Han exhaustedly rubbed a hand down his face and stared up at Lando with a look of pathetic desperation. The sight really was pitiful. Lando sighed and sat down beside the captain.
"I thought you'd be different to this one," he said sternly, like a father speaking to a rebelliant teen...not that there was much difference in this situation.
"What d'ya mean?"
Lando shot a glare at him to see if he was joking but Han was looking clueless as ever.
"I mean you've had a girl on every planet, Han! You treat them like they mean something to you and they tell you they think they're in love...By the next morning you're in another star system! I thought you'd treat Leia better than that! She deserves a little more respe—"
"I know what she deserves," Han interrupted, angry again, "and she doesn't deserve some spacer who's new job looks like its gonna be hopping from planet to planet smoothing minor problems over for the locals." He spat out the word 'spacer' like it was something dirty. Lando could only stare. This wasn't the motive he'd been expecting.
"She's gonna be a big leader for the new Republic!" Han continued, "She's a princess for heaven's sake! And I'm going to be a tiny little ambassador from the Republic who'll be off zipping around the galaxy! I can't—we ever can't be—" Han trailed off, the anger and confusion clear on his face.
He stood up and kicked a box of supplies that had been dragged into the main room and glared at it. Lando had never once seen Han cry, and he knew that neither he nor anybody else ever would. Instead, Han got frustrated and irrational when he was upset. A lesser man could have been in tears right now.
"She's the most amazing person I've ever known," Han muttered, staring at the box, "alright?" He glared at Lando as if daring him to challenge the fact,
"She's a princess and she can still handle a gun, be a rebel spy, pilot a ship, make plans of mass destruction, and look so damn good while she's doing it!"
Han sat back down and angrily put his head in hands, the picture of defeat. He'd managed to convince himself that the one thing he really, finally wanted in life was too good for him.
And someone finally fells the great Han Solo…Lando thought with a grin. Han chose that moment to look up and catch the smile.
"You think this is funny?" He asked, his voice quiet.
"Yeah," said Lando, "I think it's hilarious." Han started to stand up with a dangerous look in his eyes and Lando quickly went on.
"I think it's funny that the famed Unattainable Captain Solo has fallen head-over-heels, star-crossed, smitten-in-love with a girl."
That brought Han up short.
"Well," Lando asked, still grinning, "you do, don't you?"
Han paused and finally, almost imperceptibly, nodded his head.
"Yeah," he said quietly, "I do."
"Good," said a new voice from the doorway, "it's about time you figured that out."
Han turned and the blood drained out of his face. It was, of course, Leia.
A/N: Hey, if anyone has a suggestion for a new title, I'd love to hear it...
