Reassurances

Han knocked on the door to Leia's bunk and frowned slightly when there was no reply.

"Leia…?" he whispered through the door tentatively. Still no answer. Han pondered what to do next for a few moments. He knew he should probably turn and go but eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he quietly opened the door. Inside, Leia was curled up on her bed in a foetal position, sobbing silently.

"Leia…" Han sighed, walking over to her and sitting down next to her. Feeling the bed sink beside her, Leia finally looked up at him. Her face was streaked with tear tracks and her usually perfect braids were unruly with loose strands framing her saddened features. Han almost felt his heart breaking for her. She wiped messily at her eyes before reapplying her mask of confidence.

"Oh Han, I didn't hear you come in. What did you want?" Her voice was devoid of emotion and it made Han want to scream at her and shake her. Even anger would be better than this.

"Oh no," Han shook his head, "Don't do this." Leia feigned confusion.

"Do what?" She asked, and her playing dumb only made Han angrier.

"Shut me out. We've talked about this, I'm here for you Princess. You can talk to me." Han took her hands in his as he spoke and, for a second, he saw the mask slip a little.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." Leia stammered out her answer and wouldn't look Han in the eyes as she spoke. She didn't remove her hands from his, though, which Han took as a sign he was getting somewhere.

"Leia. I love you." Han tilted her chin with his hand so that she would have to look up at him. "I love you. Every little thing about you. That isn't about to change. Whatever you tell me, whatever you're hiding from me, isn't going to change any of that. So tell me what you're crying about." Han stared earnestly into her eyes, attempting to convey his message in every way he could. Leia's resolve trembled before she crumbled completely and began to sob again.

"Oh Princess…" Han mumbled, hugging her to him. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, crying ever harder. They stayed like that for many minutes before Leia finally managed to calm down. She let go of Han and looked up at him. Han brushed some hair out of her face and nodded, urging her to talk to him.

"It's… It's me. And you. And… oh I don't know. It's silly." Leia sighed in defeat. Han nodded once more, unwilling to let her off.

"It's just that… you are so talented. You can bend people to your will with that charming smile of yours. You travel the galaxy with Chewy smuggling goods without anyone suspecting a thing, most of the time. You can win, single-handedly, in a fight with 100 imps. And me? Well I'm just…Leia. A Princess, yes, but other than that? I'm just the girl who complains at people, can shoot a blaster and lost her entire planet to the Empire. Why would you ever want to be with me?" Leia was on the verge of tears again. Han was in complete shock. Leia felt inferior to him? Impossible. So impossible that Han began to laugh. He couldn't stop himself. Leia's demeanour changed almost instantly from sad to angry.

"This is funny to you? I just poured my heart out and you're…" Han cut her off.

"No, Princess, no, of course it isn't funny. It's just that, well, you are worried about me wanting to be with you. I'm a smuggler and you are a Princess. You can shoot a blaster probably better than me and you don't complain, you stand up for yourself. And as for losing your planet, that has only made you stronger. It's crazy that you think I wouldn't want to be with you when I worry about the opposite constantly." Han looked down then, embarrassed by what he had admitted. It was Leia's turn to be in shock now. He worried too? She almost found herself laughing too but, being more disciplined than Han, she kept herself in line.

"Han. I love you too. All this time, we'd been worrying when we should have just talked to each other." Leia chuckled then and Han managed to join in.

"From now on, we talk to each other about everything." Han said, smiling at her, not as his usual cocky self but a genuine smile that warmed Leia's heart. She returned the smile with all the love she could muster.

"I love you." Leia repeated, her smiled growing wider along with Han's.

"I know." Han replied but, upon realising that this time that response wouldn't quite do, he added, "I love you too, Princess."