Title: Now or Never
Author: Blizzy aka stupid-gizka
Timeframe: NJO
Genre: humor, romance
Summary: Kyp/Jaina story - What would you do with alcohol-intoxicated Jedi Master in your bedroom?
Disclaimer: Nothing of this belongs to me. I apologize to Lucas and anyone else I might offend.
Author's Notes: Spare my life if you find any mistakes, English is not my first language. The courage to post this little piece of madness, was given to me by my accomplice Milwa, who laughed out loud reading it in a jam-packed tram. 05/12/04 Sithspit, I just found out how many stupid mistakes I made … horrible. I corrected them, so it is now without the major typos… I hope. 14/12/04 Ahem. So this is the final version. Beta'ed by Orpheus.
At 4 o'clock the hallways of Mon Calamarian base were totally quiet.
Well, almost quiet.
Soft footsteps echoed through them. Captain Jaina Solo, Twin Suns leader and Vong Goddess, walked towards her apartment, reading a datapad. At least, she tried to read. She just stared at the text, Aurabesh letters swirling in front of her eyes. She sighed and blinked to clear her vision. Her legs automatically carried her through the complex, turning in appropriate hallways, avoiding any obstacles.
Jaina once again tried to read that stupid report when she slammed head-on in her Master.
"Kyp!" she exclaimed and her cheeks reddened as he hugged her, swirling them around the deserted corridor until he managed to kill his motion. Jaina laughed, tiredness instantly leaving her. But then she felt that something was wrong. Or more correctly, something wasn't right. Jaina focused on Kyp's face. His usually calm, wise and caring eyes were now clouded and somewhat mischievous with an unusual gleam. And his charming smile now looked a little ridiculous. And his breath, close to her face...
"Kyp! You're drunk!" Jaina scowled.
"One hundred percent." Kyp produced an unsteady smile.
That smell...
"You must have been drinking that filth they call Corellian Ale here with... are you crazy - Chandrilan elderberry?"
"Right!" Kyp exclaimed, tightening his arms around her. "Would you dance with me, gorgeous Goddess?" He hiccupped.
"Kyp! What are you doing?! Someone would..." Jaina tried to push away, but he already started to move in his own rhythm. "C'mon, Kyp, stop it or you will regret it!"
Jaina had to suppress the twitch in her stomach as she felt Kyp's hot, drunken breath on her neck. "I have learned that you should never regret any of your actions."
Twin leader suddenly felt queasy as they whirled through the hallway.
"And besides," Kyp continued, "I love when you...threaten me."
And then he nuzzled her ear. "I want to spend the night with you, Highness," Jaina barely heard his whispered request.
She pulled him away with utter shock, her face red. "KYP DURRON! You are drunk! You don't know what are saying! And ... what's that?" she pointed furiously at his face.
Kyp touched his cheek as if he had seen it for the first time in his entire life. When his
fingers reached magnificent bruise forming around his right eye, Kyp flinched with pain.
"A black eye?" he innocently suggested.
"Who did it?" Jaina hissed dangerously. Drunken or not, he was her very close friend, her Master and no one was going to punch him without fury of his Padawan.
Kyp's face split in huge grin. "Mr. Join-The-Empire is looking triple hic worse!"
Jaina was petrified. He wasn't joking. He really did it. It was only matter of time until he would turn on Jagged. She drew deep breath. "So, you got drunk and brawled with Jag?"
His grin died out in a millisecond. Now his face displayed distress.
"No, my sexy Goddess. First, I smashed his face AND then I got drunk 'cos I knew you will be mad at me. You are, aren't you?" Kyp gave her most disarming Kyp Durron childish face.
"Sithspawn, what did he ever do to you? Tell me why!" Jaina growled, feeling tired again.
"We fought over you, mighty Beauty, and I won!" Kyp replied, pride clear in his voice.
Jaina sighed. Fun was over. Jedi Master or not, he still sometimes acted like a thirteen year old.
"Get sober. Now. We need to talk about this."
Kyp drowsily leaned on the wall. "Sorry, lovely princess. I'm too drunk to wield the fork, uh, the Force!"
She believed him. Corellian Ale was already bad without the damned elderberry extract. Together it made a volatile substance that was lethal to certain species. Jaina wondered how he still managed to stay vertical and speak in coherent sentences.
