Chapter Text
Its been a quiet past few days. Minus bar hopping and getting wasted on the weekend, Jessica hasn’t seen much of Johnny other than saying hello or, weirdly, asking about some legal stuff. What are you planning Lawrence?
She gets her answer that morning when she sees him and Miguel come out of his apartment. Looks like Johnny finally went through with the whole dojo schtick.
He was wearing a black bandana and some training clothes, while Miguel wore some shorts, runners shoes, and a slightly oversized t-shirt. Hm, looks like Johnny shaved too.
They spot her and go over to where Jessica was standing. “Morning Jones.” Says Johnny, Miguel mimicking him after with a 'Ms. Jones.' As polite polite as the kid is, God damn, that makes her feel old.
“Morning.” Jessica ignores the 'Ms.' part, then inquires. “Where you all headed?” She has a good guess to where they were headed.
“To the dojo Sensei Lawrence opened up.” Miguel answers, looking excited.
Looks like she guessed right. Johnny must have been setting up the place these past days. “Really? Where’d you find the place for it John?” She asks, curious on what Johnny managed to pull.
“It’s at the strip mall. That way, I could train some students and pop over to Nestor’s for a beer. Two birds, one stone, am I right?” Said Johnny. Huh, that sounds convenient.
“Do you want to check it out? We’re heading over there now.” Miguel asks.
She was taking a day off from her current case since she had found enough leads. Eh, why the hell not. “Sure. I’m free now.”
They all pop into Johnny’s car which was repaired a few days after Jessica dropped it off at LaRusso Auto. At least now she knew not to put things or go near anything related to the name LaRusso. Johnny was really upset at that, though Jessica thinks he’s being a big baby about it.
Throughout the ride, Miguel asks questions about what to expect from karate training. Johnny gives him the basic rundown of warmups, some beginner techniques, and the like. The more they talk, the more Jessica sees something akin to a father-son duo.
She’ll save that comment for later.
They arrive to the strip mall after a bit, where Jessica sees the large sign of Cobra Kai. Huh, you’d think Johnny would name it something else instead of the same club that almost killed him years ago.
Looks like today’s going to be fun.
A few minutes later……
After entering the dojo, Johnny, or Sensei Lawrence as he deems, changes into his Gi or karate pajamas as Jessica and Miguel called them.
While Miguel stands there, with his current Sensei sizing him up and silently assessing him, Jessica sits on a chair she pulled out from the side, watching with some interest.
Miguel starts. “So am I going to get the karate pajamas, too...”
“Quiet!” Johnny shouts like a drill sergeant. Looks like Lawrence is getting into the role of Sensei pretty easily.
“The student only speaks when spoken to. Is that understood?” Asks Johnny.
Miguel nervously replies. “Uh, yes?” Johnny gives him a bit of a look. Jessica has half the thought to start filming a bit of this, because hey, why not?
“Yes, sir? You will always address me as sensei, is that understood?” Questions Johnny. Way to take the role seriously drill sergeant.
“Yes, sensei.”
“And these aren't pajamas. This is a Gi. And you'll get one when you've earned it.” said Johnny. Jessica says playfully. “Nah, they’re definitely pajamas Lawrence.” He looks back at Jessica with a half serious face and squinted eyes before pointing at her. “That’s “Sensei Lawrence” to you Jones.” He turns back to Miguel. Jessica scoffs lightly a bit, smiling a little at the somewhat ridiculous scene in front of her.
Johnny asks Miguel. “All right, are you ready to begin your training?”
“Yes, sensei.”
Cue lesson one, striking first, which is something Jessica could get behind. The events that happen include the kid getting tossed around, asthma and other medical problems somehow becoming non-existent (“Ease up on him Lawrence.”), some weird analogies involving hot “babes”, lots of genderizing. You know, Johnny being Johnny
“Now stop yappin’ like a little girl and give me 50 push-ups on your knuckles.” Johnny instructs.
He has Miguel switching over to crunches after he fails to do one. Figures, considering the kids’ lack of muscle. While he does his crunches, the doorbell jingles, and some short overweight guy in glasses strolls in.
“Howdy, there, Mr., uh, Lawrence?” Glasses guy greets Johnny.
Miguel stops a bit and says. “It’s sensei.” Very out of breath.
“Miguel, shut up.” Johnny tells Miguel before heading over to the man. “What brings you in? Looking to lose that gut and learn how to kick some ass?” He says while tapping at the Glasses’ gut. Jessica roles her eyes at Johnny’s absurdity.
