Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just make them do stuff. I do not profit from this in any way, shape or form.
Author's Note: Another little one shot in my personal challenge to myself to write more short stories. I really like the fact that Han is multi-lingual. He obviously speaks/understands many languages in the films and in my head, his native language (aside from Basic) would be Corellian. The phrases I used in this story are half Corellian and half Ukrainian solely for the fact there is not a Corellian translation available for certain words/phrases I needed. Also, my Ukrainian is limited (and horrible at that), so if you are a native speaker, I'm sorry if it's all wrong.
Han liked watching Leia work, lazily sitting across the Falcon's holo chess table from her. Kicking his boot up onto the chair next to him, he took a sip of his caf, silently keeping her company as she compiled a report from their latest mission. The mission to the outer rim moon had gone smoothly, a quick jump thru hyperspace with even quicker negotiations once they had landed. The leaders of the moon was more than delighted to do business with the New Republic. Not having to blast anyone or run for their lives was a welcomed change. Things were finally falling into place with the new government as the galaxy reestablished itself after the war.
"No! No no no!" Leia cried out, her fingers furiously tapping at her data pad. A look of panic crossed her face as she narrowed her brows at the screen. "This isn't happening!"
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Han asked, sitting up straight at Leia's sudden outburst of frustration.
"I just accidentally deleted all my notes from the debriefing today. There's no way I can finish a report if I've got no notes!"
"You can use mine" Han suggested in hopes to calm her momentary panic.
Leia looked surprised, tilting her head slightly "You took notes?"
While Han was required to attend the meeting because he also was on the mission, Leia hardly thought he was paying much attention to anything that was going on. If anything, she figured he was mindlessly doodling on his data pad in an effort to pass the time until they were dismissed.
"Well, yeah. Hold on".
Han returned to the lounge, his own data pad now in hand. Opening the correct file, he passed it to Leia as he slid into the bench next to her.
Studying the file, Leia saw nothing but what appeared to be scribbles in front of her. "Your notes are all in gibberish" she said before sighing an exasperated sigh.
"That gibberish happens to be my native language, sweetheart".
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, she looked towards him "You take notes in Corellian?"
"It's easier that way sometimes".
Leia had heard him mutter the occasional Corellian swear under his breath while fixing something on the Falcon, but never would have thought that he actually would actively still use his native language. "I didn't think anyone still fluently spoke it".
"Sure, lots of people do. Just certain types of people use it more often" Han explained.
"You mean smugglers..." she said as she cracked a smile at him.
"Not exactly wise to line up illegal jobs in crowded cantinas in Basic if I didn't have to".
"What does this say?" She asked, focusing back on the data pad. Pointing to a quickly scribbled line of lettering, she hoped Han could quickly translate his notes and she could return to working on her report.
Angling the data pad towards him slightly to see what exactly Leia was pointing to, Han quickly read what he had written. "Tsya zustrich nudno" he replied, his words in Corellian punctuated with a thick accent only someone raised on the planet could possess.
"What? In Basic, please" Leia's smile faded as she side eyed Han, not exactly in the mood for any of his teasing.
"I wrote that this meeting was boring".
"Is that all of your notes on here? Just ramblings of how debriefings put you to sleep?"
Han chuckled. "No, sweetheart, don't worry". Flipping to the next page, a list of clearly marked notes, mostly in Basic, appeared. Leia sighed in relief that Han had indeed been paying attention and had the information she needed for her report, her frustrations subsiding.
"That better?" Han asked, noticing she no longer looked annoyed.
"Much. Thank you" she replied as she set about transferring the file to her own data pad. As the machines worked, she was intrigued by her newfound knowledge that Han knew yet another language. She knew he spoke fluent Shyriiwook and Huttese. Wondering why he had never shared his native language with her over the years, she set the data pad down on the holo chess table and shifted herself on the bench to face him.
"How come you never told me you spoke Corellian?" she asked.
"Never came up, I guess". He didn't really have a clear answer for her. In all the time they had known each other, it never seemed to be pertinent information that needed to be shared. If anything, he figured she just assumed he knew the language, his history of being a smuggler and heritage alone giving it away.
"Could you teach me to say something?"
"What do you want to know, sweetheart?"
Leia thought for a second. "I guess something simple. How do you say hello in Corellian?"
"Ol'val".
"How about good bye?" she suggested.
"Same thing as hello. Ol'val".
Leia repeated the word back, causing Han to smile at her. "Anything else you want to know?"
"How do you say I love you?"
"Moje sudno na povitrianij podušci napovnene vuhrami" Han replied, a slight smirk on his face.
Puzzled at why there were so many words for such a simple phase, she didn't question it at first. Slowly, she began to repeat his words, trying her hardest to match his pronunciation of each one as a large smile spread across Han's face. He couldn't contain his laughter anymore, loudly chuckling as she stumbled thru the words.
Catching on that he was playing a joke on her, she playfully slapped his shoulder. "What did you just make me say, you scoundrel?"
"My hovercraft is full of eels" Han admitted, still laughing.
"You jerk! How do you really say it?" she giggled as Han rested his hand against her cheek, his hazel eyes meeting hers.
All joking now aside, he kissed her gently. He didn't think he could find another reason to love her so much, but hearing her speaking Corellian only added to the list of reasons he did.
"Min min larel valle" he sincerely whispered to her as he broke from the kiss.
"Min min larel valle" she repeated back to him. "I like that".
The data pads on the table in front of them let out a beep, signalling that the file transfer was complete. Han reluctantly let his embrace on Leia go, knowing that Mon Mothma would not accept language lessons or make out sessions as a reason why an official report was submitted late.
"Teach me more later?" Leia asked as she turned back to the table to focus on her report.
"Of course, my pryntsesa".