-Another strange almost-songfic from t3h dj. This is a very... well... you should listen to the songs as you read it, because it's more the actual songs that fit, rather than just the lyrics. They are, in order: Will Young - Love The One You're With, Travis - Driftwood, and Snow Patrol - Run.
-Set... a year after NJO? Doesn't matter. Everything's just in the fic. Let me know if you get the "good game no rematch" reference.
-Oh, uh, a very strange style. shrug Shoot the plot bunny.
-and it's a return to non-AU K/J! whoo Wow, I was really starting to hate that blasted story...

----------

"Did you set up the holocam?"

"Yes, I-"

"What about the speakers?"

"Yes, Tahiri, I set up the holocam and the speakers."

"Ssh, dummy! Codenames. I'm Barefoot Girl."

"What's my codename?"

"Imperial Dude."

"...can I change codenames?"

"No."

"...great."

-----

Kyp sighed and opened one eye, glancing across the almost-empty lounge. Jaina sat a few feet away, frowning at the dejarik board. She had lost to Jag a few minutes earlier, though as usual, he hadn't gloated; simply remarked cryptically, "Good game, no rematch," and left the room in a hurry.

Jaina and Jag had parted on good terms a couple of months earlier, and were still good friends. Jag seemed to be becoming friends with Tahiri - perhaps more, as Jaina constantly teased him. Jaina was still single. Kyp wasn't sure where he fit in.

"Are you going to sit and stare at it all day, Jaina?" he demanded.

Jaina looked up and smiled ruefully. "Probably. I can't believe I lost to Jag again..."

Kyp coughed to hide a snicker. "No, me either... It's shocking."

Jaina glared at him quickly. "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, you know."

"Me, be sarcastic? To a Goddess? I wouldn't dare..."

"For some reason, Durron, I don't believe you."

Kyp grinned. "Can't help it if you doubt my integrity, Jaina."

Jaina glared at him for a moment longer, shrugged, and turned her attention back to the dejarik board, frozen as it was on the last move of the game. Kyp tried vaguely to study the board, too, but found Jaina much more interesting.

-----

"Now, Imperial Dude!"

"...Now what?"

"Hit play! Before one of them leaves!"

"I don't think-"

"Just do it!"

"...okay, Ta-"

"Barefoot Girl!"

"Right, right, Barefoot Girl..."

-----

Loud, upbeat music suddenly starting blaring out of hidden speakers in the lounge. Kyp jumped, then looked round, trying to find where it was coming from. But wherever the speakers were, they were hidden too well.

Kyp didn't recognise the song, but he liked it. It was upbeat, with a good rhythm and catchy melody. He looked over at Jaina and shrugged at her confused expression.

"What's this?" she asked, shouting to be heard over the music.

"Don't know. Maybe it's the Holonet. Someone must have installed a sound system in here or something..."

Jaina glanced round the room, but failed to spot anything remotely incriminating. "Is there a way to switch it off?"

"Switch it off?" Kyp grinned and stood up, waving his arm to indicate the emptiness of the room. "Jaina, it's a sign."

Jaina narrowed her eyes at him. "A sign of what?" she asked, suspicious.

"Dance," he said simply, grinning and holding his hand out to Jaina as he stopped in front of her chair.

Jaina raised an eyebrow. "Dance?"

Kyp nodded.

"Nuh uh. No way. I don't dance."

"Uh huh. Apart from the hundreds of thousands of times you have? Come on, Jay, there's no one here to see. Dance!" Without giving her time to deny him again, Kyp grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, ignoring her indignant squeal and swinging her into the middle of the room.

don't be angry, don't be sad
don't sit crying over good times you had
there's a girl right next to you
she's just waiting for something to do

"Kyp! I don't dance like this!"

"Of course you do," he told her firmly, swinging her round again.

love the one you're with
you gotta love the one you're with

Jaina put up a token struggle, but after a moment, she loosened up and fell into the rhythm of the song. She whirled round the room with Kyp, laughing and pulling and pushing and swinging. Kyp grinned again and spun her round, pulling her close to him, swung her away again, and pulling her back just as the song finished with a loud, sudden stop.

-----

"Ha! What'd I tell you? I knew they'd do it!"

"Ta- Barefoot Girl, it was me who told you Kyp would do that."

"Details, details... And remember, codenames. Now, which one next?"

"Next? Next?! You said one song!"

"One's not enough. We need them to kiss."

"Kiss?!"

"You look kinda ill, Imperial Dude. Problem?"

"...No, no problem... kiss?"

"Yeah. We need a slow song for that."

"Jaina won't-"

"Codenames, Imperial Dude!"

"...The Goddess won't slow dance with the Rogue..."

"But Rogue won't let her sit down now."

"...Unfortunately true..."

"So. Let's see... put this one on."

"Okay..."

-----

Kyp smirked at Jaina's messed-up hair and brought a hand up to brush it out of her face. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Guess I do dance after all."

Kyp nodded, but didn't - couldn't - say anything. He had one arm round Jaina, hugging her close to him as they both recovered from the wild dance, and she seemed in no hurry to pull away. Probably just cause she's out of breath. Can't move.

"Denon to Kyp, come in, Kyp. Snap out of it!"

"Huh?" Kyp shifted his attention back to the present and away from general thoughts of Jaina. "Oh, sorry..."

She laughed, and started to pull away - when suddenly, another song started playing.

