Saga - PT Driving Lessons - OTP challenge #18 - 5+1 (Family of Scoundrels)

Title: Driving Lessons - Or The five times Estra tried to teach F’kisi to drive and the one time she managed it.
Author: Kit'
Timeframe: 33-30 BBY
Genre: fluff, drama, multi-snapshot
Characters: F'kisi and Estra - plus Nikko and Zallie as side characters
Challenge: OTP Challenge 18
Summary: Estra is determined that she will teach F'kisi to drive a speeder. This is the story of how she managed it, and managed to fall in love at the same time.

Notes: This is very much for @Findswoman and her love for Estra



*

1 - The reluctant student


“What do you mean you can’t drive a speeder?” Estra glanced at the boy. He shrugged. He was the Queen’s nephew, the one that Rin had said they’d take on as a favour. She knew her Da hadn’t been best pleased, but that was sort of to be expected. An extra mouth aboard The Lady meant less food on all their plates. The Queen had said she’d give Rin a stipend, whatever that was, to cover the boy’s food.

She’d heard Rin and Da arguing about it, Rin wanted to refuse the money as it was only supposed to be a short stay, but Da had said that if the Queen insisted then rejecting the offer would be rude. Estra thought they were both silly, saying no to any money was always the foolish option. Particularly when the boy had turned out to be twice the size of a normal sixteen year old.

“In my village we walk everywhere,” he said gruffly as he dumped his bag inside the doorway. Estra raised an eyebrow.

“Well, that’s got to stop,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, “on my ship we drive.”

“It’s not your ship,” Nicco said as he brushed past her, “it's Da and Rin’s ship.”

“It’s Da’s ship,” Estra corrected. “Or it’s our ship. We were here first.”

Nicco shrugged.

“Suit yourself,” he said and tossed a bag to the new boy. “Here F’kisi, this is some extra stuff Rin said you’ll need.”

“Thanks,” the boy didn’t make eye-contact with either of them. He just sat on his bed and stared into the distance.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Nicco said with a grin, “welcome aboard.”

Estra glared at her brother as he left them and made his way down the ship's corridor. She swung back to where the new boy was still sitting on the bed. He was making a show of unpacking the bag Nicco had flung him and completely ignoring her.

Estra leaned against the doorframe.

“So you really can’t drive a speeder,” she said again. The boy shook his head without looking up.

“No.”

Estra thought for a minute and then shrugged.

“Well, then I’m going to teach you.”

He looked up at her, finally meeting her eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not very good.”

Estra shrugged again. “Not yet, but you will be by the time I’ve finished with you.”



*


2 - Speed Bump


“I can’t believe you hit it.” Estra pulled off her goggles and helmet and threw them onto the floor in disgust. F’kisi trailed after her looking somewhat downcast.

“I didn’t mean to hit it.”

“I know that. I mean no-one ever means to hit anything, but you did.” Swirls of desert sand crept in through the open cargo door. Nicco was watching them from the top of the stairs, one twin on each leg.

“I’m taking that it didn’t go well,” he said grinning as he handed Kei another piece of fruit from the plate next to him. The boys were covered in the bright, red juice that ran down from each chunk of melon.

“No, it did not go well,” Estra said and glared at her brother before turning that same glare back on F’kisi. The young man hung his head and put his goggles and helmet down gently.

Nicco was impressed. Even though Estra and F’kisi were the same age, the young man towered over his sister. Nicco had thought the height might have given F’kisi an advantage when it came to dealing with Estra’s rather sharp tongue.

It hadn’t.

Estra bossed F’kisi around, much to Nicco’s amusement. Da and Rin had been worried about F’kisi settling into The Lady, but he hadn’t had much choice.

Estra had made him fit.

Rin had described it as Estra jamming a slightly square peg into a round hole, shaving off the rough patches until it fit like she wanted it to. The attempt to teach F’kisi to drive a speeder was a perfect example. It didn’t seem to matter how many lessons Estra pushed F’kisi into, nothing seemed to stick. She hadn’t given up though, on each new planet the speeder was taken out on a daily basis. Generally until F’kisi hit something.

It wasn’t all bad, Nicco reflected, at least it gave him something to repair while they travelled.

