Summary: It's Luke and Leia's 18th birthday, and tonight is a night no one's going to forget in a hurry: Star Wars, plus sleepovers, Snapchat, Truth or Dare and a fair dose of teenage angst. High school AU, where everyone is happy- featuring Han, Luke, Leia, Lando, Poe, Rey and Finn.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any characters. I also don't own anything else I may mention off-hand in this fic, just in case you were wondering.
A/N: Originally submitted as part of the JediFest exchange on Tumblr. This is my first real go at an AU, and I think I did okay (?). There are quite a few easter eggs in there for any nerds among you, but generally I just tried to transport the OT and ST squad dynamics into a high school sleepover. Happy holidays to y'all, and enjoy!
A night you'll always remember (but one that you'd rather forget)
It was nearing eleven and no one was drunk yet. Not that there was any lack of alcohol, but because there was a finite amount and they'd agreed to wait for the right occasion until starting it.
The right occasion was, apparently, an impromptu game of Truth Or Dare.
"If anyone's sick, they've got to clear it up." Luke pointed out warily as Lando opened up one of the six packs. "Dad's rules."
Anakin hadn't technically agreed to alcohol at the party, but he hadn't exactly forbidden it, either. He and the twins' mom had left them to it for the night, after telling Luke and Leia to be sensible, and Luke had intended to comply. Mostly. But when Han and Lando were around you kind of got pulled into things like this.
"Finn!" Lando called across the room, "Beer or cider?"
"Beer," Finn held up his hand to catch the can, but Lando's throw was way off.
It hit Poe in the arm instead, sending Bebe running in a flash of white and orange fur. Before the cat could get too far, Rey had picked it up and dragged it back into her lap, where it curled into a ball and purred contently. Poe handed Finn his drink back and pointed at Rey.
"I want my buddy back as soon as we finish."
Lando settled back down into the rough circle and wisely rolled the drinks to the others rather than risk another throwing mishap.
"Let's do this thing!" Lando didn't need alcohol to get happy- it was always like he was perpetually drunk, and the whole party game had been his idea to begin with. "I want to start, and I pick Leia."
She rolled her eyes.
"What? Ladies first. Whoa-" Lando ducked to avoid the cushion she threw at him. "It was a joke, okay?" He didn't wait for her response. "If someone passes, they're taking a shot of Han's mystery mix."
"It's vodka."
"You keep telling us that."
Han had managed to smuggle in a bottle of clear liquor of unspecified origin and questionable legitimacy. So far no one had had the guts to try it- even Lando was giving it a wide berth.
The group nodded at Lando's rules. He pointed a finger at Leia, who snuggled further into Han's arms before making her decision.
"Truth."
"Come on! It's your eighteenth for crying out loud, don't be so-"
He stopped abruptly as Han raised his beer can in preparation to throw. Lando raised his hands in protest.
"Hey, whoa, okay. I'm sorry. Right, I've got one. What is the worst thing you've ever done, that no one knows about?"
Everyone had to admit it was a good one. Leia just groaned.
"I'm a twin, I have no secrets."
Poe had grabbed the bottle from the table and was starting to unscrew the lid. "I'd hate to be in your position, Leia."
"Give me a second!"
There was a pause while she thought. Or, probably more accurately, considered. In the end she seemingly concluded that the embarrassment was worth it, and admitted, "There's one thing."
"What happens at the party stays at the party." Luke assured her. "That's a ground rule."
They all agreed immediately. Leia made Lando swear on his life that he wouldn't tell, which, knowing his sense of loyalty, was unsurprising, before she was satisfied.
"Okay. Remember Jabba? That really gross guy who left a few years ago?"
Everyone knew him. The nickname was more common than his actual one, and even if you'd never seen him in person, you'd heard enough to get the picture.
"He said some guy on his street beat him up." Finn interjected.
"Yeah…" Leia's blush was obvious against her pale skin. "It wasn't 'some guy'. It was me."
There was a long moment of silence.
"Are you kidding me?" Han finally asked in amazement. He was looking down at her with some newly found awe.
