Fic: "Fast as I Can" (14/20 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 | Part Thirteen
x-x-x
Day 358
“I think you might be getting worse,” Jaina mused when they entered the hallway. “In fact, almost killing someone almost definitely counts as getting worse.”
“I swerved with plenty of time,” Zekk protested, leading the way to his door. “And it wasn’t someone, it was one of those automated traffic pots. We aren’t even talking AI, here.”
“They’re the size of small Hutts, they’re painted bright red, and you still managed to almost hit it. Also, it made that sparking, squealing sound. That could have been your first victim, Ace.”
“I learned everything I know from my trainer. At least I can miss a whole row of mansions.”
The sound of her laughter followed him into the flat, and he turned back to see her. The laughs were slowly coming in more steadily since Quec’slig, but Zekk still derived some relief each time. In this case, however, it made him inattentive to his surroundings.
“You only wish I had taught you half of what I know, youngling,” Jaina crowed.
“And the First Tier Botanical Estates were…?”
“At least I was a good fifteen years younger than you are.”
“Excuses, excuses - ”
Peckhum coughed, and sidestepped Zekk before the young man could walk into him. “Am I interrupting something?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Zekk saw Jaina’s hand drop to her lightsaber, and then just as quickly fall free. At least, he thought, he wasn’t the only one taken off guard. “No, of course not - what are you talking about?” Babbling, Zekk reminded himself, was not the way to deal with Peckhum’s curiosity. He shut up for the moment, inappropriately nervous.
Jaina paused a half-second longer than Zekk would have expected, but she stepped up with her usual cockiness. “I’m Jaina. Solo. You must be Peckhum.” Her smile was almost as mischievous as Peckhum’s own, and it worried Zekk. “I’ve heard so much about you - I’m hoping you can return Zekk’s favour. Preferably with as many embarrassing details as possible.”
Peckhum’s grin stretched into something eerily close to Jaina’s most mischievous. “Well, Miss Jaina Solo. Seen your picture in the holo-reports. Didn’t expect to see you here, though, not yet.”
Jaina turned deep red. “Well - you know - it’s a tough neighbourhood. Someone needs to make sure Zekk doesn’t do something stupid.” She eased back to step on Zekk’s foot.
What are you, twelve? Zekk wondered as loudly as he could. He cleared his throat. “Jaina’s teaching me to fly - I told you that - so I was going to make some dinner. I’m trying to teach her how to cook.”
“It’s a lost cause,” Jaina said dolefully. “I still set things on fire in the microwave.”
“How you can be a Jedi, and lack basic survival skills, I’ll never know,” Zekk replied, tugging her ponytail. The look on Peckhum’s face made Zekk refocus. His hand dropped from Jaina’s hair, and he gave Peckhum an awkward smile. “I didn’t know you were - did I forget…?”
“No, just dropped by,” the old man said. “Thought I’d see how you were doing. This’ll be the perfect time for me to meet your…Jaina.” As Zekk watched, seized by his nerves, Peckhum drew Jaina further into the flat. “Sit down with an old man. Did you just get back?”
Jaina started, and tossed Zekk a wary look. “I - ”
“From the training thing, yeah,” Zekk interrupted. “A few days ago. Right, Jaina?”
“Yeah, I’m just surprised you mentioned it,” Jaina said, not skipping another beat as she turned back to Peckhum. “It was this Jedi survival program, no tech, and I could barely let Zekk know I was leaving. He got kind of ticked.”
Zekk rolled his eyes. “Well, if you will run off without a word - ”
“So I’ve been taking him flying constantly to make it up to him.” She grinned at Zekk, and he gestured that he’d be in the kitchen.
“And how’s he doing?” he heard Peckhum ask. “Not giving you any trouble?”
“No, no,” Jaina replied, a little more softly. “Zekk’s - I mean, I love flying, so I’m not sure if anyone could really be trouble when I’m in the cockpit. But Zekk’s a natural. He’s…he’s doing very well.”
Rummaging through his cooler, Zekk blushed and grinned.
“He’s a smart boy,” Peckhum was saying. He sounded proud. “Like my own son.”
“Well, I don’t mind him, either.”
“He loves it, you know.” Peckhum was unusually intent. Zekk had a bad feeling about this.
Jaina sounded flustered. “Well, we have that in common. But you know, I wanted to talk to you about something - ” But her voice dropped even lower, and Zekk couldn’t hear anything else.
x-x-x
“Sorry if he hounded you.” Zekk’s cheeks were still faintly red from the dinner conversation. “He seems to think - well, he’s probably wondering if any of the tabloids are right.”
