Tongue-Tied (Jamie x Reader)

6: Nerves

[Name] walked up a tall hill and knocked on the door. It was beginning to get late, about 8 PM, and by now, [Name] would be in her apartment room, getting ready for bed and trying to sort out the thoughts in her head. "I have no clue how this is gonna go. I hope I don't end up with bruises, cuts, or broken limbs," she thought.

After a few seconds, a woman answered it. Juri Han. Her dudou was purely black beneath her white sleeveless top with pink trim and a single button to keep it attached. Her sweatpants and tights were white and black with a pink and neon teal trim and pink footpads and black soles that reached to her ankles. Juri also had pink fingerless gloves, a pair of black spiked bracelets, and a spike necklace; all of the spikes on her bracelet and necklace were neon teal.

Her hair was black and there was a pink highlight to cover one of her eyes. "Who the hell are you? And why the hell are you here at this hour?" she asked.

[Name] took a deep breath and looked Juri in the eyes. Or, the eye that wasn't covered by her hair. "I'm [Name], and I heard you were a taekwondo martial artist. I need help," the Hawaiian girl replied.

"Who told you?"

"Chun-Li."

Juri groaned and put her hands on her hips, swaying around. "Alright, then hurry up. Tell me what you need," she said, letting [Name] into her place.

She stepped in and took her shoes off, sitting on a cushion. "Teach me more about taekwondo. I need a refresher," [Name] replied.

Juri's eyes widened as she laughed, leaning back as she now held a pink Dum-Dum. "Are ya sure you want my help? I'll take great pleasure in your pain. And it'll be for 6 hours each day until you've mastered the art," she said.

She never mentioned how they'd start at 6 AM and end at noon each day; with no meals included. "No matter what the hell the consequences are, I want help. I'm sick and tired of running away from my problems. Please, Juri!" [Name] exclaimed.

She sat there, amazed at the young woman's willingness to reach out to someone like her. "Fine. Your dudou is over there in the bin. Be ready for some harsh training. Oh, and don't come crying to me about any injury during training, [Name]. You'll be on your own for that."

...

"You sent her to Juri?! Of all people who know taekwondo?!"

Chun-Li sighed and nodded. She was with Luke, sitting outside of Hong Hu Lu. It was a sunny day with no clouds in the sky. The young man stood beside her, leaning on one of the posts. "Luke, it was the only thing I could do. She's the only one here who knows taekwondo. I hope [Name] can survive her harsh training," Chun-Li said.

Luke huffed and sat down beside her. "I just hope she'll be alright. I mean, we all know Juri. She'll take great pleasure in hurting [Name]. She may die because of her! And you know who ELSE won't enjoy this?" he asked.

Someone else wouldn't like it? Chun-Li blinked in concern. Luke twiddled his thumbs. "From what I've seen in him, I think Jamie cares for [Name]. I remember when she got attacked, and Jamie got him down in time before the guy could do anything to her. Besides, his job is to protect the area with his heart. And he's protective over [Name]. Not too protective, though. That wouldn't be good... But we can't let him know any of this. He'll kick Juri's ass if he does," he explained.

"Come to think of it," Chun-Li added, "she seemed quite nervous when Jamie came in after shooing the Mad Gear Gang guy off. She felt warm. As if... she was blushing... And her eyes. They were wide with amazement when she saw him for the first time."

"For real?"

"Yep."

As she explained this to him, Li Fen, who had been looking for her headphones, happened to be passing by and heard about [Name]'s crush on Jamie. She smirked and ran away quietly, having planned something devious and perfect just for the two of them. 

...

"Again!"

It was the next day, 7 AM. [Name] wasn't the kind of person to wake up that early, for the Hula Hale usually opened at around 9 AM. She kicked at a wall, despite her foot being discolored and bloodstained. Sweat dripped down her forehead from all of the training she'd been going through with Juri. So far, she hasn't come through to physically hurt her. "Good Lord, [Name]. I could care less if your foot's looking like that! Need to stretch?" Juri asked, sitting on a tire.

"Mhmm."

[Name] huffed and walked to her mat, sitting and stretching her legs. She wasn't as flexible as Juri, but hopefully, she would be one day. "Ya know, kid? When you get strong enough, I'll challenge you. If you can beat me, then you won't have to come here for lessons. Sounds good?" she asked.

"Yeah. I guess," [Name] replied with a snicker.

As the days passed by, [Name] underwent relentless training to match Juri's strength. She would go past her limits in kicking walls and breaking boards, and she brought along a few of her ideas to the mix. Sand, flower petals, and coconut shells. Juri never questioned this, however. Many other fighters, such as Dee Jay, incorporated their culture into fighting. [Name] was Hawaiian, and this was part of her culture. And according to Juri's perspective, she loves to embrace it.

In the afternoon, she would take her teacher to the Hula Hale for some lunch, which to Juri's surprise, sold pineapple suckers. "Hmm... These taste pretty good. Although I'll stick to the bubble gum flavor," she said, taking three from the jar.

[Name] laughed. "It's fine by me. Just pay the price, please."

Juri rolled her eyes and placed down three silver quarters, going back to their seats.

...

"Yo, Luke! my homie!"

Luke turned to see Jamie running to him. Before he could do anything, the raven-haired male tackled him in a hug, making them fall to the floor. He wasn't drunk, though. "What's got you all excited? Weren't we planning a small brawl later?" Luke asked, sitting up.

"Ah, nothing! That brawl's still going on! But I was strolling around Chinatown. Ya know, patrolling because those Canary Crate Gang guys don't know when to quit, and I saw your dumb ass! Anyways, is there any word on [Name] and how she's doing?" Jamie asked.

The other male bit his lip. This was hard. If he learned about how she was getting taekwondo lessons via Juri, he'd run to that hill and kick her ass to the moon. "Well, she's been doing good. The Hula Hale is doing perfectly fine. It's making good money. She added a sucker jar that sells Dum-Dums for like 25 cents. Soon enough, she can afford some more cooking equipment, which will mean more complicated dishes. We'll have to buy more space for her place's menu if we end up going down that path," Luke explained.

Jamie grinned and put his hands in his pockets after getting up. "Good to know she's going well!" he said with a smile.

That was a close one. Luke then sat down on a bench, taking out a bottle of water from his backpack that he wore for the day. "Say, Jamie. What's got you so happy about [Name]? Did she do something to you?" he asked.

Jamie looked at him and laughed, leaning on the bench's side. "Are you kidding me?! They come to me; I don't go to them. I just like seeing her having the time of her life in Metro City. I bet life in Hawaii was different for her," he replied.

Both men stayed silent before Jamie sat down beside him. He took out, not his usual gourd, but a canteen of green tea. "Is it the same shit you drink all the time?" Luke questioned.

Jamie shook his head, explaining it was medicinal tea and not alcohol. "I dunno why people get that mixed up. I guess it's just first impressions," he said.

Luke nodded. His mind's all over the place.