Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just make them do stuff. I do not profit from this in any way, shape or form.
Author's Note: Just a quick little one-shot because I'm still avoiding working on that multi-chapter of mine (It's been jamming me up lately). For whatever reason, I really wanted to make these two have a disagreement tonight. Took a couple liberties of my own with this one and threw parts of the EU out the window. Takes place in my own little universe I've got Han and Leia living in post-RotJ. If you haven't read anything else by me, they are currently living in an apartment on Coruscant as the galaxy rebuilds (otherwise the story stands alone from any other of my work). Not 100% thrilled with how this turned out but meh, maybe you'll enjoy it anyways.
"Why do you look so miserable?" Leia asked, glancing up in the mirror attached to her vanity as she pinned the last few pieces of her hair into place, noticing in the reflection one mildly annoyed looking Corellian pulling on his freshly shined boots as he sat on the edge of their bed.
"I just don't get why Luke is throwing a party for Boonta's Eve" Han replied.
Leia rose from her vanity and made her way to the edge of the bed, sitting next to Han. "It's something that he celebrated as a kid on Tatooine, just let him have his day".
"I unfortunately spent enough time around the Hutts on that dust bowl of a planet to know why it's a holiday. Can't exactly get too excited for anything that slug used to enjoy".
"We are doing this for Luke, plus I doubt he's doing this for the same reason a Hutt would" she said, trying to reassure him.
"Enlighten me, princess. 'Cause anything I've ever heard about it, it wasn't anything to celebrate". He couldn't help but to roll his eyes as he spoke, waiting for Leia to somehow change his mind.
"Well, the invitation explained that Boonta's Eve was a Tatooine holiday dating from the Galactic Republic that celebrated a god who would bring good fortune for the coming moisture harvest" she explained.
"That's nothing like how the Hutts would talk about it. To them it was gambling on pod races, heavy drinking and their slaves".
"You really think Luke would celebrate any of that?" She asked.
"The heavy drinking part maybe" he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Leia smiled, playfully nudging his shoulder. "You clean up nice, my scruffy nerf herder". She noticed he was wearing a freshly pressed shirt tucked neatly into belted black pants, a far cry from his normal work shirts and blood stripes. She liked him in whatever he wore, scruffy or not, she loved everything about him. She leaned towards him and kissed his freshly shaven cheek.
A short speeder ride thru the streets of Coruscant later, they found themselves in a stately building reserved for parties. Han took Leia's hand as they exited the turbolift and made their way down a long hallway to the room in which the festivities were already in full swing. Han watched as Leia walked a few steps in front of him, her hips swaying, the deep purple material of her dress clinging to her curves. He really was the luckiest man in the galaxy and she looked stunning this evening. He set aside any preconceived notions he had earlier about the holiday, ready to enjoy himself for the evening.
The room was already full of guests, music floating thru the crowd and the space had been elaborately decorated for the event. Long silks of various shades of blue were draped across the ceiling and red and yellow paper lanterns hung from golden strings, the light from them casting the room in a golden glow. It resembled a Tatooine sunset, fitting for the occasion. Leia saw a group of work associates and almost immediately got pulled into their conversation. After a quick hello to the group, Han leaned towards Leia.
"I'm going to grab us a drink" he whispered to her ear. She nodded, squeezing his hand as she let it go, a silent gesture of thanks to him.
Han made his way across the room to the bar. He hadn't seen many familiar faces yet, passing by the occasional pilot that looked familiar from one base or another over the years but the names of he couldn't remember. He hoped Chewbacca would be arriving shortly, at least the Wookiee would keep him company, especially if Leia was going to get pulled into work conversations all night long.
"What can I get for you, sir?" The server droid behind the bar counter asked.
"White wine and a Corellian whiskey on the rocks, please".
"I'm sorry, sir. We do not have any Corellian whiskey. I have been programmed to only serve Tattooniean drinks for the evening".
Han stared at the droid for a moment, silently cursing Luke's creative party planning under his breath.
"Does Tatooine have any ales you could serve me then?" He sarcastically stated to the 3PO unit, wondering if all makes of the droid were programmed to somehow irritate him in one way or another.
