The Rules of Confusion, Star Wars EU, Anakin Solo, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Rated PG-13
Title: The Rules of Confusion
Author: myrkr_nightmare
Fandom: Star Wars EU
Characters: Jaina Solo, Anakin Solo, Jacen Solo
Rating: Rated PG-13
Warnings: Possible implications of a slash nature...depends on what you surmise from the story.
Word Count: 1205
Disclaimers: Don’t own characters or make any profit from this; this is a work of fanfiction and should be read as such; all characters are over the age of 18.
Summary: Jaina Solo tries to figure out the problem between her brothers, Anakin and Jacen.
The Rules of Confusion
“Do you know where Jacen went?”
Jaina Solo looked up, startled to see her younger brother, Anakin, leaning casually against the side of her small ship.
“Uh…I don’t know…he said something about…meeting someone…maybe?” She frowned and shook her head. “I really don’t remember what he said, Anakin. I’ve just been so busy…” She sighed and ran a hand over her face, leaving a streak of oil across one cheek.
“I just needed to talk to him about something.”
Jaina shrugged her shoulders. “Well…you know he usually doesn’t stay gone too long. Not all night like some people I know.” She eyed her brother suspiciously. “You know…I’ve been meaning to ask you…you know…what’s up?”
“What do you mean?” Anakin turned and walked around the small bay, touching and poking at things.
“You’ve just been…different lately, Ani.” She picked up a rag and tried unsuccessfully to rub some of the oil off her hands. “I even heard Mom and Dad talking about it. They think you must have a girlfriend. Dad wanted to talk to you but Mom told him to leave you alone for a while.”
Anakin mumbled something and kicked idly at a chair that contained an assortment of wing parts. A small container tipped over, fell, and rolled across the floor. He picked it up, turned it over and over in his hands as if it held an answer to whatever problem he had.
Jaina slid down the side of the ship to sit on the hard floor and waited until the silence weighed heavily enough that her brother began to speak again.
“I’ve…just had a lot of things to think about lately, Jaina. Things I’m not sure about. I…don’t know what to trust.” He was only halfway turned towards her, but she could see the tight set of his mouth and the frown he seemed to be wearing a lot lately between his eyes.
“Can’t you trust yourself, Anakin?” She was worried about him suddenly, realizing that there was more to his mysterious behavior than she had first thought. She’d believed he was just being secretive about some new girl because he hadn’t wanted to hurt the visiting Tahiri’s feelings…or have the spotlight of the Solo and Skywalker clan fully upon him.
He didn’t answer her question and she watched him closely. He was dressed well, dark pants and shirt with his good jacket. His boots clean. The smell of soap and whatever cologne he used distinctive in the musty, oil-smelling mechanic’s bay.
“Where are you going?”
He looked over at her then, eyebrows raised in question.
“You look nice…smell nice…so where are you going?”
“Maybe nowhere. Back to the apartment.”
She smiled. She would never figure the male species out. “So where were you going? Before you changed your mind.” She suddenly remembered what had brought him here. “And why were you looking for Jacen? I didn’t know you confided in each other lately. You always seem to be arguing about something. I wish you two could get along better.”
A strange look flitted across Anakin’s face. Jaina frowned, not recognizing it.
“I just…wanted to ask him something.” He looked down at his boots, scuffed at a mark on the floor with the toe of one.
“Can’t you ask him tomorrow? If anybody needs a good night out on the town, it’s Jacen. He barely speaks to Tenel Ka anymore. Completely ignores Danni who everyone knows likes him…but that’s probably a good thing. But he won’t talk to anybody else either. As a matter of fact, I’m a little shocked that he went somewhere tonight.”
She thought about it for a minute. “So don’t go find him…alright? He doesn’t need the competition.” Smiling at him, she tried to soften her words. “Girls always like you, Ani. It’s not as easy for Jacen.”
“So you think he went to find a girl?” Anakin’s voice sounded odd and Jaina pushed herself back up into a standing position.
“Oh…I don’t know.” She walked closer to him, started to touch his arm, then thought better of it at the sight of her still greasy hands. “Anakin…you can’t talk to me?” She tried to look him in the eyes but he turned away.
She considered using the Force to get a better idea of his emotional situation but quickly discarded that idea, she knew she didn’t like it when Leia or Luke did that to her, even when it was out of concern.