“No. I'm from the city health department.” He, the now dubbed Health Inspector, says before pulling out a couple of papers and handing them to Johnny. “This is a list of requirements needed to open up an exercise studio.”
Oh great, Johnny will probably ask Jessica for her help, she thinks. Well, that’s fine she guesses, as long as the place becomes suitable for other kids to train in.
Johnny remarks how this isn’t an exercise studio, though according to Heath Inspector, it’s pretty much the same deal. He goes to inspect slightly before saying the place needs a lot of work.
“You’re not open for business, are you?” He asks Johnny, who doesn’t answer, still looking over the papers. The guy turns to Miguel. “You, you a customer here?”
Johnny quickly answers. “No, that's just an illegal I picked up this morning. He's helping me set up.” Miguel looks scandalized and Jessica snorts at that. Christ, Johnny was pretty much born for endless entertainment.
“I don't need to know about all that. Oh, and you ma’am?” Health Inspector guy finally noticing Jessica.
Jessica replies. “Yeah, I’m just helping him set up too, he needed the extra muscle.”
He looks at her a bit confused. “Right.” He drawls the R slightly, before turning back to Johnny. “My job is just to make sure this place is up to code. You don't want a scabies outbreak like that hot yoga place over on Tujunga.” Huh, Jessica had heard about that some time ago.
Johnny inquires on doing all the crap that the papers state. Health Inspector guy says he needs to do that to get the certificate for insurance which is required for them to open. He promises to return next week for another inspection, before turning to leave, not without having some comment about “Cobra Kay.”
As Johnny reads through the paper more, Jessica tells him. “Jesus, I thought you had this shit set-up already Lawrence.” Slightly annoyed that he forgot about the papers required from the health department. Matt and Foggy would have a field day with him.
“Ugh, don’t remind me Jones.” He huffs, before going into the office area to store the papers for later. He comes out telling Miguel to take five before giving him a couple of more tips and exercises.
While Miguel is noting down the information (“Nerd!” You know who that is), Johnny then goes over to Jessica and asks. “Want to spar a bit?”
Jessica looks at him like he grew a second head. “Seriously? You do realize I’m a bit “extra”, right?” She quotes with her fingers.
“Eh, it’ll be fine, just don’t, I dunno, go full strength.” Johnny says. “Besides, I kinda want to see how I’d fair against a powered chick.” Jessica’s face morphs into the physical embodiment of the word, seriously?.
She finally relents after a few seconds. “Fine, but just so you know, I’ll be holding back, a lot.” Emphasis on the a lot.
Johnny then asks Miguel to come over to them and relays the plan. Before discussing about how they’re going to set up the spar, he glances over at Jessica and questions. “Wait, you’re not bulletproof, right?” Good to know he doesn’t have plans on breaking his hands.
“No, that would be my other vigilante friend.” She says, referring to Luke.
Miguel looks a bit confused and asks. “I thought being that strong would make you bulletproof?”
Jessica laughs a bit. “Yeah, thought so too awhile back, but it doesn’t. I am tougher than a normal person though. Like if I got hit by a car, I’d mostly be fine. A couple of bruises and maybe a broken bone or two, otherwise, dandy.” She elaborates further. “I also heal faster, so it saves a trip to the hospital.”
A normal person would be sent to the hospital after an accident like that, either seriously injured or dead. Color Johnny impressed. “Damn, that’s pretty fucking cool.” Johnny remarks in his two-word vocabulary.
“Okay, now that that’s clear, are we gonna spar or not?” She questions, a bit impatient with all the delay.
Johnny comes to and goes. “Right, right.” He says while lightly shaking his head, then turns to Miguel. “Okay, take this as a bit of a mini lesson.”
“When in a tournament, the goal is to score as many points as you can.” He says while pacing around. “Anything below the belt is illegal. You can kick, punch, and throw your opponent, as long as you make contact and earn a point.” Johnny teaches. “For now, in sparring, you can either do it tournament style rules and all, or make your opponent take your opponent out or make them tap out. Basically a free for all.”
Johnny then goes on and says. “We’ll be doing the one where either they get taken out or they’ll tap out, as simple as that.” He looks over to Jessica. “You ready Jones?”
Jessica shrugs lightly, nonchalant per usual. “Sure.”
“Okay. Take your place on the mat.” Johnny instructed, as he walks over to the opposite end of the mat. He tells Miguel to go over to the side to watch.
“Basic thing in Karate, is to bow before the fight. So just follow me Jones, bow.” He bows, Jessica copies.