"No. I was walking down his road after school and he started following me. He was being weird and staying stuff about dad, and you… and I wasn't even dating you then, so it must've been some insult- and I just snapped."
Lando still looked shocked. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I would've been kicked out of school!" Leia threw her hands in the air. "Why he never told, I don't know. I guess he was too embarrassed that he got beaten up by a girl. A girl who was considerably shorter than him, may I add."
Han smirked. "Serves him right, though."
Even Luke had to admit that was true. A round of spontaneous clapping began- Leia gave a little bow before gesturing to Rey.
"Your go."
"Oh. Right." She adjusted Bebe in her lap and grinned at Han. "Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
Rey's forehead creased in thought. "Damn, I had a great one for truth. Okay… okay, Han, I dare you to call a random number and try to convince the person you're their son."
Han laughed. "It's done."
He dug his phone out and punched in a series of numbers, then held it against his ear. The person answered on the third ring.
"Speaker!" Finn whispered.
Han did so, just in time for them to all to catch the end of a gruff, male 'hello'.
"Hi, dad."
Han shot a glare as the rest of the group fought to contain their laughter.
"Garoche? Is that you?" The voice sounded angry. Han quickly backtracked.
"No, it's… ah…"
"What have I told you about calling me at work?"
Rey could barely stop herself from giggling out loud. Poe had already left the room, and his laughs could be heard from the corridor.
"I can't talk to you right now," the man continued. "You know that. I have an important job to do."
"Mom didn't tell me."
Leia had to move away to stop her quiet laughter from being heard down the phone. Han was trying his best to appear clueless, saying as little as he could.
"Your mother doesn't remember anything. Gar, I'll be away for a while. Sheev Palpatine has given me direct orders, I'm the only one he trusts with the job."
Quizzical looks were shared around the group. Han couldn't stop a little curiosity creeping into his voice.
"Sheev…"
"Sheev Palpatine. You remember him, he came to our house-warming party."
"Oh yeah! Yeah. Sheev Palpatine. Well, it was good talking to you, dad. I'll see you…" Han winced. "Soon?"
"I hope so." The voice turned suddenly grave. "I should've mentioned it to you earlier. This is a major operation, and, well, if something happens to me, you keep your chin up, son. Carry on the Tarkin legacy."
Han was speechless for a second. When he did speak, it was with a dry throat. "Sure, dad. Bye?"
There was no reply. The line went dead, and rang out for several seconds before Han hung up himself. Poe had returned in time to hear the last thing said, and now shared with the others' nervous confusion.
"Did that just happen?"
Rey looked pointedly at Han. "What was that number?"
He shrugged, starting to laugh again. "I don't know! It was random!"
"God knows what we just learnt about," Leia muttered, as Han pocketed his phone again and motioned for her to come back into his arms.
The game continued. They soon lost track of how many times they'd been around the circle; Finn had been the first one to take a shot, after turning down Luke's dare, and now the bottle was only half full. Another pack of beers had been opened, and for reasons no one could recall they were all in hysterics and Poe's socks were on Bebe's ears.
"Dare." Lando announced proudly, meeting Han's gaze as squarely as one could after drinking what he had done.
"We get to look through your phone for the next five minutes."
Before Lando could react, Rey jumped in. "I don't think I want to go through Lando's phone."
Poe raised his half-finished cider. "Same here."
"Just pass it over." Han held his hand out for the phone, leaving Lando with little choice. He surrendered it with a smirk.
"They're right, you know. Might scar you for life."
"Your lockscreen is a collage of Doge." Han commented dryly. "I think this is going to do more damage to you than it is to me."
For the next few minutes Han and Leia attempted to unearth the most embarrassing thing they could from the phone. There was a lot to choose from.
"The last person you texted was your mom?"
"Lando, the only photos on here are bad selfies."
"You even have a chess app. What is this?"
"Oh, hey, you've got Mara on Snapchat."
Luke raised his eyebrow at the last comment. Lando shot him a look.
"Don't worry, I'm not stealing your girlfriend."
"She's not my-"
"Why not?" asked Rey. "She's almost as good at fencing as you are, and she's pretty…"
Luke waved her off, his cheeks beginning to flush. "That doesn't mean… anyway, it's Lando's dare."
