Fic: "Fast As I Can" (13/20 J/Z AU)
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve
x-x-x
Day 338
When he stepped out of his room that morning, Zekk was surprised to see Jaina already awake. She was sitting on the living room floor with her legs crossed beneath her. Her hair was pulled away from her face, and it looked slightly damp. She smiled at him. “Morning.” The cut across her lips was gone.
She didn’t look awkward, and he took his cue from her. “Morning. I thought you’d still be asleep.”
She shrugged, and stretched her legs out before her. “I’m used to early mornings. I’ve just been taking stock, meditating…that sort of thing. I was going to try to do some healing, but - ” She held out her bare wrists. “They’re hardly even itchy.”
He took the proffered hands and pulled her up before studying her unmarked wrists. “Not even a scar. Did you do that, while you were sleeping?”
She looked surprised, then laughed. “Please, me? I flunked all my healing classes. My uncle, king of patience, finally gave up on me. I couldn’t even manage a healing trance last night - it’s work for me.”
“Then…a delayed reaction from one of the Jedi Healers?” he tried. “Or the bacta.”
“Or that salve.” She had an odd look on her face. “What was in it?”
He shrugged, uncomfortable. “Some herbs, I’ve never really asked. Peckhum bought it a while ago, and gave some to me. I haven’t used it much; I never thought it worked this well. It must have been a delayed reaction.”
“Well, thank you, anyway.” She took her hands back slowly, still scrutinizing them. “I wasn’t looking forward to people’s reactions.”
“You must be hungry,” he said, clearing his throat. “I only have toast and - some eggs, I think.”
“I’m not picky - maybe just some toast? I’d offer to help, but I…don’t mix well with kitchens. Not even toasters. And people get hurt when I hold a knife for too long - I just can’t kick the violence habit.”
He spared her a quick glance, remembering the previous night, but her smirk was only self-deprecating. “How do you even survive?”
“With lots of take-out,” she quickly replied. “But really, most of the time I’m at the landing bay, so I’ll eat at the mess there, or in Coruscant Jedi quarters. Or I just mooch.” She grinned.
“Is it mooching if you have to do the dishes?” he asked. He dropped two pieces of bread into the toaster. While he was waiting, he retrieved an egg from the fridge, and made a mental note to buy more. Turning his back to crack the egg, he heard Jaina step up to the edge of the kitchen.
“Zekk, I - ”
The egg broke cleanly, and he let it spread before he glanced over his shoulder. “Fair’s fair, Princess.”
“Okay, but I meant - I wanted to…to apologize. For last night, I mean.” Her face was strangely composed, unexpectedly the Jedi Knight after breaking a little on his armchair, even after the morning’s inherent awkwardness. “Barging in and crashing, just out of the blue.”
Uncomfortable, Zekk prodded the egg, and then flipped it. “You don’t need to apologize, Jaina. I was worried about you, so it was a relief to know - And what are friends for? How do you drink your caf?”
She ignored his attempt to divert the conversation. “Also, for - what I said. I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
He wondered who they had been, if they were the people who had held her captive, and if her mission had failed. He wondered if she had done this before, or if it would be her first time recovering from it. Probably not, he thought - she had said something about others.
“I forgot,” she was saying, still apologizing. “You aren’t…used to friends just…vanishing without a word, then showing up and talking about people they killed while they were gone.” She paused, and some of her usual good humour darted across her face. “At least, I hope you aren’t.”
The toast popped. “Right, it’s not my world, I couldn’t handle it.”
Jaina’s voice tightened, and he knew she was rolling her eyes. “Don’t be stupid - you know I don’t think that. It’s just a…shock for people. There are other Jedi who would be thrown by it, but most of them will have to deal with death, or at the very least get used to seeing their friends tread water, so to speak.”
“You’re my friend, Jaina. I’d better get used to it. Now button it before you turn this into a fight. You still have to eat breakfast.”
When he turned around, two plates in hand, he was surprised by a hug. “I missed you, you know,” Jaina said into his shoulder.
He was deleting all the Quec’slig holo-reports as soon as he had a chance. “I missed my flying lessons.”
She gave an indignant snort, laughed, and let go to punch him in the arm. “I knew you only hung out with me for my bay access key. Jerk.”
They didn’t talk about the mission again for the rest of the day.
