The beginning of my slow return to writing after a particularly rough summer begins with this story.
Leia
The shadow cast by the small shack provided a brief shelter from the blistering sun and whipping sand. Leia was suddenly very thankful for the cloak that Luke had found her. Without it, she was sure all of her exposed skin would be ripped to shreds.
Han still couldn't see anything, which had made their trek a bit difficult.
"Why don't we go inside until the storm clears?" Leia suggested, "there's no way anyone is getting off planet in this sand."
"What, no," Han replied. "Take me to the Falcon. I ain't staying in that old man's dirty hut."
Leia sighed. She couldn't blame Han for his frustration. He'd been through some traumatizing events, and he'd done it without sight.
She wanted to go back to the Falcon as well. The ship had become something of a home to her, even while docked on Home One. She struggled to sleep in the bright, unforgiving quarters of the military ship because she'd become accustomed to the warm, homey atmosphere of the Falcon. It wasn't quite the same without Han sleeping next to her, but Chewie's presence was comforting.
"It's not dirty," Luke defended, referring to the hut, "Leia and I have been living there."
Now Leia cringed. That definitely wasn't what Han needed to hear at the moment. He'd always been jealous of Luke, regardless of the fact that she'd never seen him that way. She looked at him. Han seemed unfazed, but Leia knew him well enough to see his disdain, not for Luke, but for the situation. She placed a hand on his arm to calm him.
"Alright," Han agreed, only because Leia had suggested it. "But only until we can get to the Falcon."
They went inside. Lando and Chewie decided to go on to the ship, not as bothered by the sand due to Chewie's thick coat of fur and Lando's stolen desert armor. They all could've made it, but Han's condition made it difficult to travel.
The inside of the desert hut was fairly clean. The two rebels had been staying there for a little more than a month. The only things that cluttered the small residence were a few bags that belonged to them and some dirty dishes on the table that seemed to have been abandoned very quickly.
Leia led Han into the room and sat him down immediately. She fumbled around in the kitchen until she found a glass, filled it with water, and sat it in front of him.
"Drink," she commanded and left the room to change out of the offending outfit that was starting to become painful. From the other room, she heard Han and Luke talking.
"Don't worry," Luke said. "We won't be here long."
"I'm not worried," Han said.
"You look worried," Luke responded. "But Leia does a pretty good job of calming you down."
She smiled in response to Luke's comment. She and Han had built a strong connection on the way to Bespin, one that Luke knew about although not in its entirety.
She returned to the room much more quietly than she exited and sat down next to Han, almost immediately grabbing his hand. Luke took this as an invitation to return to the room where he'd been sleeping. He didn't offer his bed to Han only because he had a decent idea of where he'd be sleeping.
"How are you feeling?" Leia asked as Luke left the room.
"Better," Han replied simply, although exhaustion was starting to get the best of him.
"Can you see any better?" She asked, holding the side of his face in her hand.
He shook his head and tried to focus on her. He could make out the faint shape of her body, but all of her specific features were lost to him.
"Where are you sleeping?" Han asked quietly, looking down at the floor.
Leia smiled at him. "C'mon," she said, rising from her seat and taking his hand.
Han
She carefully led him through the small dwelling, making sure he didn't bump into anything. He only hit one piece of furniture, not because he didn't see it, but because his gaze was completely focused on the woman in front of him.
When they arrived in the small bedroom that Leia had claimed as her own, she placed him next to the bed. He sat down, still completely entranced by the figure coming into gradually sharper focus in front of his eyes. He was now able to watch as she scrambled around the room, rummaging through various bags and cabinets for supplies and clothes. When she finally did turn around, he could see her face.
"What-" she started but could immediately tell something was different.
He raked his eyes across her form for a moment without answering.
"Can you see?" She asked quietly from across the room.
He nodded. She understood why he was rendered speechless. After she'd shed the offending costume, she'd adorned a simple sleeveless top that showed everything that had happened to her over the past many hours. There were open wounds, bruises and burns all over her skin. She wasn't exactly in her prime condition, covered in red skin and sand.
Han, on the other hand was completely enamored by her. He'd spent so much time in his half-sleep dreaming about her, but he'd forgotten exactly how beautiful she was. Now she was standing in front of him, skin flushed from the sun, looking irresistible.
