at Jack and stayed where she was. The other three soon joined them and dug into their food right away.

Kim could see the longing in Jack's eyes. But he stayed true and didn't eat a single bite.

After a few minutes, Kim couldn't handle it anymore. "Fine!" she huffed, reaching out and grabbing her cup. She took a small sip of soda before slamming it back down on the counter. She tried to ignore that it was her favorite lemon-lime soda.

"Oh good," Jack sighed exaggeratedly. "I can finally drink." He leaned forward and took a sip of his own soda before sitting back in the booth again.

Kim frowned, realizing Jack still wasn't going to touch his food.

Her hand twitched, wanting to reach out and take another sip of soda at the very least. It was actually really refreshing. But she was proud and thankfully held back even if the soda had been some of the most delicious soda she had ever had.

"How are the fries, Milton?" Jack asked, looking at the large bag of fries in front of him.

"Delicious," Milton answered.

"They're great. Way better than that one place," Jerry said.

That then prompted an argument with Rudy and Milton about the best fries and Kim felt bad for Jack not eating any of his food.

Finally breaking, she reached out and grabbed a fry, taking an aggressive bite just for Jack.

She had to admit, the fry was perfectly seasoned and nice and crispy. But she wasn't hungry anymore.

Jack smiled as he reached out and mirrored Kim, taking a fry and shoving it in his mouth. "Mmm," he moaned. "Milton was right. These are great."

Kim rolled her eyes slightly, unsure if Jack was joking or not.

"If only I could taste the burger too," he sighed longingly, looking at Kim with a pout.

Kim let out a huff again as she pushed herself forward and took a bite of the burger in front of her. There was no mustard or tomato, just the way she liked it. And it was a delicious burger as well. She realized she was actually very hungry, maybe she just needed a little food in her stomach to realize it.

After seeing Kim take a bite, so did Jack.

"That's a good burger," he whistled, echoing Kim's thoughts.

"I wonder if these are good too," Jack said as he fished through the pile of things and found a container. He opened it up and put it between them, showing Kim a box of nuggets.

Knowing what Jack wanted, Kim reached out and grabbed one, taking a bite out of it.

She nodded, they were just as good as everything else.

After Jack only took one bite of the nugget, Kim realized Jack would never keep eating if she only took one bite. She finished the nugget, glad when Jack did the same.

Kim then grabbed another fry, nibbling on that too.

Slowly, she began eating the food that Jack had given her. As long as Kim was eating, so was Jack.

"Jack, tell Milton I'm not lying. Remember when I was about to win and then my controller glitched and I teleported into a mountain?" Jerry said over the table with his mouth half-full.

Jack pretended to not remember, much to Jerry's protesting, before finally laughing. "Yeah, it did happen. Tough luck," he shrugged.

"Tough luck?" Jerry screeched. "I think the universe is out to get me, more like it," he frowned.

Kim let out an amused chuckle and shook her head slightly. She could imagine Jerry almost winning, finally, and then the game glitches and suddenly he gets last again. That would be just Jerry's luck.

The song on the restaurant speakers changed as the hungry gang turned most of their attention back to their food. It was a catchy song, one of Kim's favorites, and she hadn't even realized she was swaying and bouncing to the beat as she continued eating her burger and fries.

"How far away are we anyways?" Kim asked Rudy, taking a sip of her soda.

"About an hour or two," Rudy said. "Enough time to check in and run through everyone's routines before dinner."

"Good," Kim nodded, picking up another fry. "Jerry, are you still going to do that routine with nun-chucks?"

Jerry looked at Rudy and nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It's been going pretty well when we've practiced. I think it's a good time."

"That's good, I was hoping you would. It's a really good routine and it shows off your skills pretty well."

"Thanks," Jerry nodded.

Milton stared at Kim, squirting his eyes and trying to figure out if he missed something.

"Kim, what do you say we take Jack and Jerry in Mario Party when we get back on the RV?" Milton asked testing Kim.

Kim shrugged. "Sure. I'd be up for taking them down any day."

Milton's eyes bulged a little more at Kim's response.

"Sorry, I think I'm a little gamed-out," Jack apologized. "But I'll watch. Rudy can play."

"Sure," Rudy shrugged. "Playing against Milton's an easy win."

"Hey!" Milton cried, offended.

"Hey!" Kim echoed. "That's my partner!"

Jack laughed, wrapping an arm around Kim's shoulders and squeezing.

"Feeling better?" he asked knowingly.

Kim nodded. She knew what happened. She could say a lot of things contributed, including the way everyone else was acting, but the truth was plain and simple. Kim was hungry. And going without food for so long had affected her mood. It was such a small thing, but it made the biggest difference to Kim's behavior and mindset.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, recalling just how rude and mean she had been.

"I forgive you," Jack said. "I'm just glad we have the happy Kim back."

"What are you two lovebirds whispering about?" Jerry asked.

"Nothing," Kim rolled her eyes.

"Strategies to beat you," Jack said at the same time, purposefully stirring the pot.

"Not cool!" Jerry said.

"He's kidding," Kim said, glaring playfully at Jack. "I can beat you without his help."

"Not cool!" Rudy said. "That's my partner you're talking about!"

"Speaking of partner," Milton chimed in. "I can't help but notice my own partner's eagerness. Kim, why the sudden change of heart?"

Kim sighed, hoping it was just Jack who had noticed. Clearly, she was very hangry if the others noticed too.

"I'm sorry," Kim apologized with a sigh. "I was being short with you all this morning and it wasn't your fault."

"Next time, we'll just make sure to stop for meals regularly," Jack added. "Nobody is happy when they're starving," Jack defended, feeling like it was somewhat reasonable that Kim had been so mad.

"Good point, Jack," Rudy said, coming to the same conclusion that Kim had just been hungry. He forgot how much food affected their usually very chipper but quick-to-snap Kim.

"Well, now that that's settled…" Jerry sighed. "Last one to the RV loses!"

Jerry, Milton, and Rudy scrambled to grab their trash and stuff it in the nearest trash can. They tripped over each other as they rushed to be first.

Kim and Jack just watched in amusement, staying back to take their time.

"I can't wait for the tournament," Kim admitted as she threw away all her trash. "This is going to be a good weekend."

"I think so, too," Jack agreed, leaning down to kiss Kim's forehead.

Kim squirmed and Jack tightened his grip playfully, trapping her as he kissed her head all over, eliciting a bundle of giggles from Kim.

This one was just a little short and sweet one. I'm back at school and I have class in an hour so I gotta eat (don't wanna be hangry) and get some socks and pants on. Let me know if you liked it!