Written for Han/Leia Week 2016 back in July, originally posted as two parts for the prompts "space roadtrips" and "lost together". This starts right after the comic Shattered Empire and it references some of the events there, but I think they're clear enough that you don't need to have read the comic. The two sentences marked with * are borrowed from there. Some names and references are also borrowed from Bloodline, Moving Target, the new retelling of A New Hope and The Force Awakens. I use the new canon for worldbuilding; mine is a (mostly) happy universe. There are also two tiny references to my fics "Corellian Day of Celebration" and "Walk your days on a wire". Thanks a lot to organanation for beta-reading this, to the mods of Han/Leia Week at han-leia-solo on Tumblr for hosting it, and to everyone who gives this a chance! Please consider leaving a review if you liked it :)

Someone asked me what home was

and all I could think of

were the stars on the tip of your tongue,

the flowers sprouting from your mouth,

the roots entwined in the gaps between your fingers,

the ocean echoing inside of your ribcage.

- E.E. Cummings

As Shara Bey finished shutting down the ship, Leia leaned into the viewport to have a better look at the two men already standing in the Vergence's hangar.

'Is that your husband?'* she asked, even though she knew the answer. Leia smiled: Han and Kes Dameron were trying to appear casual as they waited, but the concern was clear in their faces.

Shara confirmed Leia's guess as she looked through the viewport herself, but Leia was already at the hatch. 'Then I won't keep you from him any longer,'* she said. And myself from Han. We all deserve some respite.

Han stepped closer when he spotted her; seeing her walking upright and apparently unharmed made him crack a smile at last. Leia stopped at the bottom of the ramp and waited until he reached her. She had to play it casual, too, at least until they were alone.

'You all right, sweetheart?'

'Yes.' Leia tilted her head up for him to kiss her, then looped her arm in his as they started walking away. 'Thanks to Lando… and you, it seems. He told me you found about Naboo when Threepio was slicing the ISB computers.'

'We sent a transmission to any rebel ship near the Chommell sector and Lando answered.' Han gave her a sideways look. 'Naboo was just the start. Doesn't look like it's gonna get prettier any time soon.'

She squeezed his arm. 'I know. I read about this "Operation: Cinder" on our way back.' Leia bit her lip. Naboo hadn't been the only planet under attack: after destroying the rest of the Imperial forces there, Lando and the Rebel Alliance's—the New Republic's Starfleet had been deployed to protect other worlds that had been targeted. The problem is that there's still too many of them, Leia thought. What good is it to call ourselves the New Republic when the Empire refuses to give up?

'Do you have to be somewhere right now?' Han asked as they left the hangar, pushing her bleak thoughts away.

As a matter of fact, she had spent the past hours worrying about this turn of events, checking her pending tasks and organizing what she needed to do as soon as they got back by level of priority. She hadn't counted on Han being there already, though. It had been twenty days since Endor, and the last time she'd seen him—in the flesh, not in a hurried holo transmission—had been after he'd returned to Home One from the forest moon with his strike team. Not two days later, they had been pulled apart again as the Alliance prepared to engage with the remnants of the Empire now that its head had been cut. Twenty days.

Leia had accepted going to Naboo because Mon Mothma had reminded her of Bail Organa's words about duty. But the chancellor had also been the one who'd told her there could be more to her life than duty, encouraging her to join in Han's rescue party less than a standard month ago. The galaxy could do without them for a couple of hours today, as well.

She looked at him and smiled, entwining their fingers together. 'Only wherever you take me.'

A couple of hours later, their hands were still joined as they lay on Leia's bed in her assigned quarters and Han pressed lazy kisses against her back.

They hadn't had the chance to sleep together many times since Tatooine, but in those few occasions, it had amazed Leia how their love-making had changed from the times during their journey to Cloud City. The fact that both of them knew it wasn't just sex anymore, that neither of them was leaving—not indefinitely, at least—that they were able to be openly affectionate and didn't have to keep their feelings in check, made a world of a difference.