“You bow to the ref too by the way.” Johnny says to Miguel since they currently lack one. “After that, it’s time to throw down.” He goes into a fighting stance before gesturing Jessica to do the same. She just slightly changes her foot placement and hunches over a bit.
Johnny counts down. “In three, two, one, aitz!” He yells, before moving to Jessica with a flurry of punches and kicks. If there was one thing about Cobra Kai, it was always about offense.
Even with no formal training, though she’s not sure if sparring with DD, Danny, and Luke counts, Jessica holds her own, managing to react and block some kicks and punches. While she was faster, Johnny wasn’t a slouch either.
She makes a small slip up that leaves her side exposed, and with a good kick, Johnny manages to bring her down to put her in a chokehold.
He asks her. “You wanna tap out Jones?” A bit smug he managed to bring her down.
She retaliates by standing up, dragging Johnny with her, and flipping him down from the chokehold before putting him in one. Johnny tries to get out, but her grip is like a vice, so he opts to try elbowing her stomach a few times. She powers through it and starts putting a bit more pressure. Starting to lose some air, Johnny quickly taps out before falling on his knees to try to catch some breath.
He hears Jessica clear her throat and sees her extending her hand to help him up. He takes it, and looks over to Miguel, who watched the spar with raised eyebrows and mouth agape. He couldn’t believe sensei managed to hold his own, even a little bit. He was also impressed on how Jessica managed to handle him without throwing a punch.
“Wow, just. Wow.” Miguel gets out, unsure on what to say.
Johnny looks over to Jessica. “Well shit Jones, you really are tough.” He praises.
Jessica says back. “Not so bad yourself Lawrence.” Small smile present on her face. She kind of missed her weird impromptu sparring sessions with the Defenders. “Might have to make that a regular thing, could use something to refresh myself.”
Johnny smiles back. “I’ll take you up on that.” He turns back to address Miguel.
Johnny ends the lesson there. “And there you have it. As long as you don’t really hurt them, sparring is fine. Remember, you’re going to have teammates later on, no use in injuring them in training, the dojo needs enough fire power to get through the tournament at its best. Is that understood?” He asks Miguel.
The kid replies. “Yes sensei.” Happy to have learned much from their first session.
“Alright, class dismissed, for now. We gotta get this place ready for any new meat.” Johnny says.
Sometime later……
As the dojos’ set up progresses, though it’s mostly Johnny telling Miguel to clean and fix things as some form of “extra training,” and having Jessica haul in heavy equipment, Jessica and Johnny decide to get In-N-Out during their break.
“Do you seriously have to let him clean up, fix wires, and all that other shit?” Christ, she wasn’t sure if Johnny was being serious on that whole illegal worker thing.
Johnny dismisses the notion. “Yeah, that way it’d sell that he’s currently not my student. They might not take it well.” He’d probably be shut down for having a student while the place was still in terrible condition.
As they walk back in the dojo with their lunch, Miguel questions how is cleaning a part of training karate. Johnny just tells him not to question his methods and something about sumo wrestlers.
They all settle in the middle of the room with a small table, digging into their meals. Johnny and Miguel discuss about the trophies in the box at the corner of the room, while Jessica checks her phones files on her current case. Something about drugs, Heroin specifically, being sold in one of the shady areas around the Valley. She'd intended on finding the source and pulling the plug.
The client, her appointment a few days ago, some rich Encino mother who had a brat who purchased the drug, paid her handsomely to find the people responsible for selling it. There was also a bonus if she sent proof of the investigation bringing down the drug dealing.
They’re interrupted when Miguel’s phone starts ringing. He quickly answers, and it’s no surprise on who’s calling.
“Hey! Yeah, uh, debate is running a little late.” There’s a pause, before Miguel continues. “Uh, okay, love you too.” He hangs up after smiling.
God, that was probably the worst lie Jessica has ever heard in a while.
“Really? Debate team?” Jessica asks, clearly unsure who the hell buys an excuse like that.
Miguel tries to give an excuse. “But it’s the most harmless thing I could come up with that wouldn’t draw suspicion! Besides, mom doesn’t approve of violence, so…”
“What about your dad? He approve of you getting your ass kicked up and down Reseda Boulevard?” Johnny jokingly asks.
Miguel deflates a bit. “Oh, I never really knew my dad…” Well way to make thinks awkward Lawrence.
Silence ensues for several seconds, before Johnny tells him to finish eating so they could start training and cleaning again.
As they finish their food, Johnny comments on Miguel’s choice of ringtone. “Change that ringtone, get some Guns and Roses or something.”
