Stay Safe, Kid
Set in Empire Strikes Back, after Luke has been submerged in the bacta tank and is now nearly recovered.
Disclaimer: Star Wars films, characters, merchandise, etc. don't belong to me.
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"Luke. Hey, Luke!"
Luke turned at the sound of his name, the questioning expression on his face transforming into a broad grin as he saw Han standing a few metres away, close to the Millennium Falcon.
"Han!"
He jogged across the tarmac, his smile widening as he made his way towards his friend. Han couldn't repress a grin at the kid's enthusiasm and optimistic attitude. Only Luke could come back from a near-death experience and be running around again two days later – with a smile on his face, no less.
"How ya feelin', kid?" he asked.
"Fine", Luke responded quickly. "Thanks to you."
Han brushed off the praise in his trademark fashion, his eyes flickering over Luke's body as though checking for injuries.
"You seem to have scrubbed up okay, hey?" He asked, apparently satisfied with his appraisal. Luke nodded, neglecting to mention the bone-deep exhaustion he still felt and the intense throbbing of his pulse through his fingertips. After all, having a hypersensitivity to the pulsing of blood throughout his body was infinitely preferable to being dead. The hours that he had spent outside, with no protection from Hoth's sub-zero temperatures, had felt as though his blood were freezing in his veins as his heartbeat grew steadily slower. He knew he had been in a bad way – although in truth he remembered very little of his night in the snow, other than the inexplicable certainty that Ben Kenobi had been there, and told him to travel to the Dagobah system.
"You're not looking too bad yourself", he observed cheekily.
"What can I say?" Han asked with a shrug. "It's part of my charm."
Luke snorted. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that", he responded, hoisting himself into the cockpit of one of the Rebel snowspeeders. Han's brow furrowed as he observed the younger man.
"You going out already?" he asked, trying to be casual.
"Yeah", Luke replied, unfazed. He glanced over at Han and his expression softened. "It's just a patrol, nothing dangerous." Han nodded as Luke strapped himself in and buckled his helmet on.
"Luke." He said abruptly.
"Yeah?" Luke looked at him expectantly. Han hesitated.
"Take care of yourself, alright?"
Luke blinked in surprise, then smiled at his friend.
"I will."
Han watched as the younger man shot out of the hanger, skimming across the icy landscape before disappearing from sight.
"Come back safe, kid", he murmured. In an even quieter tone, he added:
"We need you."
…
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
Camelotpointe x