She was starting to feel sleepy, when Han asked, 'So except for the Imps, how did the thing in Naboo go?'

'Really well. Queen Soruna had already agreed to lend us support when the storm unleashed.' She rolled slightly onto her back to look at Han. 'Then she took a starfighter and joined us in destroying the satellites. See, I'm not the only royal who isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty!'

Han chuckled and shifted to kiss her on the lips. 'You're still a one of a kind princess to me.'

'I still wonder if you've ever met any other princesses or queens in your life.'

'Maybe not in person…' Han started. 'Wait. Do pirate queens count?'

Leia gave him a disbelieving look. 'Is that a real title?'

'Never asked, but I think it's honorary.'

'Then it doesn't count.'

Han cocked an eyebrow at her. 'That's very elitist of you.'

'Take it up with the Elder Houses,' Leia replied, turning around fully and burrowing her head against his chest. She closed her eyes for a second, revelling in the feeling of warm, pulsing skin under her hands. 'We should get going.'

Han already sounded sleepy when he asked, 'Where?'

'I still need to give my report; I commed and said I'd do it later. I think over two hours is later enough,' Leia explained.

'I'm tired,' he growled.

'Have you been debriefed already? You could stay and sleep for a couple of hours, and then—'

'I don't mean now. I mean I'm tired of the whole thing. The war. Instead of destroying the Empire when we blew up the Death Star, it feels like we took a shot at a hive of wasp-worms.'

Leia propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. 'I know. But the only way to end it for good is to keep fighting. We can't afford to stop right now.'

'Yeah, yeah, I get it.' He sat up and started rooting about for his underpants. She watched him pick them up from the floor and put them on with more force than necessary.

'Whatever it is that's bothering you, just say it,' she prompted him, wrapping the sheets around her and sitting on the edge of the bed. Han stood in front of her, hands on his hips as he regarded her.

'I saw more of you when we were on Hoth than now that the war's meant to be over.'

Leia couldn't argue with that, but it still touched a sore point. 'I'm sorry I can't be at your beck and call,' she said dryly.

Han held up a finger, scowling. 'That's not what I meant.'

'Then what do you mean?' Leia softened her tone. It wasn't an ideal situation for her, either, but unlike Han, her whole life had been about putting her own needs and desires at the bottom of her priorities. As the future leader of her homeworld, thinking of others came first, a notion that had followed her later in her role as a senator in the Empire and as a commander in the Alliance. But she had never been in a position where her desires were so intrinsically linked to someone else's, where having to put others first meant considering what she wanted for herself. However, Leia was a diplomat, and that meant she knew about compromise. 'Tell me.'

He scratched his head, stalling. 'It's just—it's so kriffin' weird, Leia. I still can't believe I spent six months in carbonite, but I—sorta felt it. Like I was in hell and there was no getting out. Then you're there, and for me it's like I had one hell of a long nightmare, 'cos it's like I'd seen you the day before. But before I can get it through my head how long it's been, we're in a battle that's been going on for about a month and I don't see you since Endor.'

It was clear that he was struggling to put into words what he felt. They had talked after Tatooine, and she had kept as close an eye on his recovery as she could during the days leading up to Endor, but she hadn't had time to ponder exactly how those six months had been for Han and how he was coping—mentally and emotionally—with what he'd come out to. They had gone from having an intense physical relationship that had culminated with her finally admitting her feelings for him, to a six months separation, to officially being a couple… but they hadn't had much time to process what that entailed besides loving each other.

Leia sighed and stood up to slip her arms around his waist. 'It's hard. But we just have to hold on for a little longer.'

'Yeah, how much longer?'

'I don't know, Han!' Leia said, her patience running out. 'However long it takes!'

She had started to disentangle herself from him, but he took hold of her forearms to stop her. He was giving her that soft-eyed look he didn't know he had, but that never failed to disarm her.

'Let's take a couple of days off.'

Leia didn't know if she was supposed to laugh or if it was an actual, serious proposal, so she stood gaping at him as she tried to decide which one it was. From the fact that Han wasn't smiling, she figured it was the second one.