"Of course, sir" the droid chirped as he fetched the drinks, not picking up on Han's annoyance.
Han turned from the bar and scanned the room for Leia, searching among the crowd for her. He noticed her, her back turned to him chatting with a man who seemed only a few years older than Leia, dressed in an expensive looking tailored jacket and pants. Gone were the group of people she had been engrossed in conversation with earlier. He didn't recognize the man as anyone from the Alliance as made his way towards them.
Leia turned to Han as he stood beside her, passing her the glass of wine. Her cheeks were pink, as if she had been laughing just a moment before his arrival.
"Thank you" she said as she took a sip of her wine. "Han, I want to you meet Rogen Danakar. He's an old friend of mine from Alderaan".
Rogen extended his hand to Han, shaking it firmly. Han immediately didn't like him, basing his opinion nothing more than the man's appearance. Rogen clearly was from some well to do family, his blonde hair neatly combed back and styled, his hands un-calloused, as if he never he had never done a day of manual labor in his life.
"Nice to meet you" Han gruffly stated. He suddenly felt very possessive of Leia in the presence of Rogen, his hand loosening from the man's and wrapping around Leia as the conversation continued.
"Leia, you didn't tell me that "the" General Solo was going to be in attendance tonight" Rogen laughed, flashing a smile towards Han. "Truly appreciate what you have done for the galaxy, General ".
"Thanks" Han muttered, slightly uncomfortable with the acknowledgment. "So, you two go way back then?" Han asked in attempt to change the subject, his hand still resting firmly against the curve in Leia's back.
"I've known the Princess since before she was in the Senate" Rogen explained, a certain smugness in his voice that Han didn't appreciate. "Our fathers were close friends and political allies".
"Interesting" Han smirked at Rogen. He honestly couldn't give a womp rat's ass about anything Rogen said, hoping that somehow the conversation between them would be over soon.
"I've heard that you and the Princess go back some time yourself" Rogen stated.
"General Solo has been quite the asset to the Alliance over the years. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what state the galaxy would be in now" Leia diplomatically interjected into the conversation, sensing Han's tension under his touch.
"You have done quite a bit for the galaxy yourself, Princess" Rogen flashed a grin at Leia.
"It took everyone in the Alliance to finally bring down the Empire" Leia easily remarked back at him.
"I hate to cut this short, I just noticed some friends arriving that I should say hello to. It was wonderful seeing you again, Princess and nice to meet you General Solo". Rogan nodded in Han's direction before taking a step forward to hug Leia, a gesture Han had never seen anyone other than himself, Luke or Chewbacca ever do to her, let alone one would dare to try at a public function. It took him by surprise as he felt Leia's body leave his grasp as she returned Rogen's hug goodbye. Han couldn't help to feel uncomfortable with the situation as a whole. Half of him wanted to pull Rogen right off of her, give him a good swift uppercut to his pretty boy face. Just an old friend? Han thought to himself as he watched Leia release from Rogen's hug before he turned to make his way across the room to meet his friends.
Before Han had the chance to ask Leia what the hell that was all about, he felt a friendly slap across his shoulder.
"Hey, kid" Han said, relieved that Rogen was gone but still annoyed at his presence in the first place, finding it different to put his feelings about the whole exchange between him and Leia aside.
"Luke!" Leia exclaimed. "So good to see you. The room looks beautiful".
"Thanks" Luke replied to his sister.
Leia took a sip of her wine. It tasted different than the wines she was accustomed to, slightly drier and sweeter than any she had tasted before.
"Is this a Tatooinean wine?" She asked Luke.
"It is" Luke replied. "Thought having some Tatooinean food and drink would be fitting for the evening"
"I found that out the hard way" Han chuckled.
"Tatooine has it's own whiskey. It's not half bad" Luke boasted.
Han shot Luke a look, daring him to try and compare his beloved Corellian whiskey to anything else in the galaxy.
"Since when did you get all nostalgic for your home world, kid? Not like we've got a long list of happy memories there" Han smirked.
"Han" Leia whispered, her hand resting against his arm, hoping he would just leave the subject of anything that had happened to them on the planet alone.
Luke sensed Leia's discomfort at the whole subject of Tatooine, not wanting to remember any of the events himself.
