One thing I didn't quite manage to fix in Epic Love was Han Solo's terrible shaggy old-man hairdo. So I did it here. Written for Scoundress Saturdays on Tumblr for the prompt: "one character playing with the other's hair."

This takes place shortly after the events in Epic Love, so Han and Leia have been recently reunited after pretending to be split up for years and also after that whole Han-almost-dying thing. So they're, ah, making up for lost time.


Who's Scruffy-Looking?

"Thanks again for breakfast, Dad," Jaina said, as she and Rey began heading toward the door. Han was surprised the two of them could even move; he'd never seen anyone eat so many griddle cakes in one sitting before, with the possible exception of Chewie.

"'Course," he said, giving her a quick hug. "See you later."

Before she let go, Jaina ruffled the hair on the back of his neck, giving him a look that indicated she was thinking about something.

He grinned at her. "What?"

"Well." She looked just like her mother when she plotted like this. "We got Uncle Luke to ditch that—" she made a little circular motion with her hand—"mane he had going on. What are we gonna do about this?"

"About my hair?" Han was still grinning, but he was a little taken aback at being called out.

"Yes, about your hair," she said patiently, pulling away from Han and turning to hug Leia. "Bye, Mom."

Leia squeezed her and kissed her cheek. "Bye, honey."

Han gave Rey a hug, too, then demanded, "What the hell's wrong with my hair?"

Rey backed away, shrugging. "I'm staying out of this one."

"Smart woman," said Leia as she pulled Rey in for a hug as well.

Jaina wrinkled her nose as she made her way out the door. "It doesn't look like you," she said to Han. "It's old man hair. All long and weird and—scruffy."

As the door closed, Han stared after them in disbelief for a minute, then turned to Leia. "It's not really that bad, is it?"

She laughed, reaching for him, and as he pulled her close, she reached up and put her hand into his hair. After a brief kiss, Leia chuckled again, stroking his hair affectionately. "You are a bit scruffy," she admitted.

He pulled back slightly. "Thought you liked scruffy," he protested, but his eyes were twinkling.

She pulled him down for another kiss. "I love you however I can have you," she said, looking up at him. She gently ran a hand through the hair at the base of his neck again. "But your daughter does have a point. Old man," she teased.

Han took that almost as a challenge, giving Leia a searing kiss and pulling her towards the bedroom. "Old man," he muttered as they made their way down the hall, "I'll show you old man." Then he stopped. "How long before you turn into a General again?"

Leia glanced at her chrono. "Little less than an hour."

His grin was back. "Plenty of time."


Afterwards, it was his turn to run his hands through her hair as she lay against his chest. He had done it for the first time decades ago, when they had first come together like this; when her hair was dark brown instead of the lighter brown threaded with gray that it was now. She still reveled in the feeling.

"Mmm…" she moaned, practically purring. "I love that." Leia's eyes were half closed.

She could feel his chuckle from deep inside his chest. "Which part?" he asked.

"All of it," she said dreamily.

He moved a bit of hair away from her temple and placed a kiss there. "Princess," he teased, "you're turning into a sap."

"I'm allowed," she said, looking up at him. He smiled down at her.

They lay in silence for several more minutes, then Leia finally started to get up. Han tried to stop her, trying to capture her in his arms, and she giggled.

Finally, she looked up at him. "I have a Resistance to run," she said firmly, "and you have a haircut to get."

Han led his head roll back. "Seriously?"

She kissed him. "Seriously." Then she got a mischievous look in her eye. "But I'll give you a little something to remember me by," she said, kissing her way to the back of his neck, to the part currently covered by what Jaina had referred to as his "old man" hair.


By the time the group had gathered on the Falcon for their sabacc game, Han was clean-shaven and had a new, much better haircut, his hair now cropped closely to his head.

"Looks good, Dad," Jaina said approvingly, then turned to Wedge with a smug expression on her face. "See. I told you I'd get him to do it."

Just then, Han turned around to get another ale, and Wedge stifled a laugh. "I don't think you're the one who talked him into it, Jai," he said.

Just below Han's new hairline in the back was a small, but obviously freshly acquired, love bite.

"Mother!"