Han raised an eyebrow, but after a disapproving look from Leia he stopped short of saying anything and just handed Lando back his phone.
"You disappoint me, Calrissian."
Lando shrugged in what was not quite apology, and turned to Finn. "Your turn, buddy."
Finn looked across at Leia. "Be kind."
Finn was undoubtedly the shyest of the group, and consequently had avoided any dares that were too much for him, and had stopped asking for truths altogether. They were all going to be too revealing.
"A dare?" Leia asked. Poe nodded, already uncomfortable. "Okay. I dare you to kiss Poe."
Finn's cheeks instantly reddened, and he looked everywhere but Poe. It had been clear to everyone for a long time that Finn had a crush on Poe. Then again, a lot of people had a crush on Poe, and Finn was convinced that of all the admirers he had he would never pick him. Poe himself remained blissfully oblivious of the whole thing. Rey smiled.
"It's just a kiss, Finn."
Finn managed to glance at Poe. "You're… you're okay with that?"
He shrugged. "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
Everyone was smiling now, as Finn blushed even more.
"I… don't know." He mumbled.
He took a deep breath and leaned across to kiss Poe on the cheek. The other's stubble against his chin made him shiver despite himself.
"Seriously?" Poe turned to look at him.
Finn frowned in confusion. He was stumbling over his words now, and was avoiding Poe's eyes again. "Well, she didn't specify. And… I thought you were cool with it."
Poe just laughed. "Coward."
Then he took Finn's face in his hands and pulled his lips to his. Han and Luke began to clap, and Rey whooped, jolting Bebe awake again. Finn's hand had strayed up to Poe's cheek, and the two of them were now so well invested in the kiss it took Lando quietly clearing his throat to break them up. When they pulled back, Finn was grinning.
Everyone jeered in good nature, apart from Lando, who made a noise of disgust. "Get yourselves a room!"
Finn's cheeks flushed even more, but Poe just rolled his eyes. Play continued, and once everyone was distracted Poe caught Leia's eyes and mouthed a silent 'thank you'. She raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement, mouthing back 'you owe me'. He just grinned.
"Luke, it's your go." Rey nudged him with her foot. "Luke?"
He didn't respond. His head had lolled back and he was quietly snoring, unaware of anything around him.
Lando pulled out his phone again, opening his camera. "I'll send a photo to Mara."
"Don't." Leia glared at him, but only half-heartedly- she was tired, too, both due to the alcohol and the late hour.
Lando obeyed anyway, stretching his arms out with a yawn. "Fine. I'm about ready myself."
"Mom and Dad will be back soon," Leia told him. "We need to clean up."
Han groaned theatrically, but then, like the others, began to reluctantly gather the empty cans on the floor. They'd planned to sleep upstairs, in the twins' attic room, but no one felt like moving too far, and Luke was so out of it it would take a small miracle to wake him up.
Bebe was still restless, so Poe let it into the kitchen. Anakin probably hadn't counted on the cat coming around, but hopefully by the time they got back it would be asleep and out of the way. Bebe rarely slept more than two feet away from Poe.
It was a warm night, and the sleeping bags and pillows formed a group mattress that they began to get settled on. Han gently helped Leia to lower Luke onto the floor, and he barely even stirred. Leia covered him with a blanket, trying not to laugh as her brother started to snore more noticeably. She was used to it- the others would just have to hope they were tired enough to drop off without it disturbing them.
Rey had almost fallen to sleep as soon as she lay down, closest to the radiator and curled in her sleeping bag. Poe and Finn were close, though trying to make it look unintentional, and Leia was pretty sure the jacket over Finn's body was actually Poe's. She just smiled. It was about time.
Lando mumbled a good night as she passed him to lie next to Han. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss against her cheek.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart."
She found his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks, Flyboy."
By the time the parents returned, everyone was asleep. Bebe had curled up between Poe and Finn, and Luke's snores were audible even upstairs. As his wife rolled over in bed, cursing Luke's inability to stay even slightly quiet, Anakin smiled.
The boy took after his father.