'Han… if you're even remotely suggesting we go on a vacation right now—'

'Not a vacation,' he said, rolling his eyes. 'I'm talking about two or three days of doing nothing hero-like. A break from,' he gestured around at her cabin, 'all this.'

Leia took advantage of him releasing her to take a step back. 'Well, I'm sorry, but "a break" is just not possible for anyone, especially for me, at the moment.'

'Especially for you?' Han was staring at her like she was insane, and he was starting to sound as frustrated as she knew he was. 'They owe it to you—'

'And I owe it to Alderaan to see this through,' Leia replied, getting angrier at the fact that her voice still broke. 'The only way I could take a break right now would be if I…' She gestured at empty air, searching for implausible reasons, '…if I got married or sick!'

Han opened his mouth to retort when his brain caught what she'd said. Leia was already cursing herself for saying it, as if this conversation hadn't been heading into dangerous territory already. She didn't need Han worrying about whether she expected a marriage proposal soon on top of everything.

To her surprise, he didn't look like he was about to run the other way at the moment.

'Married, huh?' he said almost curiously, as one would talk about getting a new pet. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a crooked smile. 'Are you popping the question, Princess?'

I should have seen this coming.

It was odd, considering that marriage had never been something she spent much time thinking about, but Leia felt somewhat lighter at Han's reaction. Even if it never happened, he didn't seem horrified at the thought of legally binding himself to someone—to her.

She considered how angry Mon would be if she kept her waiting, and concluded that three hours weren't much worse than two and a half.

Stepping again into Han's arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Take me back to bed and we'll see.'

He pressed her body closer and bent down to growl into her ear. 'Aye, Your Worshipfulness.'

'I really have to go now.'

'Mhm.'

'Stay here. Or go—you can go out. Just don't take any missions, all right?'

Han opened both eyes at that, though it took him some effort to keep them that way. 'Why not?'

'Because I say so,' Leia answered playfully, pushing herself up and smiling down at him. 'If anyone tries to send you away, you tell them you have orders from a superior to stay put.'

'My superior? And who's that?'

Leia arched an eyebrow. 'Me.'

'Yeah? So you wanna keep me here to override me?' His eyes fell closed again, but his hand found her thigh and started sliding up. 'I like that.'

'I don't know, you look pretty worn out.' She held her hair to keep it from falling and bent down to kiss him before scampering away from his reach. 'Remember, don't take any missions until I get back, all right?'

'Sure.'

By the time she had gathered all her clothes and was headed to the 'fresher, Han was fast asleep.

When Leia got back to her quarters hours later, Han was still sleeping and she was running on caf.

She stopped at the door and took a moment to stare at him sprawled face down on her bed, naked but for the sheet haphazardly thrown over him. She was struck with a sense of domesticity. She'd had a feeling like that once before, during their slow crawl towards Cloud City, but this time, it didn't scare her. It reminded her she wasn't fighting just for her past: she was also doing it for her future.

After pulling out her boots and setting down her satchel, Leia snuck into bed next to him, hooking a leg over his. She pressed a kiss over the scar on his chin and moved along his jaw until he stirred.

'Wake up. I have news.'

'If it's bad, I don't wanna know,' Han grunted, but he still rolled onto his side and rubbed a hand over his eyes.

'That depends. How do you feel about going on a mission with me?'

'Where are we going?'

'Birren. I went to Naboo because we need allies if we want to reinstate the Republic and the Senate, and Mon Mothma thought I was in the best position to do it,' Leia explained. 'Well, that got me thinking. I'm also the best envoy to request the support of the planets members of the Elder Houses, since I'm the last survivor of one of them.'

'Sweetheart, I appreciate the effort but I don't think I'm the right person to take on a royal tour.'

Leia chuckled. 'It's not a royal tour—not yet, anyway. Birren's supreme governor, Lord Mellowyn, was a kinsman to my father… Bail, I mean.'

'You know you don't have to clear that up for me,' Han said, reaching for her hand. 'When you talk about your father, I know you mean Organa.'