“What’s Guns and Roses?”
"........."
Both Jessica and Johnny give him a look, sharing the same sentiment. Kids these days, no real taste or knowledge in music.
“We.” Jessica gestures to herself and Johnny. “Are gonna pretend you didn’t freaking say that.”
“Ditto.” Johnny replies before heading off back to his office.
Jessica yells at him. “I’m heading out now!” Johnny responds something, muffled by the walls of the office.
She turns to Miguel. “Later Miguel.” Saying their goodbyes, she decides to head back home to check her list of locations. After going through certain areas, and having people rat out the location, she sums up that the main source comes from North Hollywood.
Jessica hopes for some action, though part of her wishes she wouldn’t do too much.
Two days later, night time in North Hollywood……
Well, Jessica got her wish, minus the part where she wouldn’t do much.
If there was anyone to blame, it’d be the fucking dealers. Christ, rapid fire machine guns were a bit overkill.
When she tracked down the building in North Hollywood, an abandoned studio set (how cliché), she’d apparently interrupted a current deal. Second-floor, ten people, four armed, the rest with melee weapons.
Jessica decided to throw subtle out of the window, or more accurately, threw a decent sized water storage tank through the second-floor window. The projectile managed to knock out 3 of the armed guys, since they were idiots who huddled together as some intimidation tactic to the distributors. She entered through the broken window and sprinted to the closest thug, clotheslining him. Four down, six more to go.
She hears the clicking of two guns. Shit! She ducks behind the water tank she threw as bullets starts flying. Two conscious ones must have gotten the guns while she was getting in.
Quickly, she kicks the tank in the direction of her shooters. It collides with them, and she hears the guns clatter and their pained shouts echo through the abandoned studio.
Jessica gets up as the remaining four thugs converge on her. She dodges some, though they get a good hit on her with some bats and crowbars. It just pisses her off more. As they all try to grapple her and hit her, in a burst of strength, she shoves them all off sending them flying in all directions.
While everyone was down, she immediately went for the four guns and crumpled them into a ball of metal. Now that those things were out of the way, it was time to beat the shit out of these fuckers.
“Sorry about this guys.” Jessica apologizes, with no remorse.
Bodies we’re thrown around, weapons were bent, the ground cratering slightly after someone dodges a punch from Jessica (she missed intentionally, wanted to show what would happen if she didn’t hold back). It was a massacre for the dealers. It was a simple job for Jessica.
Heh, it was funny when the last one tried to run, and Jessica had conked him in the head with a small piece of rubble.
Jessica then gathered all of them together and had acquired a metal light post from somewhere. With some effort, she bent it into a makeshift restraint to keep them from going anywhere.
Surveying her handy work, she pulled out her phone to make a call to the police.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Hi, I’d like to report a crime….”
Yeah, she’d better untie the pole at the right moment and toss it somewhere before reinforcements arrive. Don’t need more people to know they’re dealing with someone powered.
Oh right, she’d beaten up two cops some time ago. Yeah, best not let them know at all.
Several moments later……
After being interrogated, and watching the assholes struggle as they’re placed in cars ready to head off to jail, the main detective of the night goes over to where she was sitting by the ambulance.
“Well, your statements check out Ms. Jones, you’re free to go.” He says.
Jessica replies in her usual tone. “Finally, thanks.”
Before she can get up turn away, he comments. “You know, Ms. Jones, the force could use someone like you in the ranks. An investigator like you could help out a lot.”
She politely, as politely as she can muster, declines the offer. “Sorry sarge, I’m more of a freelancer type, it’s more of my style.” She doesn’t comment about the fact that she, and most of her group in fact, don’t really get along with cops, aside from Misty and a few others. Besides, what part of “Private” Investigations do these people not understand?
He looks disappointed but understands. He turns to leave, most likely to get the bums to jail already. While he goes on, Jessica sneaks around to find a police report, and takes a photo of it, including the folks who got arrested.
As the emergency vehicles and police leave, she sends the picture of her proof to the client. She immediately gets a response pertaining to having extra money being sent to her. An email notifies her of the transaction to her account.
She decides to have a bit of an eat out for dinner that night. Hm, maybe she should invite Johnny and Miguel. Jessica gets her phone and opens Miguel’s contact number, which she got a few days after their initial meet.
It rings a bit before the kid picks up. “Hello?” The kid must’ve forgot to set her name in his contacts.
“Hey, it’s Jessica.”
“Oh, hey Ms. Jones! What are you doing calling?” Miguel asks, curious to know why she was contacting him.
