Han Solo paced around the main hold of the Millennium Falcon, mumbling angrily to himself. Leia watched him boredly, rolling her eyes whenever he would complain about her brother. The two friends had gotten into an argument earlier that day. What they were mad about, Leia had no clue. All she knew was that her husband was about to get slapped if he did not shut up. Chewie had left about an hour ago, going on a walk before he threw Han against the wall.
Han and Luke rarely fought. Matter of fact, Leia couldn't even remember the last time they had argued. It must have been well before the fall of the Empire at least. Either way, this was ridiculous. Han would not quit rambling, and Luke had shut himself in his room on the Falcon. The princess of Alderaan had finally had it. She stood up, groaning loudly and grabbing her husband by the shoulders.
The Corellian stopped complaining, staring at his wife with a look of annoyance. Leia shook him gently, her brown eyes staring into Han's hazel orbs. "Honestly, Han, would you two just make up already?" she pleaded. "You never fight, and this is just ridiculous!" Han looked away, a scowl plastered to his brow. He crossed his arms, not saying anything.
Leia groaned, turning away and staring at the wall as she massaged her temples. This whole ordeal was giving her a sarlacc of a headache. Han's shoulders relaxed as he thought about what the princess had said. Han didn't want to be in this disagreement with Luke, but it had just happened. Leia was right, though. The two never argued, and the thought that they would fight over such a stupid thing made Han feel a pang of hurt.
Luke was one of his closest friends, and Han certainly didn't want to lose the blond over some silly dispute. He sighed, turning to face his wife. "And just what do ya expect me to do?" the smuggler asked, his voice almost too quiet for her to hear. During the argument, Han may or may not have said some things that he was starting to regret. Things like calling Luke a bantha.
At the time, it had seemed to be a clever comeback, but now, it was just making Han feel guilty. Not to mention such a statement was totally false. He didn't mean any of the things he had said, but he had still said them, and it was clear that Luke was hurt. Yes, Han had seen the young Jedi's eyes cloud with sadness when he has said those things, but Luke had covered for it by turning angry, yelling at Han, and shutting himself in his room. Now, the brunet was left to feel bad for his actions.
Leia glanced back at the man, now noticing his pained expression. She sighed, walking over and placing a hand gingerly on Han's shoulder. "Apologize to him, and put this crazy misunderstanding behind you." the princess smiled, but Han looked away almost sadly. He shook his head.
"I don't think he'll think I mean it after that." he frowned. Leia rolled her eyes and shook him.
"Then make him believe. Tell him how much he means to you, Han! If you be honest with him, then he will surely forgive you." Han blinked, a sudden look of anxiety in his eyes. Leia noticed this, but continued to stare at him with that determined look. The Corellian looked away, his mouth agape as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. Eventually, he looked back at his wife, his eyes wide.
"W-What?" he stumbled, his voice sounding uncharacteristically uneven. "How am I supposed to do that?!" Leia almost laughed at Han, finding his nervousness adorable. He looked down at her, a bewildered expression still upon his face. "Sweetheart, I'm serious." Leia did laugh this time, gaining an indignant stare from Han.
"I can't believe it." The young woman stated, wiping a tear from her eye. Han glared at her.
"Believe what?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Leia laughed harder.
"I cannot believe that you, Han Solo of all people, are afraid to tell your best friend that you love him. Afraid to just say that he is like your little brother." Han almost stumbled back from shock, a horrified expression on his face. Leia did not just accuse him of what he thinks she did.
"Me?" he nearly shouted. "Afraid?! You've lost it, sister. I ain't scared of nothin'!" A bright red blush was making its way to his face, which only made Leia laugh even more.
"Then why won't you talk to him?" She asked, crossing her arms. Han didn't speak, for he had no response. "And why are you blushing?" this only caused Han's face to turn a darker shade of red. He scowled, stepping back and walking away from Leia. His voice was cloaked with anger.
"I will talk to him, and I will tell him what I think!" Han declared, turning and marching out of the room as Leia laughed at him. "And I was not blushing!" The princess of Alderaan snickered as he left, shaking her head at him. She sat down by the Sabacc table, leaning back and closing her eyes.
"Yes, you were." she whispered to herself, smiling. Han walked down the hall, mulling over what he was going to say in his head. To say that the brunet was nervous would be quite an understatement. Han could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest, and he could feel the sweat pooling in his palms. The unease in his stomach nearly caused him to puke.
Why was he so worried? Sure, Han had never actually told Luke how much their friendship meant to him, but there had been some moments where it should have been perfectly clear. There was the night on Hoth, the time he thanked Luke after they had rescued him from carbonite... And more. Han would tell Leia he loved her all the time, so why was it so hard to tell Luke the same? And in a brotherly way, no less! He felt almost as strongly for Luke as he did Leia, so why? Why was it so kriffing difficult to say three little words?!
The smuggler stopped at the door, feeling his hair stick to his forehead from the sweat. He took a deep breath, slowly raising his hand to knock. However, before his knuckles could even touch the door, an unhappy voice called to him from inside. "It's unlocked." it was Luke. Han sighed shakily before slowly entering the room.
