IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK
(Leia)
One week.
That's how long it's been since Han Solo slipped his damaged bucket of bolts into what we thought was a cave in a large asteroid. This was the result of flying into an asteroid field, after Han decided to attack an Imperial star destroyer. If this sounds like an unlikely start to love, well, I'd have to agree.
I hadn't planned to leave with Han, but the base was buried in the ice and Imperial fighters had launched an attack on us. As a result, I was unable to reach my transport. My choice was either die in a frozen wasteland or leave with this impossible man. Needless to say, leaving with him was the only option I had.
What scared me most was that I was going to be confined in a small tramp freighter with a man for whom I had a maddeningly complicated set of feelings. Just hours before the evacuation, we'd ended up arguing in a hallway over what he presumed to be my feelings for him.
He'd hit me square in the guts, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how he affected me. He was abandoning us at a time when we needed him most - and yes, abandoning me.
What hurt the most was that he seemed as if he'd changed, that he'd come to care about our cause despite his denials. In the moment where he'd announced that he was leaving, my image of him had been shattered. It seemed, I thought, that he only cared about getting rid of old debts and moving on.
It was not one of the better moments of my life.
But then, Luke had failed to check in, and Han was willing to risk his own life to head out into temperatures that kill most humans, all to keep a friend from dying.
I couldn't sleep that night. Two men I cared about, both unlikely to survive the night, kept me from closing my eyes. I paced the floor of the hangar until it'd been reported that both Han and Luke were safe. At that point, there was such intense meteor activity in the area that General Riekkan closed the base.
Han had gone out again and had located an Imperial probe droid, and we began the evacuation procedures.
Which is how I ended up on the Millenniun Falcon. I'd secretly named it the Misfortune Falcon but seeing as it was the only way I was going to keep from being buried in snow or, more likely, killed by the Imperials, I considered it in better taste to keep my mouth shut. Which was very difficult when it was discovered that the hyperdrive had failed.
After we'd landed in the cave, we set about doing what we could to fix the Falcon. I'm not great with tools, but my father was adamant that I learn some elementary electronics and mechanics. It gave me some relief to have something to do.
All the while I'm thinking, he has no idea how hard this is for me. Not repairing the ship; I was operating more along the lines of, he doesn't know what I feel for him and it has to stay that way.
I actually elbowed him pretty hard when he came over to help me. He took my hand in his. I told him to stop it, but I didn't exactly pull away from him. I called him a scoundrel. He leaned in closer, me shaking like a leaf. Was I terrified? You know it.
I was afraid I was falling in love with him. And then when his mouth touched mine, well, I knew that resistance was futile, and I had been assimmilated.
I think we'd have gone a lot further in that moment except that Threepio showed his distinct lack of proper socialization programming. That left us both confused, but we didn't have much time to dwell on it; the cave appeared to be wildly unstable, and by the time we'd gone outside, Han began to scream to Chewie to get us out of here, and the reason was very obvious in short order.
I had my first romantic encounter with Han Solo in the stomach of a space slug.
It seems as if lifetimes have passed, yet it's only been a week.
Han's bunk wasn't designed for two people. Right now, I could not care less. After a session of slow, tender lovemaking, he is fast asleep, snoring lightly, his large, warm body pressed against mine. One of his arms is draped languidly over my stomach. It feels so natural and so right. His face in sleep is that of a little boy's, innocent and at ease. But there's nothing childlike about him in bed. I never knew what a real man was like until Han.
I smile and wonder what my father would think of all this. And it makes me giggle.
I find my eyes closing, a sweet drowsiness overtaking me. I know what an effect Han has on me. Because I haven't slept well in years. In Han's arms, I feel safe.
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(Han)
I've done absolutely nothing to deserve this, but the most beautiful woman in the universe is sharing my bed. She's curled up against me, her head on my chest. I've never felt so much tenderness towards anyone. The protectiveness I have towards her is overwhelming.
Not that she can't take care of herself. She can and she's proven it in spades. This tiny woman - and she's a woman, not a girl - is as tough as they come. But she's not afraid to be vulnerable with me.
And, as they say, turnabout is fair play. This is a woman who'll keep my secrets. There's a connection we share that boggles the mind.
I can't believe it's only been a week. We've been chased by Imperials, attacked the Imperials, made it out alive from a flight in an asteroid field, almost was devoured by a space slug, and are now flying at sublight towards Bespin, where I hope to gods we can get some repairs and supplies. We're taking the long way so that we can avoid Imperial occupied worlds and stations. The ship's in rough shape. We'll need at least another week, probably two, before we get there.
That's dicey, but in a way, I'm happy that it's taking so long. Leia and I are settling into a nice relationship with each other. There's plenty of snark - you didn't really think we'd changed that much, did you - but I never imagined being this close to anyone, this much in love with anyone.
Both of us are sleeping better these days. When I couldn't sleep, I'd get up and walk the halls of the base, and I'd pass by her quarters. I knew she wasn't asleep. There was a lot of raw emotion in the halls at night. It's where the loss and cost of the war creeps up on people. I'd see fellow floor pacers as well. I got to know some of the people who'd been with this effort since the beginning, and they were aging before my eyes.
This war takes from everyone. But it's given me something so amazing, it's hard to curse it completely.
It's given me a woman I never dared dream would be in my arms like she is right now. Her hair and skin are so soft, like the best quality silk. Everything about her is more than I could imagine - and I can imagine a lot.
I'm dealing with a whole new set of emotions that are mostly unfamiliar to me, but it's kinda nice. I never knew what it was like to be body and soul in love. Hell, I'd never even considered myself to have much of a soul. Not before this.
I hear her sigh with contentment and I'm flooded with warmth and care. I lean over and kiss her temple. I've never seen her so relaxed. Hell, I've never been so relaxed.
I'm going to do everything in my power to make her happy, to keep her safe, to love her no matter how difficult our situations may be. I'm not gonna kid myself: this is life during wartime and it ain't easy. But as long as she's with me, we'll get through it.
I kiss her temple and once again, fall into a sweet slumber.