AN: Written for Jedifest Exchange 2016 for OtterandTerrier.
Han was on the couch, watching the news as usual, when Leia returned home from work.
"Hey, sweetheart. How was your—what's wrong?" He stopped when he noticed that Leia was still standing in the entry way. She'd stepped just far enough in to the apartment for the door to close behind her. "Leia? You alright?" he asked, coming around the couch and taking her briefcase from her hand.
"I don't feel well," she replied, leaning her forehead into his chest. She didn't feel warm, but that didn't mean a fever wasn't coming. He put his arm around her and kissed the crown of her head. He took her wrap from around her shoulders and tossed it onto the table with her briefcase, then led her to the couch. She collapsed into his lap in a tired little heap. She kicked her shoes to the floor and drew her knees in as Han turned the volume down.
"Bad day?"
"Normal. I think I might be coming down with something," she explained.
"I can run down to the drug store," he offered. Her arms tightened around his chest.
"I'm alright. This is helping."
"Well, you got me all night, Princess," he promised.
She dozed in his arms for an hour or so before she started coughing. Leia coughed on and off for another hour before Han decided she probably needed some kind of medicine.
"You go take a hot bath. I'll run down to the store and get you some cough syrup and be back in no time, deal?" he asked. Leia had no energy to argue with him, and a hot bath didn't sound all that bad.
The hot water felt excellent on her aching body. She'd been in the tub for about 20 minutes when she heard Han return. He was knocking around in the kitchen for a bit before he came into the master bathroom and handed her a cup of tea.
"The cough syrup can't be taken on an empty stomach and I am guessing you haven't eaten much today, so I bought some soup, too." She smiled at him as he settled on the edge of the tub. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and he trailed his fingers along her calf under the water.
"I love you," she told him, surprised at how sore her throat was.
"I know," Han replied, gazing intently at her. When he caught sight of a red patch of skin on her neck and shoulder, he leaned forward. "What happened?" he asked, brushing his fingers over the skin, which felt rough and very warm.
"It's just a spot of dry skin. My robes probably rubbed against it," she explained, taking a sip of tea to ease her burning throat.
When the water started getting chilly, Leia drained the tub and slipped on her robe. Han heated a can of soup for her and made her eat every last drop, then saw that she took the full dose of cough syrup. The medicine made Leia drowsy, so he tucked them both in bed and held her close to fend of the feverish dreams and the chills of sickness.
00
"Honestly, Leia, you look horrible. Why did you even come?" Luke asked his sister, his brows furrowed in concern.
"Give it a rest, kid," Han muttered.
"Who's side are you on?" Luke turned to Han, incredulous.
"We had this argument three times this morning," Han captioned, glaring slightly at his wife, who was standing beside him.
"I won every time," Leia rasped, managing a small smile. Luke rolled his eyes.
"I don't know why you decided this was so important. I'd have used any excuse I could have to get out of this stupid meeting," Luke deadpanned.
"It happens to be a rather important briefing regarding the Trade Federation. I am going to be spending the next two weeks in negotiations related to this meeting. That means I need to be here to hear the opening statements of both sides," Leia argued in a hoarse whisper.
"Just…stop talking, Leia," Han pleaded, hearing how much talking was hurting her throat. "Let's find some seats before you fall over."
"I am not going to fall over," she insisted, but followed peaceably when he took her hand and lead her to an empty row of chairs.
The meeting began and was progressing smoothly, as far as Han was concerned. It was no more or less boring than any of the daily briefings he'd been a part of for years on the rebel bases, but this one was better because Leia was right next to him instead of across the room. He had his arm around her and he was gently tugging at the baby hairs at the nape of her neck. The further into the meeting they got, the closer Leia got to him. Her cheek finally made contact with his shoulder, and he could feel the intense heat of her skin through his shirt and vest.