When he stepped in, Luke was sitting on his bed, staring at the Corellian with a look far from delight. He crossed his arms as he watched the older man, seeming very unpleased. Han scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh... Hey, kid." he started, his voice uncertain as he gave a small smile. Luke looked at him blankly, no sign of joy on his face whatsoever.
"What do you want, Han?" he asked. Han noticed how frustrated Luke sounded, but there was also a hint of something else in his voice. Could that be sadness? Han believed so. He took another deep breath, not sure what else to do. His heart was pounding. Was he really going through with this? Well, if it was the only way to make peace with Luke, then Han would do it.
The brunet cleared his throat, throwing his hands in his pockets anxiously. "I, ah... I just wanted to say about our, uh... Our fight earlier." he stopped, not knowing what else to say. The young Jedi before him raised his eyebrows, boredly awaiting an answer. Han sighed, clenching his hands into fists in his pockets. This was torture! "Look, kid, I um... I think, uh.. Leia wants me to, ah..." Luke was starting to look impatient.
"Yes?" he gestured irritably for the man to continue. Han looked away, suddenly feeling extreme hurt. He wasn't helping matters any, so he just kept going.
"I... Ah.. I didn't really wanna fight with ya, and you, um, you mean a lot to me, Luke, and I just really... Uh..." Han stopped, feeling his face turn a bright crimson. This was a kriffing disaster! Luke's expression suddenly softened, and he lowered his arms from his chest. The blond observed his friend, now noticing how nervously he was acting.
Luke looked down, folding his hands together. "And?" he asked gently, not wanting to make the man even more uneasy. Han held his hands up in surrender.
"You see, what I'm tryin' to say is..." it was silent a moment, but Han suddenly groaned. He threw a hand over his face to hide his expression and blush. He couldn't take this anymore! Luke watched as Han started rambling uncontrollably. "Look, you're really important to me! You, Chewie, and Leia all mean a lot to me, and I can't stand it when we fight, and I just... I just can't stand the thought of ya bein' mad at me, because honestly I feel like you're one of the only people in the whole kriffin' galaxy who actually cares even a little bit about me, and I don't wanna lose ya over some stupid fight that made no sense in the slightest, and..! And..."
Luke stood up, a look of sadness on his face. He felt bad for being cross with his friend at all, seeing as how he clearly was sorry and sincere with his words. Luke was touched by Han's words, and suddenly, he couldn't even remember why he was mad at the smuggler in the first place. "Han..." the young Jedi whispered, tilting his head to look at the man's expression. Han turned away, facing the door now.
"I-I... I, ah..." he sighed heavily, throwing his hands down and clenching both of them into fists. "I... I love you, kid, okay?! You're like my brother, and I don't wanna lose you, Luke!" Though he couldn't see his face, Luke could hear the sincerity in Han's voice. Luke stared at his friend, his vision starting to blur from-What was this? Tears! Tears... He was going to cry.
Though it was a rather inarticulate apology, and one filled with uncertainty as it was confessed, Luke still heard every word loud and clear. How could he not? Besides, no one had ever even tried to tell Luke how much he meant to them. Until now. That is why the blond's shoulders began to shake, and that is why he hastily stumbled over to Han Solo, spun him around, and hugged his big brother.
At first, Han was surprised by Luke's sudden affectionate action, but after a moment, the Corellian relaxed and returned the hug. Due to their height difference, Han was easily able to rest his chin on top of Luke's head. "I love you, too, Han. I have always seen you as my brother. I am sorry for being so angry with you." Luke said, his voice muffled from Han's jacket.
Han tightened his grip on the hug, his face still bright red. For some reason, he was still embarrassed. However, he was also happy. Happy to know Luke returned his love of their friendship. Han smiled. If Chewie and Lando saw this, they would never let him live it down. Honestly, though, that would be fine.
Han pulled away, keeping his hands on Luke's shoulders and smiling down at him. "'S okay, kid. I'm sorry, too." he confirmed. Luke smiled back, sniffing as he wiped his eyes. Han chuckled, wrapping an arm over the younger man's shoulders. The brothers walked back into the main hold of the Falcon that way, only to be met by Leia.
The princess smiled at the two when she saw Han's arm over her twin's shoulders. "I'm guessing you two made up." she stated, walking over and planting a kiss on Han's cheek. "I knew you could do it." the smuggler smiled, returning the kiss.
"I guess we did. By the way, never make me do somethin' like that again. I'm tellin' ya, I almost died." Han smiled crookedly. Leia and Luke both laughed at him.
"Aw, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Luke grinned. Han rolled his eyes, shaking his head. His smile did not waver.
"Kid, just be lucky that I like ya enough to put myself through that kinda suffering just so you'd at least talk to me again." Leia's expression changed slightly. She suddenly looked interested.
"What exactly were you two arguing about in the first place?" she asked. Han and Luke looked at each other, questioning looks on their faces. They thought about that a moment, before Han finally shrugged. Luke shook his head as well.
"Honestly, we don't remember."