Fic: "Fast as I Can" (15/20 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 | Part Fourteen
x-x-x
Day 372
In a quirk of engineering that probably cost a few jobs, Coruscant had snow for the first time in decades. It snowed for three days straight, and so hard that even Zekk’s flat saw a metre of it creeping under his building’s door, and the temperature dropped well below freezing where the air and coolant filters had long since declined to only bearable levels. He could only imagine what the upper planet must look like. On his way to work, Zekk wore every sweater he had ever bought or scavenged, and a toque he had found in a crash. He burrowed his fingers into his palms, and promptly lost them in his sleeves.
Only the most devoted or desperate came into the Flash for liquor or warmth, and Zekk would have shut it down if he had thought that they had anywhere else to go. Beryl was already late, and Mique had called in with a description of a house lost in snow. With nothing to look forward to otherwise, Zekk remained behind the counter, keeping busy and mostly warm as he fiddled with the dubiously shuddering heater in the corner. He had long since given up on the pool of slush at the front door.
Jaina Solo entered looking like nothing so much as a drowned cat with an IV of sunshine. “Can you believe this weather?” she demanded. She was only halfway through the door, her left foot still buried somewhere in the snow outside. “You should see it up top. I could practically walk out my apartment window - it’s unbelievable.”
Everyone was staring at the pilot, covered in melting snow, red-cheeked, and twice her width and looking half her size in a cloak that could more easily fit a Wookiee. Her hair looked frozen, and her snow goggles and scarf covered most of her face.
“Jaina?” he said, uncertain if cabin fever had given way to hallucinations.
The Jedi dropped her sopping mitts and toque on a table before awkwardly fiddling with her goggles. “I stopped by Peckhum’s first, but he said you actually came to work - personally, I’ve been calling in sick - so I headed over. Found something of yours in a snow drift, by the way.” She nodded to the door. “Beryl was trying to walk in this, and doing a poor job of it. He should be here in a minute. Although, it’s way clearer down here.” She looked around. “Hey, is that your heater making those noises?”
Zekk decided to run with it. “I think it’s going to die on us soon. How did you even get here?”
Jaina had hung her jacket over a booth, and she vaulted over the counter with definitely Force-aided height. “Kyp and I cooked up this sled thing - Do you have any tools here? Oh, never mind.” She pulled a multi-tool from her belt, and crouched before the heater. “It’s just being difficult, I think. If I can just…”
Beryl almost fell through the door, and into the puddle. “Your girl is crazy. Have you seen her sled? Have you seen her fly?”
“I’m teaching him,” said the dripping legs under the heater. Zekk hadn’t been aware there was that much room under or behind the creaking machine.
“She’s all yours,” Beryl told Zekk before heading into the back.
“Wuss,” said the heater.
“This is a little different from an X-wing,” Zekk pointed out, ignoring Beryl and his insinuations. “And it’s very cold. Please don’t break it.”
“Beryl could do with some toughening up,” she retorted. “But I can fix anything, so maybe he should just try walking around outside without my help.” There was a loud bang before he noticed a change. The heater gave death very serious consideration, sputtered, and then after a sharper bang smoothed into a full hum. Jaina slid out from underneath, her rapidly melting hair swinging before it stuck to her cheeks. “That should do it,” she said. “And all for the low price of a hot chocolate. It’s kind of cold outside.”
“How did you even get here? Some of the snow is taller than you are,” he pointed out.
Jaina looked vaguely annoyed as she retied her hair in a ponytail. Her eyes were particularly bright with against the pallor and pink of her cold cheeks. “I told you. Kyp and I cobbled together this mechanical sled so I could get around.”
“I’m still stuck on the part where they let you out,” he said, nonetheless steaming a large mug of milk.
“Well, it was only Kyp there, and he was busy trying to figure a way out of his latest mess. My mother will never be told of this. And anyway, it’s not like I still live at home. I’m a big girl.”
“You built a sled,” he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“There’s almost four feet of snow, top-side. Hover cars aren’t working, and I would have drowned if I walked; jumping down here was also not an option. Of course I built a sled. It’s actually pretty cool,” she told him, warming up to her topic. “You can’t count on the snow to be packed, of course, but you need some kind of repulsion system, or I wouldn’t have gotten here until next week. So Kyp and I got this idea from - ”
“But why?” he blurted out.
Jaina blinked and looked impatient. “Because most engines give off at least some heat, which you don’t want in this case, because it’ll melt the snow. So anyway, I asked my dad about the machines they used on Hoth - ”
“No,” he interrupted. “I mean - why’d you come down here?”
Jaina stared at him. “Well, to see you.” Apparently exercising maturity, she did not tack on the duh.
He stared back. “There’s a blizzard outside, with snow drifts taller than you are, and you built a sled. Were you that bored?”
Jaina’s face flushed worse than when she had first come in. She looked uncertain, as if she would make a joke to pass it off, before her expression became more serious. “No, I came because you’re my friend, one of my best friends, and because this is our day, and I love snow, but I wanted to make sure - yeah, this is really stupid. Look, I’m really bad with this emotional stuff, but I have a much better opinion of you than you do, okay? And you’re my friend, so we’ll leave it at that.”
Beryl appeared at Zekk’s side while the dark-haired man was still searching for words. “I’ve changed my mind,” the other bartender said. “Let me take her off your hands.”
Jaina was quick to break their staring contest. “You couldn’t handle me.”
But what a way to go, Zekk imagined Beryl saying, and had a feeling that Jaina could make street crawlers think very stupid things.