“I’m going back home. I need to get up early tomorrow for a training flight.” He turned back towards her. “Don’t work too late. And don’t forget to get rid of the grease under the nails, you know Mom hates that.”
She started to retort sharply until she saw the sudden glaze of tears in his eyes. He tried to smile but didn’t quite make it and she realized she’d failed in giving him whatever he had needed. He patted her shoulder and quietly walked out the door.
“Well…shit. I screwed that up somehow.”
She stared at the empty doorway for a few moments, wondering if she should have gone after Anakin. Finally, she turned and looked back at the old ship. She’d bragged to the other pilots that she could have it up and flying within three standard days and she was quickly running out of time.
Gathering the necessary tools she wiggled her slim body back up under a wing. She was just getting good started when she got the distinct impression someone was watching her. Seeing a pair of dark boots standing close to her feet, she scooted back out to find herself in the company of her twin brother, Jacen.
Looking up at him, she said the first thing that came to mind. “So have your ears been burning?”
“Huh?”
He reached out a hand to help her up but quickly withdrew it when he saw the state of hers.
“You’re so chivalrous, Jasa. It’s no wonder all the girls trip over their feet to get to you.” She tried unsuccessfully to keep the sarcastic tone out of her voice.
He looked at her, puzzled, then abruptly asked, “Have you seen Anakin? Do you know where he is? I’ve tried calling home but Threepio claims he left hours ago. I have to find him…I need to ask him something.”
Jaina stared at her brother for a moment. He was wearing an almost identical expression to the one that Anakin had on his face when he’d first shown up.
“You two really need to correlate your script a bit more, you know that?”
“Jaina, please.” Jacen grabbed her hands tightly, grease and all. “Please…I need to find him.”
“He was here. Said he was going home. He has an early training thing tomorrow. He just left…”
Jacen grabbed her up in a tight hug, kissed her forehead, then turned and ran out of the bay.
Again she found herself staring at an empty doorway, slowly shaking her head. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to know anything about it. I’ll just stick to my ships. I can comprehend them, they make sense.” She turned and looked at her work in progress. “Well…most of them.”
***This was written for a challenge several months ago.
Author: myrkr_nightmare
Fandom: Star Wars EU
Characters: Jaina Solo, Anakin Solo, Jacen Solo
Rating: Rated PG-13
Warnings: Possible implications of a slash nature...depends on what you surmise from the story.
Word Count: 1205
Disclaimers: Don’t own characters or make any profit from this; this is a work of fanfiction and should be read as such; all characters are over the age of 18.
Summary: Jaina Solo tries to figure out the problem between her brothers, Anakin and Jacen.
The Rules of Confusion
“Do you know where Jacen went?”
Jaina Solo looked up, startled to see her younger brother, Anakin, leaning casually against the side of her small ship.
“Uh…I don’t know…he said something about…meeting someone…maybe?” She frowned and shook her head. “I really don’t remember what he said, Anakin. I’ve just been so busy…” She sighed and ran a hand over her face, leaving a streak of oil across one cheek.
“I just needed to talk to him about something.”
Jaina shrugged her shoulders. “Well…you know he usually doesn’t stay gone too long. Not all night like some people I know.” She eyed her brother suspiciously. “You know…I’ve been meaning to ask you…you know…what’s up?”
“What do you mean?” Anakin turned and walked around the small bay, touching and poking at things.
“You’ve just been…different lately, Ani.” She picked up a rag and tried unsuccessfully to rub some of the oil off her hands. “I even heard Mom and Dad talking about it. They think you must have a girlfriend. Dad wanted to talk to you but Mom told him to leave you alone for a while.”
Anakin mumbled something and kicked idly at a chair that contained an assortment of wing parts. A small container tipped over, fell, and rolled across the floor. He picked it up, turned it over and over in his hands as if it held an answer to whatever problem he had.
Jaina slid down the side of the ship to sit on the hard floor and waited until the silence weighed heavily enough that her brother began to speak again.
“I’ve…just had a lot of things to think about lately, Jaina. Things I’m not sure about. I…don’t know what to trust.” He was only halfway turned towards her, but she could see the tight set of his mouth and the frown he seemed to be wearing a lot lately between his eyes.