"Are you alright?" he whispered into her ear. When she didn't respond, he shifted to get a look at her face. She was ghostly pale and her eyes were closed and, for a moment, Han was worried that she'd passed out. "Leia," he hissed. She started and immediately readopted her ramrod-straight posture.
"Did I fall asleep?" she whispered. Han nodded. She hadn't meant to of course, but she was cold and Han was so warm and she was just so tired and it was so easy to fall asleep when he was playing with the hair on the back of her neck like that.
"That will conclude our opening session, unless Counselor Organa-Solo has something to add," the moderator asked from the front of the room. She shook her head and the moderator wrapped up the meeting.
00
Feeling drained, Leia decided to cancel all her afternoon meetings and spent the time sleeping. Han found her that way when he got home from the hangar bay, curled up in their bed in her nightgown and a mountain of blankets. He sat gently next to her, placing a soft kiss on her burning forehead.
"Feeling any better?" he whispered, brushing loose strands of hair off her face. She coughed slightly and he heard it rattle in her chest.
"Not really. I'm so cold."
"You definitely don't feel cold. You're running a pretty high fever," he postulated. She gestured to the thermometer on the nightstand and he popped it in her mouth. It beeped a moment later and he let out a low whistle when he read the small screen. "103.3. That's pretty impressive, sweetheart." Leia only groaned, which sent her into a coughing fit. She sat up, revealing that the angry red rash had spread. It now covered her chest, went over her shoulder, and partway down her arm.
"That's not the only spot," Leia added when she saw where Han's eyes were. She shifted onto her stomach and tugged the shift towards her shoulders. Another patch of distressed skin was clearly visible, starting at the small of her back and continuing down her hip and leg, past the blankets covering her bare legs. "I'm cold; give me back my blanket," she requested. He drew the covers up around her and her eyes fluttered closed.
"I have a late meeting tonight at the base. I can skip it, if you want," he offered. Her eyes cracked open.
"No, you should go. I'm just going to sleep." He kissed her forehead.
"Do you need anything before I leave?" Leia thought a moment.
"Can I have one of your sweatshirts?" Han dug through his dresser and tossed her his favorite old sweatshirt, the one she always stole because it was soft and smelled like him. She pulled it over her head and snuggled back into the blankets.
"Sleep tight, sweetheart. I love you," he called to the mountain of fabric and wife. The groan that answered might have been an 'I know.'
00
Han's comm. link chirped out the special noise he'd programmed in to know when Leia was contacting him. Pressing the answer key, he held the unit up to his mouth.
"How was your doctor's appointment?" Leia's fever hadn't gone down and the rash was getting worse, so he'd insisted she get checked out.
"It's Gamorrean flu," she replied miserably.
"Hmm. Most people get that as a kid, but I guess it makes sense. You never were young," he teased.
"Shut up. I'm going to the pharmacy and then back to bed. And I am still highly contagious, so I recommend that you stay on the Falcon for a few days." 'Yeah, like that's gonna happen,' he thought sarcastically.
"Get some sleep," he ordered gently, knowing that she'd argue him on every point if he told her he had no intention of staying away.
00
Leia was beginning to regret telling Han to stay away. She was on the couch under a mountain of blanket and still had a fever of 103. And she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself around her husband and fall asleep. As if summoned by her thoughts, Han came through the apartment door not a moment later.
"You're supposed to be sleeping," he chastised gently. Leia shrugged and pulled her legs up to her chest as he stripped off his jacket and boots.
"I'm so glad you didn't listen to me," she mumbled as he settled on the couch. Within seconds, she was in his lap and snuggled against his chest.
"I never have before. Figured there'd be no point in starting now," he replied quietly, shifting to cradle her better.
"I don't want you to get sick, though," she worried, lifting her head and frowning a bet at him.
"I had the Gamorrean flu and a hundred other things when I was a kid, sweetheart. I'm basically immune to everything," he promised. Leia nodded and rested her head on his chest.
"Except me," she offered.
"Except you," he agreed with a smile. "I could never be immune to you."
AN: Please R&R!