Fic: "Fast As I Can" (10/? J/Z AU)
Aaaaand...we have the newnew stuff. Despite my best attempts, some stylistic changes from here on out, I expect.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine
x-x-x
Day 167
Zekk was late, and he burned his tongue on his hastily purchased caf. He could only hope it would wake him up soon. His head still ached from the music and the late night, never mind the effect of his few hours of sleep snatched this morning. Peckhum would think -
“Were you in a hover crash?” the old man demanded, as soon as Zekk stepped through the hangar door. The cargo shipper was crouched under the Lightning Rod’s belly; he spared Zekk a glance. “Certainly late enou - kriffing space ghost.” Peckhum doubled back, suddenly noticing the state of his ward. “You were in a wreck, weren’t you?”
Zekk thought of several cracks about Jaina as a force of nature, but rejected them. “I was up late last night.”
Peckhum eyed the younger man, askance, as Zekk walked over to him. “And this morning, too, by the look of it.”
Zekk winced as something very heavy and metal clanged to the shared hangar floor. He took another gulp of his caf. “Don’t remind me.” He nodded at the Rod. “Are the lights still fading?”
Peckhum was still watching him. “Finish your drink first. I want you awake when you dig into my ship. Was she there?”
With his tongue burned, Zekk’s drink tasted strange, extra bitter, extra hot. He swallowed another mouthful, and ran his tongue against his teeth. He met Peckhum’s eyes warily over his thermos. “Sorry?”
Peckhum’s grizzled face split in a grin. “That means yes. Or that you were really drunk last night, and can’t remember.”
Zekk gulped the rest of his caf; his fingers were tight around the cup, but one tapped nervously in spite of his control. “I’m awake,” he insisted, looking for a refuse bin. “Let’s get started; I have to work tonight.”
“Is this her day?”
“No,” Zekk answered before he had thought it out. He threw the cup too hard, and it banged against the rim before sinking deep into the bin. “What?” He hurried up the ramp, keen to mire himself in the engines.
Peckhum was chuckling behind him. “I want to meet this girl. You hear me, boy? Before the wedding.”
x-x-x
Day 190
Jaina was engrossed in her datapad when she walked into the Flash. Her smile was absent at the corners, even as her eyebrows rose at her reading. Zekk settled with a rare crowd before pouring a glass of brandy. Mique was smirking at him; Zekk avoided his co-worker’s eyes as he tossed his apron to the side.
Jaina didn’t look up right away when he sat down, though her hand closed around the glass he had deposited before her. “Mission brief?” he asked, trying to get a peek.
She snorted into her drink, putting it down as she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were watering as her smile sharpened. It took her an extra minute to swallow without choking. She coughed twice, and pushed the datapad across the table.
He looked down, bemused before he read the headline. “You made out with Kyp Durron?” Jaina’s laughter became louder. When her shining eyes met his, he felt a smile grow on his own face. “Obviously not.”
“It doesn’t even look like me!” she protested, jabbing a finger at the image. “And it’s from years ago, too - his hair’s practically shaved, it’s kind of conspicuous. If they thought it was Jag and I, maybe - ”
“I thought they gave up on you and Kyp.”
Jaina rolled her eyes as she searched her numerous pockets for something. “They never give up on the idea of Kyp and I. We are the Epic Love of tabloids. Ah, right, for the brandy.” She spilled some credits on the table. “We got caught once, and ever since - this was a couple years ago - but anyway.”
“Why are you even reading this?” He scrolled through the article, and was surprised to see another headline.
“Jacen sent one to me for a laugh, and I started browsing a bit. So far, Kyp and I are secretly married with a kid, Jag has demanded I give up being a Jedi to be a Chiss housewife, and I’ve sworn off men altogether in my heartbreak - I haven’t bounced back since Raynar chose another woman over me.” She paused, and grinned. “That’d be so much funnier if you knew Raynar Thul, his eyesore robes, and his longtime girlfriend, Lusa.”
She scooped the credits into one hand. “Look, I’m just going to go pay Mique before a tabloid runs a story about me being stingy.”
He nodded absently, scrolling through the articles. Some of them were about people he knew only from headlines, if at all - inside jokes from a world to which he was only tenuously connected. His lips curled in a smile as he imagined Jaina’s reaction to rumours of her pregnancy with no less than the Hapan prince consort. How could she complete any undercover missions with this scrutiny?
Jaina, when he asked her later, smiled. Her face moved begrudgingly to accommodate her, and he was surprised at his own reaction. She looked pallid and cynical; he remembered her suspicion during the Cruxx mission. “I don’t do anything stupid,” she told him, looking away. When her eyes returned to his, they were closed off. “And hope they don’t read rags.” Her face loosened. “But then, I’m not as recognizable in person. For one thing, I’ve never glued hair pastries to my head - I don’t know what my mom was thinking, ‘traditional Alerdaani hairstyle’ or no. And I tend to wear a lot more flightsuits than dresses.”
Zekk was not prepared to let it go. “Still - ”
“You didn’t recognize me, did you?” she pointed out. “Even with my first name.”
He noted the darkness of her eyes, the long, faint scar below one of them, and the incongruous gloss on her lips. (She wasn’t smiling.) “It’s dangerous, isn’t it,” he said, and it was as strange as the fact that he had never thought of it that way before. “Especially with these.”
Her lips stretched; it became a grin as she took the datapad from him. “Did you read the one where I call the Jedi Order a dangerous cult?”