“It’s Tatooine. There’s nothing out there but cursed sand. I can’t believe he found the one thing to hit.” Estra muttered to no-one in particular as she clomped up the stairs and swiped a piece of melon off the plate. Taro wailed until she broke it in half and offered him the other piece.

Nicco looked back down the stairs to where F’kisi had sat down on one of the shipping boxes and was staring out into the empty dunes.

“What did you hit?” Nicco asked. F’kisi shrugged and pointed up the stairs to where Estra was still standing glaring at everyone as if she could set the world on fire.

“He hit a Bantha,” the girl declared. “Miles and miles of nothing. Nothing but sand and emptiness and he hits a Bantha.”


*

3 - Pedal to the metal


“Better. You’ve got this. Just ease up a little. That’s the way.” Estra’s voice was soft and reassuring. It was funny that out here, when it was just the two of them, she became a lot calmer and more relaxed. They were coming up on The Lady and F’kisi was feeling rather chuffed with himself. He had done it. One driving lesson with no incidents. He hadn’t crashed and he’d only hopped it a couple of times.

He grinned and glanced sideways at Estra who was staring ahead, one hand hovering mid air. There was something about her that made his heart race and his ears burn. He hadn’t said anything to anyone about it, because he knew they would laugh at him.

“A bit to the left,” she said softly, “slow down now as we’re coming up to the ramp. We don’t want to crash.”

Her hand brushed his and F’kisi felt a tingle run up his arm. His heart beat in his ears and face burned. The world slowed to nothing except the two of them.

“Stop!” Estra’s voice came crashing through the dream. “Hit the breaks.”

F’kisi looked up to see the ramp of The Lady dangerously close. He slammed his foot to the floor but, instead of stopping, the speeder lurched forward hurling them into the side of the ramp. F’kisi hit the steering wheel hard.

There was the sound of feet thumping through the belly of the ship. Estra rounded on him, her face alight with anger.

“What do you call that? Why didn’t you stop?”

F’kisi shrugged. He didn’t know. His hand still tingled where she had brushed it. All he could think about was that this would mean more driving lessons.


*

4 - Lunch


“What have you got there?” Nicco asked, wheeling himself out from underneath the control panel. Estra was stomping through The Lady, F’kisi at her heels like a lost puppy. When his sister didn’t slow, Nicco waited until he saw Zallie skipping behind them. “How did the driving lessons go?”

“I don’t know, all I got told was the F’kisi got lunch for everyone,” Zallie said skipping away.

Nicco climbed to his feet and followed them down to the mess. He watched as his sister threw a tip-yip down on the table. Feathers fluttered around them and Rin turned from where she’d been washing dishes in the sink.

“Where did you get the tip-yip from?” Rin asked, making a face. “Why does it still have feathers?”

“F’kisi,” Estra said grumpily sliding into a chair. “He took it out with the speeder and I figured it shouldn’t go to waste.”


*


5 - Accident Prone


“Who thought this was a good idea?” Nicco yelled, gripping the door handle so hard his knuckles turned white.

“He’s got to learn how to drive in traffic sometime. We can’t just keep driving in the wild and hoping that’ll be good enough.” Estra said calmly, although Nicco noticed that her lips were pressed together in a tight line. F’kisi said nothing.

“Yeah, but here? Little sister, you’re insane.”

“F’kisi’ll be fine. Just make sure you keep the vehicle on the road.” Her hand reached up and gently moved the wheel. There was a thump as the speeder leveled itself.

“Also watch for pedestrians,” Nicco yelled as a bunch of various humanoids scattered in front of them.

“You’ve nearly got it,” Estra said as F’kisi took a corner at speed, throwing them sideways against the side of the speeder. In the driver’s seat F’kisi grinned.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Nicco said softly, closing his eyes as they took another corner.

“You’ve got it,” Estra said proudly. There was a whump and then a spray of water droplets. Nicco looked behind them to see the top of a hydrant lazily spin across the roadway. Water fountained into the air. The speeder didn’t slow.

“He doesn’t have it,” Nicco said matter-of-factly. Estra grinned at him and then at F’kisi. She reached over and squeezed F’kisi’s hand and Nicco couldn’t help notice how the boy’s face turned a deeper shade of brown.