“I’ll never understand those things,” Jaina said. Her lips were curled in something like amusement. “I’m a Jedi, and a Rogue pilot. How much time do they think I even have? How many guys could I actually make time for?”
You come see me, Zekk thought suddenly. He didn’t say it.
“He’s great, though,” Jaina continued. “Peckhum. I like him - he really cares about you.”
“Yeah.” Zekk leaned against the hallway. Peckhum was still in his flat, but Zekk felt himself lingering outside anyway. “Do you need me to show you where you parked your hover car, again?”
“No, I remember where it is.” Her face looked soft in the dim lighting. “And Peckhum is waiting.” She rapped the door lightly with her knuckles. She grinned. “Or eavesdropping at the door.”
Zekk gave the door a disbelieving look. “What is he, five? Crazy old man.”
Jaina laughed. “Well, I’ll see you later. Remember to do those reflex exercises I showed you - it might save a few lives.”
“But do they save apartments?” he asked, just to see her make a face at him. “Next week, then.”
“Bye.”
As Jaina had predicted, Peckhum was still close to the door when Zekk re-entered the flat. To Zekk’s surprise, however, the teasing did not immediately commence. Zekk gave the older man a wary look. When Peckhum made no venture to start, Zekk spoke. “So, just checking up, hm?” He led Peckhum back into the living room. “Are you alright?”
Peckhum rolled his eyes as they sat. “I’m fine, kid. Stop worrying.”
Although relieved, the response increased Zekk’s suspicions. “Who told you I was out with Jaina?”
“I stopped by the Flash for some food. They happened to mention - ”
“You grilled them, you mean,” Zekk said indulgently. He paused. “Well, what did you think of her?”
Peckhum took a similar moment to watch his charge. “Nice girl,” he finally said. “Good head on her shoulders. Knows her engines.”
“She does that,” Zekk agreed. “I’m pretty sure she has names for her X-wing and all her droids.”
“And she likes you.”
Zekk couldn’t hold back his smile. “She’s a good friend.”
“That, too,” Peckhum conceded.
Part 15
-
I am branching out with my cut!lyrics--this time, with "Falling is Like This" by Ani DiFranco. How did Ani find her way into a J/Z fic, anyway?
R&R = <33
x-x-x
Day 358
“I think you might be getting worse,” Jaina mused when they entered the hallway. “In fact, almost killing someone almost definitely counts as getting worse.”
“I swerved with plenty of time,” Zekk protested, leading the way to his door. “And it wasn’t someone, it was one of those automated traffic pots. We aren’t even talking AI, here.”
“They’re the size of small Hutts, they’re painted bright red, and you still managed to almost hit it. Also, it made that sparking, squealing sound. That could have been your first victim, Ace.”
“I learned everything I know from my trainer. At least I can miss a whole row of mansions.”
The sound of her laughter followed him into the flat, and he turned back to see her. The laughs were slowly coming in more steadily since Quec’slig, but Zekk still derived some relief each time. In this case, however, it made him inattentive to his surroundings.
“You only wish I had taught you half of what I know, youngling,” Jaina crowed.
“And the First Tier Botanical Estates were…?”
“At least I was a good fifteen years younger than you are.”
“Excuses, excuses - ”
Peckhum coughed, and sidestepped Zekk before the young man could walk into him. “Am I interrupting something?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Zekk saw Jaina’s hand drop to her lightsaber, and then just as quickly fall free. At least, he thought, he wasn’t the only one taken off guard. “No, of course not - what are you talking about?” Babbling, Zekk reminded himself, was not the way to deal with Peckhum’s curiosity. He shut up for the moment, inappropriately nervous.
Jaina paused a half-second longer than Zekk would have expected, but she stepped up with her usual cockiness. “I’m Jaina. Solo. You must be Peckhum.” Her smile was almost as mischievous as Peckhum’s own, and it worried Zekk. “I’ve heard so much about you - I’m hoping you can return Zekk’s favour. Preferably with as many embarrassing details as possible.”
Peckhum’s grin stretched into something eerily close to Jaina’s most mischievous. “Well, Miss Jaina Solo. Seen your picture in the holo-reports. Didn’t expect to see you here, though, not yet.”
Jaina turned deep red. “Well - you know - it’s a tough neighbourhood. Someone needs to make sure Zekk doesn’t do something stupid.” She eased back to step on Zekk’s foot.
