ALWAYS WITH ME, ALWAYS WITH YOU
From the song of the same name by Joe Satriani. I always think of Leia and Han when I hear it.
Han Solo almost kissed the gangway to the Falcon as he made his way up. For him, it meant he was home. And home was incredibly welcome after six months frozen in carbonite, made all the more so by the beautiful woman who had his arm. He was tired, and not as strong as usual. At least his vision had returned. Leia had assured him that the other symptoms would pass quickly.
Leia was dressed in a metal bikini, having been part of the late Jabba the Hutt's court of slaves. She was positive that no one was more relieved at Jabba's demise save for Han. The bounty hunters that weren't being digested by the Sarlacc were just going to have to suck it up, she told herself as she and Han went back to the captain's private quarters.
She'd also told Lando and Chewie that they were not to be disturbed for the next twelve hours. They gave Han a weird look, but he just shrugged. "You heard the lady," he told them.
"It's nice to be back here," Leia said quietly as she began to unbraid her hair.
"This is home for me, you know," Han said, lying back on his bunk for a moment. "You have no idea how good this feels."
"At least Lando was kind enough to put clean sheets on the bed," Leia observed. They'd noticed that the captain's quarters were very tidy. "I was prepared to have to do a few hours of cleaning before we settled in."
"Lando's many things, most of which aren't suitable for public consumption, but he's not a slob," Han said, his eyes shut. He opened them again and smiled. "I love your outfit." His expression was positively salacious.
"I can't wait to get out of this thing," she said irritably. "And we both desperately need a shower."
"No kidding." Han's shirt was stained with carbonite flaking and sweat, as was the rest of his attire.
"I thought we'd take one together," Leia said coyly. "A hot water one."
"Sounds like paradise." The two normally preferred to slowly undress each other, but today, clothing went flying faster than a TIE fighter trying to escape.
"I spend six months doing nothing and all that happens is I'm exhausted," Han muttered as Leia got towels, shower gel, and shampoo ready.
"That's not surprising," Leia commented as they both stepped into the shower. It wasn't large; amenities on tramp freighters tended to be small and not plentiful. But Han had modified it so that every now and then he could take a hot water shower. He'd been especially glad that he did since he and Leia had become lovers. Taking a shower with her was always a stimulating experience, in every sense of the word.
Leia was too short to wash his hair effectively, but she enjoyed lathering him down with shower gel, and he moaned and sighed in contentment as she did so. "I can't believe how good this feels," he said, his voice hoarse. "I missed you so much. I figured you'd have moved on by now."
Leia pursed her lips. "You know me better than that."
"I know, but I wouldn't have blamed you if you had."
"Not my style. My style is this. Looks like your blaster stayed charged." She smiled at him. He was breathing hard, but this time from ecstasy and not disorientation.
He held her in his arms as they slid gently down the sides of the shower to the floor. Han pulled Leia into his lap, and she began to slide down on his erection. He was breathing very rough.
"Don't worry," she said in her softest and huskiest voice. "I got an implant before I went on leave."
"Right now, I wouldn't care if you hadn't." The two kissed, gently at first, and then fervently.
Leia used her hands to rub his shoulders, which was where tension always accumulated on him. He moaned happily as she expertly moved her tiny hands over his wet, soapy skin. As she massaged him, she'd move her mouth to his nipples, and he let out a cry.
"I can't wait, Leia, I'm gonna come." His rhythm was escalating.
"Come then," She said, her legs tightly wrapped around his waist. He gave a hard shudder and another soft cry. Leia felt him release into her, and her own orgasm followed quickly. The two were finally spent, just sitting with each other, leaning into one another.
"I think the water's getting cold," Leia said, and helped pull her lover up. "How do you feel about continuing in bed?"
"Best offer I've had in ages."
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They made love again, slowly, gently and leisurely, and afterwards, languishing in the afterglow, Han fell asleep. Leia pulled the sheet over him, watching him. He looks like a little boy when he's asleep, she marveled. The tenderness she felt for him went up several orders of magnitude. He looked vulnerable and innocent, two qualities not ordinarily ascribed to Han Solo. She ran her hand gently through his clean, soft hair, and planted a kiss on his cheek. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was until he'd fallen asleep, his head on her shoulder. He was snoring, and the sound comforted her, providing a backdrop for her own repose, along with the hum of the Falcon's engines.
She woke a few hours later, and while Han still slept, she got up and found her clothes. Lando had run them through the portable valet and everything was clean and neatly folded. She still hadn't completely forgiven Lando, but he was putting his better self forward. She dressed in a pair of black pants that were soft and stretchy and a shirt with long sleeves. The shirt was the bright blue of the Alderaan skies, with lace trimming it. She headed up to the cockpit, where Lando and Chewie were at the controls, talking about heading for the fleet, which was where they were now headed.
"Hey guys," Leia greeted them. She'd braided her hair into one thick plait with a blue ribbon wound through it, and she had color in her skin again.
"Leia! You look lovely!" Lando said, and this time, his smile was sincere.
"I'm a lot more comfortable in this than I was in the costume," she admitted jokingly.
{How's Han?} Chewie demanded.
"He's very tired but he's fine," Leia assured him. "Hibernation can be rough on a body."
{And harder on the emotions}, Chewie said to her.
"I know that. We may yet have some sleepless nights, but one thing I've learned about Han Solo is that he's very resilient."
{You were mating}, Chewie said, a smile in his voice. Leia laughed.
"I did not need to hear that," Lando said to Chewie, but Chewie simply laughed at him.
"I need a secure channel to get a message to the fleet that we're on our way there," Leia told them. "What happened to Artoo and Threepio?"
{They were tired}. Chewie said. {All shut down}.
"I've got an Alliance secure channel," Lando told her.
"Just tell them that we've recovered Han, that Luke is not with us but will be later, and that we'll rendezvous with them in...I don't even know how many hours out we are."
"13 standard hours left," Lando told her.
"I did sleep for a long time," she mused. "Thanks. Let me go check on Han."
She found him still sleeping blissfully, snoring away like a child without a single care. For that, she was grateful; she hoped he'd be spared the nightmares she'd experienced following the destruction of her home planet.
She touched her lips gently to his forehead and he stirred a little.
"Leia?" he mumbled sleepily.
"I'm here," she said, taking his hand.
"You're always with me, and I'm always with you."
Leia kissed him again. She had a feeling that he was going to be just fine.
"That's what got me through," she whispered. "Always with me, always with you."