Part 14
R&R?
x-x-x
Day 338
When he stepped out of his room that morning, Zekk was surprised to see Jaina already awake. She was sitting on the living room floor with her legs crossed beneath her. Her hair was pulled away from her face, and it looked slightly damp. She smiled at him. “Morning.” The cut across her lips was gone.
She didn’t look awkward, and he took his cue from her. “Morning. I thought you’d still be asleep.”
She shrugged, and stretched her legs out before her. “I’m used to early mornings. I’ve just been taking stock, meditating…that sort of thing. I was going to try to do some healing, but - ” She held out her bare wrists. “They’re hardly even itchy.”
He took the proffered hands and pulled her up before studying her unmarked wrists. “Not even a scar. Did you do that, while you were sleeping?”
She looked surprised, then laughed. “Please, me? I flunked all my healing classes. My uncle, king of patience, finally gave up on me. I couldn’t even manage a healing trance last night - it’s work for me.”
“Then…a delayed reaction from one of the Jedi Healers?” he tried. “Or the bacta.”
“Or that salve.” She had an odd look on her face. “What was in it?”
He shrugged, uncomfortable. “Some herbs, I’ve never really asked. Peckhum bought it a while ago, and gave some to me. I haven’t used it much; I never thought it worked this well. It must have been a delayed reaction.”
“Well, thank you, anyway.” She took her hands back slowly, still scrutinizing them. “I wasn’t looking forward to people’s reactions.”
“You must be hungry,” he said, clearing his throat. “I only have toast and - some eggs, I think.”
“I’m not picky - maybe just some toast? I’d offer to help, but I…don’t mix well with kitchens. Not even toasters. And people get hurt when I hold a knife for too long - I just can’t kick the violence habit.”
He spared her a quick glance, remembering the previous night, but her smirk was only self-deprecating. “How do you even survive?”
“With lots of take-out,” she quickly replied. “But really, most of the time I’m at the landing bay, so I’ll eat at the mess there, or in Coruscant Jedi quarters. Or I just mooch.” She grinned.
“Is it mooching if you have to do the dishes?” he asked. He dropped two pieces of bread into the toaster. While he was waiting, he retrieved an egg from the fridge, and made a mental note to buy more. Turning his back to crack the egg, he heard Jaina step up to the edge of the kitchen.
“Zekk, I - ”
The egg broke cleanly, and he let it spread before he glanced over his shoulder. “Fair’s fair, Princess.”
“Okay, but I meant - I wanted to…to apologize. For last night, I mean.” Her face was strangely composed, unexpectedly the Jedi Knight after breaking a little on his armchair, even after the morning’s inherent awkwardness. “Barging in and crashing, just out of the blue.”
Uncomfortable, Zekk prodded the egg, and then flipped it. “You don’t need to apologize, Jaina. I was worried about you, so it was a relief to know - And what are friends for? How do you drink your caf?”
She ignored his attempt to divert the conversation. “Also, for - what I said. I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
He wondered who they had been, if they were the people who had held her captive, and if her mission had failed. He wondered if she had done this before, or if it would be her first time recovering from it. Probably not, he thought - she had said something about others.
“I forgot,” she was saying, still apologizing. “You aren’t…used to friends just…vanishing without a word, then showing up and talking about people they killed while they were gone.” She paused, and some of her usual good humour darted across her face. “At least, I hope you aren’t.”
The toast popped. “Right, it’s not my world, I couldn’t handle it.”
Jaina’s voice tightened, and he knew she was rolling her eyes. “Don’t be stupid - you know I don’t think that. It’s just a…shock for people. There are other Jedi who would be thrown by it, but most of them will have to deal with death, or at the very least get used to seeing their friends tread water, so to speak.”
“You’re my friend, Jaina. I’d better get used to it. Now button it before you turn this into a fight. You still have to eat breakfast.”
When he turned around, two plates in hand, he was surprised by a hug. “I missed you, you know,” Jaina said into his shoulder.
He was deleting all the Quec’slig holo-reports as soon as he had a chance. “I missed my flying lessons.”
She gave an indignant snort, laughed, and let go to punch him in the arm. “I knew you only hung out with me for my bay access key. Jerk.”
They didn’t talk about the mission again for the rest of the day.
Part 14
R&R?