'Why is there an H sewn into all of your uniforms?'

Leia snatched her jumpsuit out of Han's grasp and set it back down on her traveling case before closing it.

'Because I'm going to Delta Base.'

'Okay… Didn't know you did that, but shouldn't it be a D then?'

'I'm not sewing the first letter of every base I'm going to be at, Han, it's—this is a lesson. H stands for "hoe".'

'For…?'

'Hoe—you know, whore.'

'Oh. Wait, what ? Why are you—'

Putting her hands on her hips, Leia straightened up, considering him. 'It's common knowledge at Delta Base that I'm a whore. I have slept with fifteen men, thirteen women and eight Twi'leks.'

'That's… uh…'

'A lot? Yeah. According to some of the men there, at least. Who by the way are the ones who fabricated that little rumor.'

'I see.' Han's face didn't change noticeably, but she noticed the way he clenched his jaw, the hard glint in his eyes. 'Still don't get the H… ain't you givin' them credit by doin' that?'

'No. See—I'm still their superior whether they like it or not. Putting that on my uniform, I'm… let's say embracing it, letting them know I know, instead of letting it have any power over me.'

Han's slow grin told her he was beginning to understand.

'Smart, Princess.'

'Thanks.' She sighed, and when she spoke, it was mostly to herself. 'It's funny… I'm a whore at Delta Base, and I'm the Ice Princess here. I can't win, can I?'

Han was silent for several beats. Leia coughed and went back to her case, moving the neatly-folded clothes around to make room. What was he going to say? Boys will be boys? That's just locker room talk? Suddenly angry, she'd opened her mouth to tell him he should leave if he'd forgotten what he'd come here for, when he spoke.

'They shouldn't be sayin' that—about you or anyone else. Should be gettin' their asses kicked for it.'

Leia held a hand up as if to stop him. 'That's not necessary.'

'Yeah, your plan's more… elegant, I guess.' He smirked at her, proud. 'You know it don't matter to me—or Chewie, or Luke, right? How many people you've been with, or if you haven't? Don't get why it should matter to anyone, but I mean—'

'Yes, I get it. Thank you,' Leia said sincerely, something like relief washing over her. She couldn't let herself be affected by what people thought of her on a personal level; all that mattered was her role as a leader, as a comrade. But it was good to know that her H wasn't a necessary label for some people. Virgin or whore, she was just Leia to them.

Fuck everyone else.

Reposted from Tumblr, in response to a prompt. Writing this felt cathartic, after months of enduring the opinions of people who were unable to conceive a Leia, and a Han/Leia relationship, that could have value if she had any sexual experience before Han. The point of this piece is that Leia doesn't care, and Han doesn't care. If Han cared, he's not a man you want to be interested in. The point of this piece is that every relationship has its own history and its own value.

Keep the hate to yourself but comment if you liked it!