Jessica then asks him. “You’re still at the dojo, right?” She hadn’t checked Johnny’s schedule beforehand since Miguel had school already. She supposed they had afternoon sessions when school was over.
“Yeah, we just finished up some cleaning and training, why?”
Jessica tells him about her dinner plans. “Want to go out for dinner? There’s this great gastropub down in Studio City. My treat.”
The line stays silent for a bit before Miguel talks again. “That’s very generous of you Ms. Jones.”
“Ugh, just call me Jessica kid, Ms. Jones was my mother.” It brought up some, horrible moments every time he said Ms. Jones. Plus, she didn’t want to feel like some old lady.
“Oh! Oh, sorry.” Miguel apologizes, remembering what she told him about her mother the night they met. He could never guess how Jessica was strong enough to move forward from that and the other things she mentioned. Though if he had a good guess, alcohol may factor in there.
Jessica then replies quickly. “Look Miguel, it’s fine. Anyway, go tell your sensei we’re having dinner. I’ll be there in a few minutes, I’m in North Hollywood right now.”
“…. you’re gonna fly here, aren’t you?” Miguel questions her.
Jessica answers. “Yep. It’s night anyway, I’d be hardly noticeable.” It also saves up on commuting.
“Well, have a safe flight I guess, see you in a bit.” Miguel says.
“Yeah, see you.” Jessica then drops the call, stuffs her phone in her pocket (she’s gotten pants with pocket zippers, they come in handy when you need to fly and not worry about things falling off). She then takes good look around her. Nobody around.
Jessica jumps high into the night, heading towards the dojo.
A few minutes later……
Jessica lands behind the strip mall, since it’d be too obvious if she went by the front, or on the roof. When she rounded the corner, she notices an expensive looking Audi parked by the front of the dojo.
She also notices the small LaRusso Auto sticker by the drivers seat.
“God fucking damn it, how convenient is that?” This had to be some bullshit coincidence, Jessica muses.
Without wasting any time, she quietly enters the dojo, only to find Daniel LaRusso finishing up whatever dramatic shit this was.
“…. but you shouldn’t believe a word this guy says, or you’re going to end up exactly like him.”
“You and I? This? We aren’t done.” Daniel finishes with the intention to come back, or something of the matter. Fuck this petty rivalry is so stupid.
“Yeah, no. You’re done here buddy.” Jessica snarks coming up behind him with her arms crossed.
LaRusso turns around, a little surprised at being called out, before regaining his composure. “Oh, and you are?” He asks, one part curious, one part cautious of the new person.
“Jones.” Jessica drawls out lazily. “Jessica Jones.” She then threatens. “If you’re finished with whatever this is, leave now or I’ll pull your head out of your asshole.”
LaRusso recoils slightly at the threat but steels himself. He turns to Johnny remarking. “This isn’t over.” Before taking his leave, moving past Jessica.
Johnny then challenges. “I’m right here man.” Arms out, looking ready to fight. Christ Lawrence, give it a rest.
Daniel turns to him and scoffs, throwing a dismissive arm right before heading out.
“I’m sorry if I interrupted anything sensei. Should I do twenty push-ups on my knuckles?” Miguel asks Johnny.
Jessica finally laughs away some tension from that. “Miguel, you probably interrupting was probably the best thing to happen now.” She turns to Johnny. “So, that was your rival? Daniel LaRusso?” Yeah, the term ‘ex-rival’ didn’t seem to fit now, or ever for that matter.
Johnny sighs. “Yep, that’s him. The biggest pain in my ass all throughout senior year. ‘Til now apparently.” He says while still looking out the windows watching LaRusso leave.
Jessica suddenly claps her hands together, eliciting a loud snap causing the two other people to flinch. “Okay! Enough moping around and shit. Tonight isn’t about LaRusso.”
As Johnny rubs his ears a bit, he agrees with her. “Yeah, you’re right. We won’t let him ruin our night out together. The kid said we’re going to Studio City?”
“Yep, new gastropub opened, been meaning to try their liquor and food. My treat.” She says, finally fucking happy all that tension was gone.
Johnny pulls out a grin. “Hell yeah.” He goes over to Miguel. “Diaz! Get changed, we’re heading out in a few.”
Miguel grins back, excited to eat out with his superpowered friend and sensei. “Yes sensei!” He starts moving to the locker area while also muttering about forgetting to text his mom about the dinner.
Despite the strange confrontation with Daniel LaRusso, they’d be enjoying a moment for themselves.
With good food, good drinks, and good company.