“Yeah, but he’s getting better.”


*


6 - Lesson learnt


Estra was out of breath. They’d been running for ages. Everytime they thought they’d gotten away clean, the sound of sirens would wail somewhere in the distance.

“Keep going,” Nicco pushed her on the back forcing her into a run again. “If they catch us then we’re all done for.”

“Where’s F’kisi,” Estra asked him. Her heart sunk as she realised that she hadn’t seen him for a while. Nicco glanced at her.

“Don’t know. Last time I saw him was several blocks ago. He said he’d create a diversion.” Estra’s breath hitched in her throat and she prayed to Tivali that F’kisi was okay. She didn’t know what she would do without him. She didn’t know how she was going to explain his loss to Rin, or the Queen, or...herself.

There was the hum of a speeder and Nicco glanced at her, his eyes going wide. There were never speeders in this neighbourhood. Well unless they’d been jacked or they belonged to the local Security Force.

“We need to find a hiding spot,” he said pointing to a side street. The noise of the speeder was growing louder. Estra shook her head, the sound wasn’t right for a Security speeder. Nicco pointed out a narrow alley and the two siblings skidded hard around the corner, panting heavily. The sound of the speeder grew louder. Estra and Nicco flattened themselves against the wall as the speeder pulled to a stop next to their hiding spot. Estra held her breath, waiting for the inevitable arrest. She wondered briefly how Rin and Da were going to get them out.

“Essie, Nicco it’s me,” a voice hissed from the end of the alley. Estra took a step forward, ignoring her brother’s arm trying to hold her back. At the end of the alley, F’kisi sat in an open-topped speeder, a broad grin on his face.

“Get in,” he called, “quick, before they catch up.”

Estra sprinted down the alley and slid across the bonnet of the speeder before climbing inside. F’kisi grinned at her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

“Where did you find this?” she asked breathlessly.

“I jacked it,” he said proudly, “and then I drove here myself.” He glanced behind to where Nicco was buckling himself into the backseat and then pulled away from the curve. In the distance the siren Security Forces wailed. F’kisi smiled at her again. “And I didn’t even crash,” he declared, “not even once. “

 

Fun!! A delightful slice of life and still warm and fuzzy.

 

Funny story, can defenetly emphazise with not being able to drive a speeder. Get very nervous even at the thought of learning how to drive a car.

 

This was awesome! Such a fun read!

I love all the banter and bickering, and how F'kisi is not exactly a natural at driving. I feel for him - learning to drive was a long, slow process for me (although I absolutely love it now!). Love all the little glimpses of their developing feelings too.

And the ending! Perfect. Awesome job on this!

 

These two are so cute. I do love the "smol and tall" dynamic.

Clever boy.

I love how Estra's reactions have changed over time, from frustration at F'kisi's failures to pride in his current progress. Great way of showing the mutual change in their relationship.

Aw, this is sweet that she feels this way, even in the midst of an escape!

An adorable and funny response to the challenge! I'm definitely rooting for these two kids now.

 

Thank you! Definitely was trying to channel the warm and fuzzy vibes! Glad I pulled it off!

The terrible thing is, I'm not quite sure what F'kisi did to get kicked off his home planet. It must have been very bad to annoy the grandmothers to the extent that Eena had to find an alternate home for him, but not so bad that Kit and Del wouldn't have him. I haven't quite figured out what that is just yet...

The bantha one is taken from my own life when I ran over an avocado tree with a tractor. My step mother was not impressed. My dad said I didn't give the tree enough head start to run away...

Thank you and thank you for pushing that maybe Estra needs her own plot now and again.

Yeah, I was good with some stuff (clutch control) and terrible with other things (reverse parking). So I tried to put all of that into F'kisi's experience. Luckily I was never as bad as him.

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and the banter too. Estra does love to bicker with everyone and Nicco takes a lot of it. F'kisi does too, but he mostly just goes silent and Essie doesn't get the reaction she was wanting out of him. Which is probably why she falls in love with him.

Definitely! F'kisi is huge (modelled on some of the Polynesian boys I teach who are gentle giants)

Thank you.

I'm glad. Lucky for both of them they have a long and happy relationship. Estra even calms down a little more (but only a little).