She squeezed his hand, giving him a grateful smile. The truth about her parentage still weighed heavily on her, though she managed not to dwell on it most of the time. The way Han had taken it made it easier to bear.

'As Birren was settled by Alderaanian explorers, and strengthened by the connection of its head of state, its allegiance always lay with Alderaan. After the disaster, it was targeted as an oversector, since the Empire wanted to prevent revolts and they thought it might be sought as a refuge for any survivors. We have reports that Imperial security around the planet has dwindled since Endor, though, and Lord Mellowyn is in a position to give us intelligence on the stance of many systems, where they stood during the war and what kind of assistance we can expect from them.' Leia took a breath. 'It's the same deal as Naboo—we're arriving unannounced and undercover to avoid attracting the attention of any remaining Imperials stationed planetside. I trust the Birrenese.'

'I don't, so it's a good thing I'm comin',' Han said. 'You want to bring Chewie? Luke?'

'No. I only need one escort.' She gave him a smug smile. 'You wanted some alone time away from here, didn't you? I know another mission isn't what you had in mind, but—'

'Hey, it's another mission with you.' Han wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. 'If it's the best we can do, I'm not gonna complain.'

The exhaustion of the past days began to settle in, but having seen to the end of her mission to Naboo and with the prospect of a plan that involved Han and her spending a few days on their own, Leia was ready to let sleep claim her for several hours.

'Then kiss me for my efforts, General,' she said, and he did.

They were on the Millennium Falcon, away from the Vergence and with a course set to Birren within the next day cycle. Luke was away, so Leia recorded a message for him. Chewie hadn't been easy to convince about staying behind.

[It's not safe enough yet. I don't care what you and the princess are up to. I spent weeks on the Falcon with you two, you think you were quiet back then?] he had argued while he helped Han check the freighter's systems.

'That's the thing, pal, it's not the same as back then. Come on, you think I can't avoid getting myself killed unless you're there?' Han had joked. Lowering his voice and sneaking a glance over his shoulder, he'd added, 'Don't mention the not being quiet thing to Leia or I'll pelt you, all right?'

It was so different to their trysts on their way to Bespin months ago—no pestering droid, no Chewie, no deadline hanging over their heads—and they weren't exactly going on a vacation, but the hours they spent in hyperspace felt as much of a break as that journey had. Only—Han had never known it could get better.

Leia was spread out on top of him as they lay on his bunk in a post-sex haze, her arms crossed on top of his chest and her hair gathered in a single braid, falling over her shoulder. But instead of staying still, thinking—or trying not to—about the moment they'd have to part ways, tensing when he moved, she kept kissing the underside of his jaw and smiling against his throat as his hands skimmed across her back.

She suddenly propped her chin over her folded hands and asked, 'Do you remember the first time we were here, like this?'

'Yeah.' He wasn't likely to forget it.

Leia's eyes drifted downwards, lost in thoughts and memories. 'We were practically trapped in realspace, with nowhere to go but Bespin… and I think I'd never felt freer in my life. I was trying so hard not to, though. I had to keep it under control.' She chuckled and looked back at him, brown eyes large and serious. 'I didn't let myself be too touchy-feely with you, even after we started sleeping together. It's ridiculous. I thought… well, the more we thought about it as just sex, the less affectionate we were—I wouldn't fall in love with you.'

'It's not ridiculous.'

'Yeah? You were making it so hard, though. You kept kissing me after breakfast like it wasn't a big deal and telling me you loved me when you thought I didn't notice…'

She was smiling fondly at him, but Han knew that, at the time, those things he did on an impulse might have caused her great pain, believing as they both did that he wasn't coming back.

'I didn't know what I was doing,' he said as way of an apology.

'Neither did I.' Leia slid further up his body, wrapping her arms around his head. 'I was already quite fond of you.'

Han glanced at the chrono display: there was still some time until they came out of hyperspace.

'You flatterer.'

Grinning, he rolled her over until she was under him and started kissing her again.