So she extended her hand towards him. "Come Kyp. You have to sleep it out."
"With you?" Kyp's eyes sparkled.
"We'll see. Come."
Jaina had almost to carry him, because he was no longer capable of walking straight. She planned to drag him into his quarters, but since he shared them with Jag and two other Twin Suns pilots, she decided to take him to her own apartment.
Kyp Durron groaned. His head was big as Cloud City and hurt as if it had been swallowed by screeching, hungry voxyn.
Blast, it hurts.
He snuggled deeper in the sheets and turned onto his stomach.
Kyp froze in mid-movement.
His nostrils filled unique scent of Jaina Solo. He painfully allowed himself to open one
bloodshot eye. He lied sprawled on Jaina's luxurious bed, amid silky sheets.
I must be dreaming!
Kyp shut his eyes again.
What happened? Why... How...
Yesterday was total mystery to him. So he lay still, thoughts racing in his head. Finally, he got up in a dazed quest for something non-alcoholic to drink. He even suspiciously scanned the bedroom for any plants, but was not lucky. When he found his clothes scattered all around the room, his mind was filled with dread.
Did he...? Did...she? Did...what?
Kyp carefully tiptoed to the living room.
Jaina stood there, preparing something to eat only in nightgown and.... Kyp's jaw hit the ground. She wore just silk nightgown and his cape. HIS CAPE! He hoped a stormcloud would appear and and lightning strike him.
Instead, she turned around.
Jaina's face brightened with beautiful, charming smile.
Lover's smile, part of Kyp's brain smirked.
He was bewildered and ashamed of the fact that he had probably forgot how her lips tasted, how her hair smelt and how her skin against his.
Kyp put his mental barriers up when she approached him, a smile playing on her marvelous features.
And, of course, she kissed him. Just a butterfly soft kiss on his forehead, but it made Kyp shield better than Imperial Star Destroyer over Bothawui.
When Jaina said, "Did you sleep well, my... Master?" Kyp hoped that the lightning would come anytime soon. He wasn't able to say a word. He tried to Force calm himself but failed miserably.
In spite of his vocals were constricted, he managed to rasp.
"What?"
"Oh, I thought that. So you don't remember beating Jag Fel...among other things." Jaina produced small, uncertain smile.
Kyp didn't know if 'the other things' frightened him more than 'beating Jagged Fel'.
"Other...things?" Kyp swallowed.
Jaina's cheeks flushed a bit and he wanted to have a thermal detonator to detonate himself.
Kyp steeled himself and replied in relatively strong voice. "I deny everything I have said. I apologize. Whatever I might have said is not true. I really didn't mean to..." he stopped blaming himself when he noticed the expression on Jaina's face.
The twinkle in her eyes was gone, her face icy. Silence crept in the room.
"That hurt, Durron. I foolishly thought it was true, but since it isn't, you should leave."
Jaina gestured towards the door and turned her face to the viewport.
Kyp was torn. WHAT the Sith he might have said? He hoped that he hadn't...
"Jaina," he pleaded. "What did I say? I need to know."
She still stared out of the viewport, not turning back.
"You...you...you said that you did all these things because...because you loved me. And you will never leave me. That I'm most beautiful woman in this galaxy. That..." Jaina abruptly stopped when she felt Kyp's arms sneak around her waist.
"Kyp. Let me go," she begged.
As she felt heat of his breath and his strong body so close, her pulse rapidly quickened.
"That's what I said?" he purred in her ear. "Man, I must have been drunk."
Jaina chuckled a bit, although she didn't want to.
Kyp went on. "I denied it because I though I might have very rudely offended Admiral
Kre'fey mother or maybe The Great Moffling Skywalker himself, so I was rather cautious. I'm afraid that it is just a beautiful dream, that I will soon wake in quarters with The White Chiss above me, snoring Twi'lek and Twin Six, who often screams from his sleep the name of his various girlfriends. But about what I've said to you, I was totally serious. As serious as..."
Jaina spun in one fluid movement, sending Kyp to the ground two meters away, shock in her eyes.
She let out a rather hysterical laugh. The type of laugh that a pilot in hyperspace might make, when he heard strange sounds coming from his hyperdrive. Her expression shifted like sands of Tatooine.
