There were many things that Leia Organa Solo found frustrating about dealing with sentient beings from all over the galaxy. Late night meetings due to tight schedules of off-world visitors were at the top of her list that particular evening.
She had been sitting in her office pouting for a bit, wishing she could instead be at home with her husband, Han; relaxing and just spending time with him or maybe sharing a lovely dinner and a bottle of wine. To her delight, it seemed she'd have time to make all of that a possibility once again. The ambassadors from the Galleefryn system had been held up on Naboo and had messaged ahead to reschedule. Upon hearing the news, it had taken Leia mere seconds to jump out of her chair and head for the door in anticipation of what would likely become a much more pleasant evening.
In the months they'd been living together and since they'd been married, the couple had always enjoyed quiet evenings spent with just the two of them. Sure, they enjoyed time with friends, but sometimes it was nice to just be by themselves. Leia saw no need to waste an opportunity to have one of these evenings, especially when it was so unexpected.
As far as Leia knew, Han didn't have any work to attend to that evening and, uncharacteristically, had told her he just planned on going home rather than going out with Luke or Lando or any of the other guys. He'd been tired lately, he'd said, and he didn't want to spend the night trying to keep up with the boys when he wasn't feeling up for it. Instead of letting him know she was on her way, she decided to surprise him, smiling at the knowledge that her scoundrel was likely at home waiting for her.
Upon opening the door, she found their apartment very quiet. She had expected to find Han sprawled out on the couch, watching a holo and sipping on a bottle of ale. But the living room was empty and dark. It seemed way too early for him to have gone to sleep, but instead of calling out to him, she decided to walk into the bedroom, only to find it empty as well.
Confused only for a moment, her senses were drawn to the closed 'fresher door. Walking closer and not hearing the anticipated hum of the shower, she decided to give him a few minutes of privacy. That is, until she thought she heard the faint sound of soft music coming from inside. While her husband on occasion might take some reading material into the 'fresher with him, she certainly couldn't recall another instance in which he'd turned on some mood music while he did that.
Her curiosity getting the better of her, she went to the door and it swooshed open. On the other side, illuminated dimly by candlelight, was her husband, soaking in their large, whirlpool tub, bubbles overflowing and a white washcloth pressed against his forehead while his arms rested outstretched against the rim of the white porcelain.
The sound of the door caused him to jump and look over at her, the expression on his face and the uncharacteristic flush on his cheeks let her know that he was more than slightly embarrassed. Han Solo typically preferred doing all things in the manliest ways possible, and that included bathing. Real men took showers, never baths. And certainly never baths with bubbles. He'd explained to her in the past that the only way he was going to use that oversized tub was if she'd join him, and she'd taken him up on that offer on more than one occasion.
Of all of the times she'd taken the opportunity to luxuriate in the tub herself in this way, candles, music and Han's teasing included, she had never expected to find her husband in this state.
She wanted to speak but didn't trust her restraint, so she grinned broadly and waited for Han to respond. "You're home early," he said, sitting up and delicately sliding the washcloth off his head as though if he did it slowly enough maybe she wouldn't notice it was there at all.
Composing herself enough to speak and slowly making her way towards the tub at the other end of the vast 'fresher, she replied, "Meeting was canceled, so you're stuck with me for the night. I can leave if you want. Looks like you had a nice little evening planned. I never took you for the bathing-by-candlelight type."
"Yeah, well, just tryin' somethin' new," he said.
"What's next on your list of new things to try, a pedicure?" She moved closer, seeing the sheen of the water on his skin glistening in the flickering candlelight as his muscular arms hung loosely over the sides of the tub, the mountain of bubbles covering everything else. The music was soft and soothing; not his usual tastes. "I thought you didn't like baths unless I was in there too. You weren't expecting me, were you?"
Finally near enough, he reached up and took her hand while she sat on the end of the tub near his head. "No."
"Someone else?" She teased.
"No!" He replied.
She ran her fingers through his wet hair and then slid her hands down his neck and to his shoulders before gently starting to knead the tense muscles beneath his warm, damp skin. His eyes closed and his head fell back, looking as relaxed as she'd seen him in a long time.
"So, to what do I owe seeing my husband soaking in a girly bubble bath? Is your cycle starting soon?"
He sat up a little and she increased the pressure on his shoulders, causing him to moan softly before answering. "Ha ha, princess. I've just been pretty tired lately and I know sometimes you've done this to relax and it always seems to make you feel better. So I thought maybe I'd try it."
She slid her hands from his shoulders and down over his chest, never ceasing her gentle massaging before lowering her head and whispering in his ear. "Is it working?"
He let out a contented sigh and then turned so he could see her face; his eyes looking golden in the dim light. "What do you think?"
Her only response was to lean in and kiss him; just a gentle caress of her lips against his. When she leaned back, he gave her a grin and said, "You look like you could use some relaxing yourself, sweetheart."
"Well, we did get that giant tub for a reason," she replied seductively.
"That we did," he said before she felt his arm grab her by the waist and pull her into the water with him, bubbles and water overflowing onto the floor.
For a brief moment she considered getting mad at him. But as she felt his arms wrap around her while she sat fully clothed and soaking wet in his lap, her legs dangling over the edge of the tub, pressed up against his naked body while he smiled back at her in satisfaction, she found that all she could do was laugh.
"You really are a scoundrel, aren't you?"
"It's what you love about me, sweetheart."
"I do," she replied before leaning in to kiss him.
As she shifted in the tub so she could straddle his hips and face him, she felt something hard and pointy unexpectedly jabbing into her knee and released his lips as she let out an, "Ouch!"
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Leia reached under the water, her view obscured by bubbles, and felt around the bottom of the tub to search for the object that had caused her pain. "Something was poking me," she said.
She saw Han's sly grin before he responded, "I thought you usually liked that, sweetheart," he said with a wink.
"Not that," she replied as her hand finally found the culprit and brought it to the surface. It appeared that the object that had been digging into her knee was a hand-sized model X-wing. "Um, Han? What exactly is this doing in here?"
The wet hair matted to his head and the expression on his face only added to the boyish way he looked at the moment. "See, if I bring a toy like that in with me, then it's a boy bath."
She giggled as she tossed the toy aside and slid her hands around his neck, leaning in to press her forehead against his. "I think having a naked lady in here with you can help make it a little more manly."
She gave him a teasing kiss and he looked at her a little bit confused. "But you've still got-"
Not giving him the chance to continue, she sat back and lifted her dress over her head, dropping it with a soft splat against the floor. She never took her eyes off his as she reached behind her back to release the clasp of her bra, sliding it down her arms and allowing it to join the sopping wet dress. She turned in his lap so her back was against him, the position allowing her to slide her underwear down her legs and toss the garment away before turning and straddling Han's hips once again, her arms settling on his shoulders as she rested her weight against his thighs.
"You were saying?" She said, thoroughly enjoying the awed look on his face that told her that she still had the ability to surprise him.
"I am so glad your meeting was canceled," he replied before leaning in to kiss her hungrily.
So am I, Han. So am I….