Part Fifteen
/part 1 of J/Z's candy-sweet portion of the story. Not that they've actually out-sweeted Lera/Nichyn yet :p
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
x-x-x
Day 372
In a quirk of engineering that probably cost a few jobs, Coruscant had snow for the first time in decades. It snowed for three days straight, and so hard that even Zekk’s flat saw a metre of it creeping under his building’s door, and the temperature dropped well below freezing where the air and coolant filters had long since declined to only bearable levels. He could only imagine what the upper planet must look like. On his way to work, Zekk wore every sweater he had ever bought or scavenged, and a toque he had found in a crash. He burrowed his fingers into his palms, and promptly lost them in his sleeves.
Only the most devoted or desperate came into the Flash for liquor or warmth, and Zekk would have shut it down if he had thought that they had anywhere else to go. Beryl was already late, and Mique had called in with a description of a house lost in snow. With nothing to look forward to otherwise, Zekk remained behind the counter, keeping busy and mostly warm as he fiddled with the dubiously shuddering heater in the corner. He had long since given up on the pool of slush at the front door.
Jaina Solo entered looking like nothing so much as a drowned cat with an IV of sunshine. “Can you believe this weather?” she demanded. She was only halfway through the door, her left foot still buried somewhere in the snow outside. “You should see it up top. I could practically walk out my apartment window - it’s unbelievable.”
Everyone was staring at the pilot, covered in melting snow, red-cheeked, and twice her width and looking half her size in a cloak that could more easily fit a Wookiee. Her hair looked frozen, and her snow goggles and scarf covered most of her face.
“Jaina?” he said, uncertain if cabin fever had given way to hallucinations.
The Jedi dropped her sopping mitts and toque on a table before awkwardly fiddling with her goggles. “I stopped by Peckhum’s first, but he said you actually came to work - personally, I’ve been calling in sick - so I headed over. Found something of yours in a snow drift, by the way.” She nodded to the door. “Beryl was trying to walk in this, and doing a poor job of it. He should be here in a minute. Although, it’s way clearer down here.” She looked around. “Hey, is that your heater making those noises?”
Zekk decided to run with it. “I think it’s going to die on us soon. How did you even get here?”
Jaina had hung her jacket over a booth, and she vaulted over the counter with definitely Force-aided height. “Kyp and I cooked up this sled thing - Do you have any tools here? Oh, never mind.” She pulled a multi-tool from her belt, and crouched before the heater. “It’s just being difficult, I think. If I can just…”
Beryl almost fell through the door, and into the puddle. “Your girl is crazy. Have you seen her sled? Have you seen her fly?”
“I’m teaching him,” said the dripping legs under the heater. Zekk hadn’t been aware there was that much room under or behind the creaking machine.
“She’s all yours,” Beryl told Zekk before heading into the back.
“Wuss,” said the heater.
“This is a little different from an X-wing,” Zekk pointed out, ignoring Beryl and his insinuations. “And it’s very cold. Please don’t break it.”
“Beryl could do with some toughening up,” she retorted. “But I can fix anything, so maybe he should just try walking around outside without my help.” There was a loud bang before he noticed a change. The heater gave death very serious consideration, sputtered, and then after a sharper bang smoothed into a full hum. Jaina slid out from underneath, her rapidly melting hair swinging before it stuck to her cheeks. “That should do it,” she said. “And all for the low price of a hot chocolate. It’s kind of cold outside.”
“How did you even get here? Some of the snow is taller than you are,” he pointed out.
Jaina looked vaguely annoyed as she retied her hair in a ponytail. Her eyes were particularly bright with against the pallor and pink of her cold cheeks. “I told you. Kyp and I cobbled together this mechanical sled so I could get around.”
“I’m still stuck on the part where they let you out,” he said, nonetheless steaming a large mug of milk.
“Well, it was only Kyp there, and he was busy trying to figure a way out of his latest mess. My mother will never be told of this. And anyway, it’s not like I still live at home. I’m a big girl.”
“You built a sled,” he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“There’s almost four feet of snow, top-side. Hover cars aren’t working, and I would have drowned if I walked; jumping down here was also not an option. Of course I built a sled. It’s actually pretty cool,” she told him, warming up to her topic. “You can’t count on the snow to be packed, of course, but you need some kind of repulsion system, or I wouldn’t have gotten here until next week. So Kyp and I got this idea from - ”
“But why?” he blurted out.
Jaina blinked and looked impatient. “Because most engines give off at least some heat, which you don’t want in this case, because it’ll melt the snow. So anyway, I asked my dad about the machines they used on Hoth - ”
“No,” he interrupted. “I mean - why’d you come down here?”
Jaina stared at him. “Well, to see you.” Apparently exercising maturity, she did not tack on the duh.
He stared back. “There’s a blizzard outside, with snow drifts taller than you are, and you built a sled. Were you that bored?”
Jaina’s face flushed worse than when she had first come in. She looked uncertain, as if she would make a joke to pass it off, before her expression became more serious. “No, I came because you’re my friend, one of my best friends, and because this is our day, and I love snow, but I wanted to make sure - yeah, this is really stupid. Look, I’m really bad with this emotional stuff, but I have a much better opinion of you than you do, okay? And you’re my friend, so we’ll leave it at that.”
Beryl appeared at Zekk’s side while the dark-haired man was still searching for words. “I’ve changed my mind,” the other bartender said. “Let me take her off your hands.”
Jaina was quick to break their staring contest. “You couldn’t handle me.”
But what a way to go, Zekk imagined Beryl saying, and had a feeling that Jaina could make street crawlers think very stupid things.
Part Fifteen
/part 1 of J/Z's candy-sweet portion of the story. Not that they've actually out-sweeted Lera/Nichyn yet :p
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!