Part 11
P.S. FaIC is also being updated on JCF again. Because I don't think I actually mentioned it, and it is. Here, if you want the link.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine
x-x-x
Day 167
Zekk was late, and he burned his tongue on his hastily purchased caf. He could only hope it would wake him up soon. His head still ached from the music and the late night, never mind the effect of his few hours of sleep snatched this morning. Peckhum would think -
“Were you in a hover crash?” the old man demanded, as soon as Zekk stepped through the hangar door. The cargo shipper was crouched under the Lightning Rod’s belly; he spared Zekk a glance. “Certainly late enou - kriffing space ghost.” Peckhum doubled back, suddenly noticing the state of his ward. “You were in a wreck, weren’t you?”
Zekk thought of several cracks about Jaina as a force of nature, but rejected them. “I was up late last night.”
Peckhum eyed the younger man, askance, as Zekk walked over to him. “And this morning, too, by the look of it.”
Zekk winced as something very heavy and metal clanged to the shared hangar floor. He took another gulp of his caf. “Don’t remind me.” He nodded at the Rod. “Are the lights still fading?”
Peckhum was still watching him. “Finish your drink first. I want you awake when you dig into my ship. Was she there?”
With his tongue burned, Zekk’s drink tasted strange, extra bitter, extra hot. He swallowed another mouthful, and ran his tongue against his teeth. He met Peckhum’s eyes warily over his thermos. “Sorry?”
Peckhum’s grizzled face split in a grin. “That means yes. Or that you were really drunk last night, and can’t remember.”
Zekk gulped the rest of his caf; his fingers were tight around the cup, but one tapped nervously in spite of his control. “I’m awake,” he insisted, looking for a refuse bin. “Let’s get started; I have to work tonight.”
“Is this her day?”
“No,” Zekk answered before he had thought it out. He threw the cup too hard, and it banged against the rim before sinking deep into the bin. “What?” He hurried up the ramp, keen to mire himself in the engines.
Peckhum was chuckling behind him. “I want to meet this girl. You hear me, boy? Before the wedding.”
x-x-x
Day 190
Jaina was engrossed in her datapad when she walked into the Flash. Her smile was absent at the corners, even as her eyebrows rose at her reading. Zekk settled with a rare crowd before pouring a glass of brandy. Mique was smirking at him; Zekk avoided his co-worker’s eyes as he tossed his apron to the side.
Jaina didn’t look up right away when he sat down, though her hand closed around the glass he had deposited before her. “Mission brief?” he asked, trying to get a peek.
She snorted into her drink, putting it down as she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were watering as her smile sharpened. It took her an extra minute to swallow without choking. She coughed twice, and pushed the datapad across the table.
He looked down, bemused before he read the headline. “You made out with Kyp Durron?” Jaina’s laughter became louder. When her shining eyes met his, he felt a smile grow on his own face. “Obviously not.”
“It doesn’t even look like me!” she protested, jabbing a finger at the image. “And it’s from years ago, too - his hair’s practically shaved, it’s kind of conspicuous. If they thought it was Jag and I, maybe - ”
“I thought they gave up on you and Kyp.”
Jaina rolled her eyes as she searched her numerous pockets for something. “They never give up on the idea of Kyp and I. We are the Epic Love of tabloids. Ah, right, for the brandy.” She spilled some credits on the table. “We got caught once, and ever since - this was a couple years ago - but anyway.”
“Why are you even reading this?” He scrolled through the article, and was surprised to see another headline.
“Jacen sent one to me for a laugh, and I started browsing a bit. So far, Kyp and I are secretly married with a kid, Jag has demanded I give up being a Jedi to be a Chiss housewife, and I’ve sworn off men altogether in my heartbreak - I haven’t bounced back since Raynar chose another woman over me.” She paused, and grinned. “That’d be so much funnier if you knew Raynar Thul, his eyesore robes, and his longtime girlfriend, Lusa.”
She scooped the credits into one hand. “Look, I’m just going to go pay Mique before a tabloid runs a story about me being stingy.”
He nodded absently, scrolling through the articles. Some of them were about people he knew only from headlines, if at all - inside jokes from a world to which he was only tenuously connected. His lips curled in a smile as he imagined Jaina’s reaction to rumours of her pregnancy with no less than the Hapan prince consort. How could she complete any undercover missions with this scrutiny?
Jaina, when he asked her later, smiled. Her face moved begrudgingly to accommodate her, and he was surprised at his own reaction. She looked pallid and cynical; he remembered her suspicion during the Cruxx mission. “I don’t do anything stupid,” she told him, looking away. When her eyes returned to his, they were closed off. “And hope they don’t read rags.” Her face loosened. “But then, I’m not as recognizable in person. For one thing, I’ve never glued hair pastries to my head - I don’t know what my mom was thinking, ‘traditional Alerdaani hairstyle’ or no. And I tend to wear a lot more flightsuits than dresses.”
Zekk was not prepared to let it go. “Still - ”
“You didn’t recognize me, did you?” she pointed out. “Even with my first name.”
He noted the darkness of her eyes, the long, faint scar below one of them, and the incongruous gloss on her lips. (She wasn’t smiling.) “It’s dangerous, isn’t it,” he said, and it was as strange as the fact that he had never thought of it that way before. “Especially with these.”
Her lips stretched; it became a grin as she took the datapad from him. “Did you read the one where I call the Jedi Order a dangerous cult?”
Part 11
P.S. FaIC is also being updated on JCF again. Because I don't think I actually mentioned it, and it is. Here, if you want the link.