"Leia, it's okay. Han has a point, but there is some good things I remember about it. Celebrating Boonta's Eve with my aunt and uncle was one of them" Luke said, trying easing the tension between the two.
Leia glanced at Han from the corner of her eye, wondering what had possibly gotten into him this evening. She could tell something was bothering him, unable to place exactly what it might be.
"Excuse us for a minute, Luke" she coolly said to her brother before turning to Han. Luke sensed her frustration, nodding as he left them alone.
"Care to join me in the hall?" She asked, putting on her most diplomatic tone of voice in an attempt to hold back her annoyance at him while still in public.
"Wanting me alone already, Princess?" Han joked, hoping to make her smile. His plan backfired, Leia only glaring at him with narrowed eyes, her aggravation with him clearly apparent. He took the cue to shut up and obliged to her wishes, following her into the hallway, knowing that her diplomatic calmness would fade away quickly once they were alone.
"Can you just at least pretend like you are having a good time?" She asked, her annoyance at him now apparent in her voice.
"What'd I do?" He asked, trying to play it off as if he was fine. He wanted nothing more to confront her about Rogen but before he could get in a word, she began speaking again, her eyes narrowed at him.
"You've been complaining since the moment we got here. No, I take that back. You were complaining before we even left! I'm sure if you wanted to celebrate some Corellian thing no one off planet had ever heard of, Luke and everyone else would show up and enjoy themselves, even if it was just out of good graces" she remarked, her voice growing slightly louder as she spoke.
"I wouldn't need to throw a big party to show everyone how great Corellians are" Han quickly shot back at her, cockiness in his tone, unable to hold back his irritation with her any longer.
"Oh, right, I forgot, everyone in the galaxy already knows how wonderful you all are" she snapped.
"Leia" he sighed. He was in no mood for an all out screaming match with her in a hallway. He'd done that before with her, many times and in many different hallways and wasn't about to add this one to the list.
She stared at him in silence for a moment before turning on her heel and making her way back into the room. If Han wanted to act like a bantha, she didn't need him for the evening. She was there to celebrate with her brother, not to fight with Han in a deserted hallway.
Han let out a long breath as watched Leia disappear back into the room. She was impossible sometimes, even after all the time they had spent together, he still found her infuriating at moments like this. He leaned up against the wall, debating if he should just go back to their apartment. I can't just leave her here, that wouldn't be fair he thought to himself. He ran his fingers thru his hair and decided the least he could do would at least stick around while she cooled off a bit. He made his way back into the party, resolved to not let her or Rogen get to him for the time being.
Leia glanced over her shoulder, spotting Han in the opposite corner of the room, now deep in a conversation with Wedge, Chewbacca sitting nearby. Of course, the two Corellians at the party found each other, probably sharing all the things they think their planet does better than everyone else she thought to herself, still annoyed at him from their exchange of words earlier. She wished for a second that she had shouted at him in the hall that his arrogant Corellian ass could go to the hangar and sleep on the Falcon for the night because she didn't even want to deal with him at the moment, let alone once they got home. She turned back to Luke, trying to avoid any further glances in Han's direction for the rest of the evening.
The speeder ride back to their apartment was in silence, neither Han nor Leia attempting to break the wordlessness between them. Upon return to their apartment, Leia moved about the bedroom readying herself for bed, going about her business as she removed the pins from her hair and setting them down in a neat pile on her nightstand, trying to pretend Han wasn't there. She could feel him watching her as she walked past him sitting on the edge of the bed. She sighed quietly to herself, unable to ignore him any longer. She finally broke the silence between them.
"What is bothering you?" She asked, her words coming out more annoyed sounding than she had intended them to.
"I should be asking you the same question" he replied as he reached for his boots, pulling them off and tossing them to the corner.
"No, you shouldn't. You've been a bantha ass all night. What's gotten into you?"
Han knew what was bothering him, it was Rogen. The whole exchange between Leia and Rogen had rubbed him the wrong way and he couldn't shake it, even after downing a few shots of Corellian whiskey, snuck into the party by Wedge in a flask hidden in his jacket. He had stolen quick glances at Leia throughout the evening from across the room, watching her laugh with Luke, the annoyance still stirring within him.