“Can’t you trust yourself, Anakin?” She was worried about him suddenly, realizing that there was more to his mysterious behavior than she had first thought. She’d believed he was just being secretive about some new girl because he hadn’t wanted to hurt the visiting Tahiri’s feelings…or have the spotlight of the Solo and Skywalker clan fully upon him.
He didn’t answer her question and she watched him closely. He was dressed well, dark pants and shirt with his good jacket. His boots clean. The smell of soap and whatever cologne he used distinctive in the musty, oil-smelling mechanic’s bay.
“Where are you going?”
He looked over at her then, eyebrows raised in question.
“You look nice…smell nice…so where are you going?”
“Maybe nowhere. Back to the apartment.”
She smiled. She would never figure the male species out. “So where were you going? Before you changed your mind.” She suddenly remembered what had brought him here. “And why were you looking for Jacen? I didn’t know you confided in each other lately. You always seem to be arguing about something. I wish you two could get along better.”
A strange look flitted across Anakin’s face. Jaina frowned, not recognizing it.
“I just…wanted to ask him something.” He looked down at his boots, scuffed at a mark on the floor with the toe of one.
“Can’t you ask him tomorrow? If anybody needs a good night out on the town, it’s Jacen. He barely speaks to Tenel Ka anymore. Completely ignores Danni who everyone knows likes him…but that’s probably a good thing. But he won’t talk to anybody else either. As a matter of fact, I’m a little shocked that he went somewhere tonight.”
She thought about it for a minute. “So don’t go find him…alright? He doesn’t need the competition.” Smiling at him, she tried to soften her words. “Girls always like you, Ani. It’s not as easy for Jacen.”
“So you think he went to find a girl?” Anakin’s voice sounded odd and Jaina pushed herself back up into a standing position.
“Oh…I don’t know.” She walked closer to him, started to touch his arm, then thought better of it at the sight of her still greasy hands. “Anakin…you can’t talk to me?” She tried to look him in the eyes but he turned away.
She considered using the Force to get a better idea of his emotional situation but quickly discarded that idea, she knew she didn’t like it when Leia or Luke did that to her, even when it was out of concern.
“I’m going back home. I need to get up early tomorrow for a training flight.” He turned back towards her. “Don’t work too late. And don’t forget to get rid of the grease under the nails, you know Mom hates that.”
She started to retort sharply until she saw the sudden glaze of tears in his eyes. He tried to smile but didn’t quite make it and she realized she’d failed in giving him whatever he had needed. He patted her shoulder and quietly walked out the door.
“Well…shit. I screwed that up somehow.”
She stared at the empty doorway for a few moments, wondering if she should have gone after Anakin. Finally, she turned and looked back at the old ship. She’d bragged to the other pilots that she could have it up and flying within three standard days and she was quickly running out of time.
Gathering the necessary tools she wiggled her slim body back up under a wing. She was just getting good started when she got the distinct impression someone was watching her. Seeing a pair of dark boots standing close to her feet, she scooted back out to find herself in the company of her twin brother, Jacen.
Looking up at him, she said the first thing that came to mind. “So have your ears been burning?”
“Huh?”
He reached out a hand to help her up but quickly withdrew it when he saw the state of hers.
“You’re so chivalrous, Jasa. It’s no wonder all the girls trip over their feet to get to you.” She tried unsuccessfully to keep the sarcastic tone out of her voice.
He looked at her, puzzled, then abruptly asked, “Have you seen Anakin? Do you know where he is? I’ve tried calling home but Threepio claims he left hours ago. I have to find him…I need to ask him something.”
Jaina stared at her brother for a moment. He was wearing an almost identical expression to the one that Anakin had on his face when he’d first shown up.
“You two really need to correlate your script a bit more, you know that?”
“Jaina, please.” Jacen grabbed her hands tightly, grease and all. “Please…I need to find him.”
“He was here. Said he was going home. He has an early training thing tomorrow. He just left…”
Jacen grabbed her up in a tight hug, kissed her forehead, then turned and ran out of the bay.
Again she found herself staring at an empty doorway, slowly shaking her head. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to know anything about it. I’ll just stick to my ships. I can comprehend them, they make sense.” She turned and looked at her work in progress. “Well…most of them.”
***This was written for a challenge several months ago.