"That...that's not possible! You are not serious! You cannot be! It was..." she took heavy breath. "It was just a joke. Limping, Face Loran stopped by and wanted me to congratulate you for...immobilizing Jag in bacta. Moreover, he told me what you did yesterday...we...he...I just wanted to see how you would react...after. A prank... Just a prank."
Kyp crawled to the wall and rested his back against it. His eyes were cold and aloof.
Jaina had no idea why she was breathing heavily, why it hurt so much to tell him such things but mostly why she wanted his arms back around her. Stang, was her Master!
Kyp studied her with blank expression, but his eyes had hurt inside. After a while of uncomfortable silence and staring, he cleared his throat.
"So it seems that this prank of yours was successful," his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"No it wasn't! Kyp! It was supposed to confuse you, not to..." Jaina's voice failed her.
The Jedi Master threw her a last glance and picked himself up to leave. Halfway across the room, he quietly muttered to himself. "That's why I never told you."
Still, Jaina heard it.
It took her only few heartbeats to decide.
Something told her that it was now or never.
Jaina Solo sprung in action.
When Kyp opened the door, something turned him swiftly around. He backed a few steps, into the corridor.
"What is it, Goddess?" he asked tiredly, but in his eyes appeared tiny sparkle of hope.
Maybe...
"I don't know, Kyp. I just, sithspit, have no idea what's going on!" Jaina's look was
desperate.
"Neither do I," Kyp whispered, his emerald eyes burning into her brown ones.
"Do you love me?" He dared after moment of silence.
"Kyp," her voice failed again. "I don't know, I really don't..."
"Tell me what you feel and then decide. If you do or if you do not." Kyp's eyes were
incredibly serious.
Jaina took a deep breath. So it is now or never.
"I," she croaked, "The day isn't bright enough when you don't greet me over the breakfast. I cannot sleep properly when you are away; I am frightened that something might happen to you. My skin tingles every time you touch me. When you accompany me, I feel like myself, I don't have to act as I'm supposed to, all problems seem to disappear..." Jaina went silent, their eyes locked.
"So?" Kyp managed to say.
A small, beautiful smile appeared on her lips. "Permission to kiss you, Master?" She asked with husky, trembling voice.
Kyp let his Force barriers and shields collapse, showing her everything. So did she, as he slowly, gently descended to her. Their lips were just millimeters apart, passion sparkling in the air, when he heard something big hit the ground. He spread his Force awareness...
...and went rigid. With horror.
"Jaina," Kyp breathed," can you wait for few seconds? I have to kill someone before we … "
Jaina, puzzled, tore her gaze from Kyp and suddenly understood.
They weren't alone.
More than that, they were crowded.
The thumping sound had been made by Wes Janson, as he hit the ground, his body shaking with suppressed laughter.
The whole hallway was filled with people - personnel, Rogues, Twins, Yellow Aces and, of course, Wraiths.
Hobbie had fist stuffed in his mouth to prevent himself from yelling. Tycho stood still, but his jaw was clenched and his eyes shone. General Antilles pretended to study a very interesting spot on the ceiling, a small smile tugging at his features. Even Corran Horn was present. He was producing something that might stay for saying 'I'm trying to Force-blind myself'.
Jaina realized that they were in big trouble.
She also recognized yellow-orange uniforms of reporters from Trinebulon, her parents' favourite gossip holo. She also spotted Kell Tainer and his wife, Tyria. She gave Jaina a smug grin and Tainer showed them the thumbs up. In front of all this mess stood Face, holding two holocameras at once, grinning fiercely. Suddenly, his eyes grew larger and his smile even broader. Soon, Jaina knew why.
"Pathetic. Such bunch of nonsenses. I would never understand humans." An amused voice said behind Jaina and Kyp.
Jaina didn't need to turn around. Just a glimpse of huge, spinning eyes came with that voice. The last thing she needed was to face Ackbar's wrath right now.
Luckily, Kyp was a quick thinker. He propelled them back to the room and slammed the door behind with the Force.
The hallway erupted in gales of uncontrollable cheers, laughter and offends on Janson's address.
A possible sequel already exists, called Revenge of Jagged Fel.