For a moment, he let his eyes drift to the crumpled up metal and crimson fabric in the corner and felt the anger rise in his chest. His eyes flicked back to Leia, whose expression was almost one of fear.
Immediately, he rose from the bed and closed the space between them, wrapping the small princess in his arms. They stood there in silence for a moment, but eventually Leia's small body was wracked with sobs. He pulled her in tighter to his chest, and she buried her face deeper into his shirt.
"What did that slimebag do to you?" He asked, pushing her back to look into her eyes.
She shook her head, untrusting of her voice.
"Leia," he warned, "I'm serious. He needs to die for what he did."
"Nothing, Han," she said a bit too forcefully. "And he doesn't need to die."
He began to get frustrated. "This isn't the time for the mercy bullshit, Leia-"
"I killed him," she said, quietly and without emotion.
"What-"
"I used the chain he tied me up with and strangled him."
Han looked at her as she wiped a tear from her eyes.
"I'm crying because I thought I'd lost you, and now you're right in front of me and…"
Han tilted her face up and looked directly into her eyes.
"You are the single strongest person I've ever met," he said, pulling her face into his.
She smiled into the kiss, her first genuine smile in months. She kissed him vivaciously, still convincing herself that he was real and solid and here. He was trying to convince himself that she was alive and present and that he wasn't still frozen in carbonite, living a nightmare.
Her soft skin was what ultimately drew him back to the land of the living. In all the thoughts he'd had, in all the dreams, he'd never been able to feel her. And when a hand slid around his body to grab his backside, he knew he wasn't dreaming.
On instinct, he pulled away from her and hissed through his teeth. She raised an eyebrow.
"Is there a problem?" She asked.
"No," Han sighed. "I'm just having problems re-associating with reality."
Leia smiled at him. "Let me be your anchor," she directed gently.
He nodded and pulled her back into his embrace. As they kissed, he slowly walked them back toward the bed where he'd previously been sitting. He sat down slowly, bringing her down on top of him. Once she was situated in his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck and back, grabbing him, unable to get enough. He responded, although overwhelmed, by laying back on his elbows, bringing her down on top of him.
She ground her hips down on him, and he groaned as they slowly fell back into the rhythm they'd established months ago.
Luke
Luke walked into the small kitchen of the bungalow. The storm had ended hours ago, but he knew that Han needed rest and that Leia would have woken him if they needed to leave.
As he looked out into the house, he stopped in his tracks. He glanced at the chrono which read 09:00. Leia always rose before him in the morning, and for the past few weeks, he' found her drinking kaf and checking her datapad at the table.
He blushed when he realized where she probably was and what she was probably doing. He took his own kaf to the table with his own datapad and decided to wait.
Not long after he sat down, Han walked into the room. Luke kept his head down, unable to meet his eyes, but cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Feeling better?" Luke asked.
Han smirked. "Sure thing."
"Where's Leia?" The younger asked, genuinely wondering if she was okay, considering himself and Han were both awake before her.
"She's sleeping," Han answered. "She wanted to sleep in."
"And you didn't?" Luke asked with a raised brow.
Han sat down his kaf and looked at the young jedi.
"Kid, I just slept for six months. I hardly need any more."
Luke shrugged. "I guess," he said, sipping his coffee.
"Got any food in this place?" Han asked.
"Top left cabinet," a feminine voice answered.
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence this morning, Your Majesty," Han said, stretching to reach the top cabinet.
Leia smirked and sat down next to Luke, who was trying desperately to hide his embarrassment. Han came back over with two mugs and two small plates of food, handing one of each to Leia, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.
Luke was entirely uncomfortable. Of course, he'd stopped having feelings for Leia months ago when he realized what was going on between her and Han. Over the last few months of living together and planning Han's rescue, he thought of her as a sister. They had slowly become the only family either of them had left. Luke was happy that Han was back, but it was strange to see him and Leia behave like this. From his limited perspective, it seemed like Han and Leia had gone from constant hostility to domestic bliss in the blink of an eye. Leia had told him most of the story, but he suspected he was missing some pieces.
He rose from where he was seated, placing his mug of kaf back in the sink.
"I'm ready to leave whenever you two love birds are done canoodling," he said, retreating back to his room.
From the other room, he heard giggling and smiled for his two best friends. Maybe life wouldn't be too bad for the little trio. Luke had a strange feeling that it would be just fine for a while.