What are you, twelve? Zekk wondered as loudly as he could. He cleared his throat. “Jaina’s teaching me to fly - I told you that - so I was going to make some dinner. I’m trying to teach her how to cook.”
“It’s a lost cause,” Jaina said dolefully. “I still set things on fire in the microwave.”
“How you can be a Jedi, and lack basic survival skills, I’ll never know,” Zekk replied, tugging her ponytail. The look on Peckhum’s face made Zekk refocus. His hand dropped from Jaina’s hair, and he gave Peckhum an awkward smile. “I didn’t know you were - did I forget…?”
“No, just dropped by,” the old man said. “Thought I’d see how you were doing. This’ll be the perfect time for me to meet your…Jaina.” As Zekk watched, seized by his nerves, Peckhum drew Jaina further into the flat. “Sit down with an old man. Did you just get back?”
Jaina started, and tossed Zekk a wary look. “I - ”
“From the training thing, yeah,” Zekk interrupted. “A few days ago. Right, Jaina?”
“Yeah, I’m just surprised you mentioned it,” Jaina said, not skipping another beat as she turned back to Peckhum. “It was this Jedi survival program, no tech, and I could barely let Zekk know I was leaving. He got kind of ticked.”
Zekk rolled his eyes. “Well, if you will run off without a word - ”
“So I’ve been taking him flying constantly to make it up to him.” She grinned at Zekk, and he gestured that he’d be in the kitchen.
“And how’s he doing?” he heard Peckhum ask. “Not giving you any trouble?”
“No, no,” Jaina replied, a little more softly. “Zekk’s - I mean, I love flying, so I’m not sure if anyone could really be trouble when I’m in the cockpit. But Zekk’s a natural. He’s…he’s doing very well.”
Rummaging through his cooler, Zekk blushed and grinned.
“He’s a smart boy,” Peckhum was saying. He sounded proud. “Like my own son.”
“Well, I don’t mind him, either.”
“He loves it, you know.” Peckhum was unusually intent. Zekk had a bad feeling about this.
Jaina sounded flustered. “Well, we have that in common. But you know, I wanted to talk to you about something - ” But her voice dropped even lower, and Zekk couldn’t hear anything else.
x-x-x
“Sorry if he hounded you.” Zekk’s cheeks were still faintly red from the dinner conversation. “He seems to think - well, he’s probably wondering if any of the tabloids are right.”
“I’ll never understand those things,” Jaina said. Her lips were curled in something like amusement. “I’m a Jedi, and a Rogue pilot. How much time do they think I even have? How many guys could I actually make time for?”
You come see me, Zekk thought suddenly. He didn’t say it.
“He’s great, though,” Jaina continued. “Peckhum. I like him - he really cares about you.”
“Yeah.” Zekk leaned against the hallway. Peckhum was still in his flat, but Zekk felt himself lingering outside anyway. “Do you need me to show you where you parked your hover car, again?”
“No, I remember where it is.” Her face looked soft in the dim lighting. “And Peckhum is waiting.” She rapped the door lightly with her knuckles. She grinned. “Or eavesdropping at the door.”
Zekk gave the door a disbelieving look. “What is he, five? Crazy old man.”
Jaina laughed. “Well, I’ll see you later. Remember to do those reflex exercises I showed you - it might save a few lives.”
“But do they save apartments?” he asked, just to see her make a face at him. “Next week, then.”
“Bye.”
As Jaina had predicted, Peckhum was still close to the door when Zekk re-entered the flat. To Zekk’s surprise, however, the teasing did not immediately commence. Zekk gave the older man a wary look. When Peckhum made no venture to start, Zekk spoke. “So, just checking up, hm?” He led Peckhum back into the living room. “Are you alright?”
Peckhum rolled his eyes as they sat. “I’m fine, kid. Stop worrying.”
Although relieved, the response increased Zekk’s suspicions. “Who told you I was out with Jaina?”
“I stopped by the Flash for some food. They happened to mention - ”
“You grilled them, you mean,” Zekk said indulgently. He paused. “Well, what did you think of her?”
Peckhum took a similar moment to watch his charge. “Nice girl,” he finally said. “Good head on her shoulders. Knows her engines.”
“She does that,” Zekk agreed. “I’m pretty sure she has names for her X-wing and all her droids.”
“And she likes you.”
Zekk couldn’t hold back his smile. “She’s a good friend.”
“That, too,” Peckhum conceded.
Part 15
-
I am branching out with my cut!lyrics--this time, with "Falling is Like This" by Ani DiFranco. How did Ani find her way into a J/Z fic, anyway?
R&R = <33