This one was a little slower than the one before, with a definite chilled sound. Much better than the first song. Kyp half-smiled to himself, absently, and pulled Jaina closer to him again.

everything is open
nothing is set in stone
rivers turn to ocean
oceans tied you home

Jaina groaned, but not very seriously. "Another song? Who's doing this?!"

Kyp shrugged and brought his other arm round to hold her. "Don't know, but it's great." He grinned quickly. "Another dance?"

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh-"

"Shut up and dance."

Jaina stuck her tongue out at him, but obeyed. She seemed vaguely surprised for some reason when Kyp pulled her closer to him, but didn't try to pull back. Instead, she brought her own arms up around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

you're driftwood
floating on the water
breaking into pieces, pieces, pieces

Kyp smiled softly and breathed in Jaina's scent. How on Coruscant had this happened? He was dancing - to a slow song, no less - with Jaina. Granted, it was in an empty lounge, and there was no one there to see it, but that perhaps added to the feeling. Dancing. With Jaina. How strange.

The song slowly faded to a close, but Kyp didn't let go of Jaina. After a moment - a long, comfortable moment - Jaina lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up, meeting his gaze. She bit at her bottom lip, but didn't say anything, and neither did he.

-----

"Sithblood!"

"Is it over?"

"They didn't kiss!"

"Oh, good."

"We need to play another song."

"What? No! No more songs! No kiss!"

"Shut up and play a song or I'll kiss you."

"...you'll what?"

"...or, I won't kiss you unless you play the song. I don't know. Which would you prefer?"

"Uh... I'll play the song, and we'll maybe go by the second one."

"Alright."

"Alright."

"...well, play it."

"Oh, right. Yes."

-----

Kyp's eyes were locked on Jaina's, and he found he couldn't move at all. The temperature in the room had increased substantially - someone must have turned up the heating without informing them. Some part of him noticed that Jaina wasn't moving either, and that her arms were still wrapped round him, but he couldn't really think at that moment, either. Someone must have slipped something into his caf, too.

Another song - softer, slower, smoother - started playing, and the melody broke through the tension. Kyp snapped out of his daze and tried to say something. "Um," was all he came up with.

"Um," agreed Jaina.

"A last dance?"

"I think so..."

Kyp tried to grin. "And then we tell these guys to kriff off and take their music with them, right?"

"Heh... yeah." Jaina nodded and tightened her hold on Kyp, leaning her head against his shoulder once again.

you've been the only thing that's right
in all i've done
and i can barely look at you
but every single time I do
i know we'll make it anywhere
away from here

Kyp closed his eyes as he and Jaina danced slowly round the room. The scent of Jaina's hair and perfume - both something flowery - filled his senses, as did her Force presence, strong, yet strangely calm and at peace for the moment. The song seemed to take over him, controlling his movements and leaving him free to concentrate on the moment. Dancing. With Jaina. Still strange, but so comfortable and right.

even if you cannot hear my voice
i'll be right beside you dear

The song was about to end, he knew, and then the moment would be over. Wasn't there a way to make it last?

Maybe...

Kyp was sure he hadn't thought that, but it was hard to tell. Jaina shifted in his arms, and his heart fell; she was going to pull away, thank him for the dance, leave. Yes, and he would nod, and grin, and make a sarcastic remark, and everything would be as it was before.

Then she looked up, her brown eyes searching his for... something. Having found it, she leaned up, and then the world disappeared.

-----

"Haha! See? See? Look at that, Imperial Dude!"

"...no, thanks."

"I knew they'd do it... Astral. Ah, I've been waiting for them to kiss since - well, a long time. No offense to you."

"None taken. But do you know what would be better?"

"What?"

"Well, I did play the song, and we did agree to go by the second statement, so..."

"So I guess I owe you a kiss, too."

"It would seem so, Barefoot Girl."

"Alright. I guess. One kiss."

"Just one..."

-----

"Jay?"

Jaina pulled out of Kyp's embrace and took a step back, biting at her bottom lip. "Sorry, I- I mean-"

"No." Kyp reached up a hand to cover her mouth and stop her talking. "No sorry's. I just... want to know..." He wasn't sure what to say; wasn't even sure what he wanted to know. He knew what the kiss had meant to him, but he wasn't sure about Jaina...

"Yes."

Kyp frowned, confused. "Yes what?"

"I think... it meant the same to me," Jaina said quietly.

Kyp smiled ruefully. "Stop reading my thoughts."

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "Stop thinking so loudly. But... yes. It did."

"So you want to be..."

"Partners," Jaina supplied, grinning ruefully. "For always."

"And ever."

"Uh huh."

Kyp thought about it for a second. "Yeah..." He hesitated. "Sealed with a kiss?"

"Another one, you mean?"

Kyp grinned and stepped forward, lowering his head to press his lips against Jaina's in a short kiss.

"...Or two," she added after a second.

"I could maybe go for two or three," Kyp agreed, obliging her.

-----

"Rogue has a good philosophy there, Barefoot Girl."

"You think two's good too?"

"I think two could work, yes."

"And then maybe more?"

"Maybe more . . ."

". . . You're too tall, you know that?"

"And you're too short. Grow."

"Shrink."

"Or we could just both stay the same."

"As long as that involves another kiss, I'll agree."

"I can arrange that."

"Good. You should arrange it now."

"Only too happy to oblige, Barefoot Girl. Only too happy."