"You and that pretty boy, whatever his name was" Han huffed, finally confessing to her.
"Rogen? That's what's been bothering you?" She asked.
"I suppose".
She stopped what she was doing and stood in front of him. "Really, Han?"
"Leia, he hugged you, in front of everyone. You wouldn't even let me hold your hand for months in public when we first started dating and you just let some guy you haven't seen in years hug you?"
"Han, it's not like that" she stated.
"Could have fooled me" he snipped back at her.
Leia let out a long sigh. She knew Han was protective of her, sometimes too much so, but during the war, it was a comforting thing to know he was constantly looking out for her, even if she knew she could protect herself. Now that the war was over, it just irked her, his overbearing need to keep her safe from everything and everyone was beginning to drive her crazy.
"Do I ever question you about your past, Han?" She asked, her aggravation at him coming full force.
"Not really" He admitted. Leia had rarely questioned anything from his past, which in some respects he was thankful for. He knew she was too good for him, a silent fear inside of him always lingered that if she knew about his past, she somehow would change her mind about being with him, despite everything they had been thru together. His rational thoughts knew she loved him unconditionally, but his doubts still found a way of creeping in.
"Exactly. We both have pasts and people from them" she explained. She was shocked when Rogen came up to her at the party, hardly recognizing him at first, only remembering him when he began to speak, his accent bringing back her memories of them together on Alderaan. She had not seen him in years, assuming he met the same fate as most of the Alderaanian population.
"So you two had a thing then?" Han asked quietly as he worked the buttons of his dress shirt, pulling his arms free and tossing the shirt aside. He sat in a plain white undershirt, awaiting her response, not sure what to expect from her.
"I'm not answering that. If I asked you a rundown of all your ex girlfriends, we'd be here all night". She realized she had walked right into his question, admitting to him exactly what she had been trying to avoid and bit her bottom lip for a moment as she thought about what to say next. Han had never questioned her past, much as she never questioned his. "You think until you came along I was some little perfect princess that had no life outside of politics and a palace?".
"I never really thought about it. Just figured you were too busy to have any time for much of a social life" he confessed. He wasn't lying to her, he really hadn't thought much about Leia's personal life before the fateful day on the Death Star when some bossy Princess ordered him into a trash compactor and for whatever reason, he took an order from someone other than himself, his life forever changing from that moment on. He had his suspicions that she wasn't a virgin just by the way she kissed, the way she moved under him the first few times they had made love, but never dared to ask her outright about it. He figured that was just Leia, stubborn and unfazed by anything in general, only attracting him further to her.
"You really think that I have this extensive list of women from my past? That I was with a different girl in every spaceport?"
"Isn't that what scoundrels do?" she quipped. She figured that Han had been with a number of women before her, never settling for too long with any one of them before disappearing back into the stars, figuring it just came with the life he used to lead.
"I'm a nice man, remember?" He gave her a lopsided grin and a small chuckle. "There were some girls, but not that many". He wasn't going to deny his past to her but he was nowhere near the womanizer Leia imagined he was in his younger days. The few woman he had been with before Leia were nothing more than the occasional drunken hook up, a few hours of distraction, no attraction to them other than one that was physical and fleeting.
She smiled at him and uncrossed her arms before sitting beside him on the bed.
"Fine" she admitted to him, figuring if they were clearing the air about their pasts, she would be truthful about hers to him. "Rogen and I never publicly dated, but we did have a thing for awhile, if that's what you want to call it. I was a teenager, it wasn't anything serious".
"I knew it" he laughed, his suspicions about her confirmed, hardly mattering anymore. He felt stupid for acting so childish towards her, his desire to protect her overwhelming his better thoughts. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. "I'm sorry".
"You don't have to protect me all the time, you know. I can hold my own, whether it be against blasters or boys. The past doesn't matter anymore because you are my future" she reminded him as her head rested against his shoulder, her body relaxing into his embrace.
"And that's why I love you so much, sweetheart". He kissed the top of her head gently as he held her close, never wanting to let her go as her words floated thru his head. You are my future. He couldn't imagine anything better in the entire galaxy.