The entirety of the Rebel base practically shook as Leia Organa stormed down one of the snow-covered hallways, aiming a good kick at chunks of hard snow in her path, the impact of them hitting the walls punctuating her angry mumbling.
"Of all the-" (CRASH) "-some nerve, to think he can just-" (CRASH) "-would have been beheaded for less-" (CRASH) "-smuggler who can't commit to a thing!"
She unseeingly passed other members of the Alliance in her tirade and they shrunk to the other side of the hallway, although unable to hide their grins once she passed. Everyone knew there was only one person on the base who could garner a reaction like that from the young princess, and sure enough, here came Han Solo jogging not far behind her with a grin on his face.
"Hey, Your Highness, wait!"
He knew there wasn't much chance of his words stopping her until he caught up to her; he had really done it this time. The Rogue Squadron has issued a bet, and Han was no man to turn down a prize he knew he could easily win.
The pretense of needing someone small to help him with a repair on the exterior of the Falcon was how he got the Princess in his arms in the first place, holding her up so she could peer into the allegedly damaged compartment. Once Han had ascertained that her concentration was on the task at hand, he pretended to lose his grip for only a second – long enough for Leia to flail a little bit in fear and then land right in his arms. He bent his upper body down, kissed her right on the lips, and then stood her on her feet.
Her mouth still in a surprised 'O,' it took her a few seconds to get her bearings and then immediately flush red at the whoops and cheers coming from across the hangar. Expecting a bout of yelling from the small woman, he was surprised when she instead just clenched her fists, turned on her heel, and raced out the way she had come.
He realized she was headed to her personal chambers as he began to pass fewer beings in the hallway in his pursuit. "Come on, Princess, just a second!"
To his surprise, Leia stopped and pivoted, her brown eyes flashing. "What?" she gritted out from between clenched teeth as he caught up to her, her fists still in balls at her sides.
Han faltered, he hadn't thought this far ahead. At a loss for words, he spread his arms and shrugged. "I didn't mean to…"
She rolled her eyes and turned again, continuing on her original path.
"Of course you didn't," she called over her shoulder, "it wouldn't ever be your fault."
"Okay, okay," he trotted off behind her again, "so I did mean to. But the guys practically dared me! You know I can never resist a good dare-"
"Is that all it takes? So should I just dare you to stay with the Rebellion, then?"
"Your Worship, if you want me here that bad, a dare is hardly what it would take to convince me."
Expecting an insult to be hurled at him, he was shocked when she turned to him, eyes glossy with the onset of tears. He stopped, realizing they had reached the door to her quarters and suddenly felt vaguely uncomfortable.
"Why did you do that?" She had lowered her voice, and although she hadn't unclenched her fists, Han noticed her anger had all but deflated. If he didn't know better, he might have thought she sounded almost dejected – but he didn't think the last Princess of Alderaan ever felt dejection, much less showed it.
"I- it was a joke," he said helplessly, shrugging as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. She sighed and turned, raising her hand to key into the room, but Han felt uncomfortable leaving the situation on such a note.
Trying to dispel some of the awkwardness he felt, he grinned again. "Hey now, did you have this kind of reaction to other kisses, or is this a new development when they're from devastatingly handsome men like myself?"
Her hand stopped punching numbers mid-passcode, her body still turned away from him. "What other kisses?"
Han suddenly wanted to put his foot in his mouth and kick himself in the face at the same time.
"Oh, blast, Princess, I'm sorry." After a moment of hesitation, he gently grabbed the arm that was still frozen, reaching upwards, and spun her around to face him again. She was biting her bottom lip, her eyebrows drawn together, and all Han wanted to do was smooth out the wrinkles obscuring her tiny forehead. He often forgot how young she was – it was easy to do, when she spent her day barking orders at men even older than he and meanwhile commanded respect with every fiber of her royal being. Looking down at her face now, though, he didn't see any trace of Princess Leia Organa, Rebel Leader, but instead a young woman not far out of her teens.
"That was your first kiss?" he asked her, both of his hands somehow finding themselves on her arms, and he grimaced as he braced himself for her answer. She only shrugged and looked down at the floor next to their feet. "No stolen smooches from any royal suitors?"
"No." She continued to stare at the ground. "I spent most of my time surrounded by members of the Senate, anyway… and if they had tried anything, you could be sure my father would have never let them forget it."
"Your father would probably be ready to behead me right now," Han mused thoughtfully. Her eyes snapped up to his again and suddenly she burst into laughter. He smiled sheepishly, not sure if his statement had even been that humorous, but happy to see her laugh regardless.
"Listen, I'm sorry… again," he said as she came down from her laughing fit. She brushed her hand as if to wave away his apology, and began to wriggle out of his grasp. Not quite finished yet, though, Han didn't loosen his hold.
"Wait," he said, and she stopped moving for a moment.
"What?"
He moved one of his hands up to her cheek, cupping it against his palm. Feeling reassured when she didn't immediately pull away, he bent his face down to hers and kissed her lips for the second time that day. This time, however, it was not a quick peck, but a slow, languorous kiss that made Leia press one of her small palms up against his chest. When they broke away, Han brought his head back up to look at her and traced her lips with his thumb before letting his arms drop to his sides.
Leia realized her hand was still in contact with his chest and she drew it back as well, looking somewhat embarrassed. They both stood there for a moment before Han rocked back on his heels and smiled.
"Hope your second kiss made up for the first, Princess." He winked at her before turning and walking back towards the hangar, leaving her standing outside of her room by herself. She stood there for a moment before the sound of footsteps coming down the other side of the hallway broke her out of her trance and she hurriedly keyed in her passcode, a smile on her face as she entered her room and the door closed behind her.