(A/n: Hi folks! Sorry this chapter took so long, I was really busy and had super bad writer's block, and then when inspiration struck last night I was so tired I fell asleep while writing, lol! But I hope you enjoy this super super long chapter, I started writing and couldn't stop. It's a lot, but it's my favorite so far! Enjoy ~)
—
Once that first football game had passed, Han had taken it upon himself to integrate himself into Luke and Leia's group, if one could call it a group. He'd started hanging around them more often, and seemed to make it a tradition to sit with them at every football game since the first. Leia wished she felt nonchalant about it, but in fact, it stressed her out; his presence made her feel nervous, something she never thought she'd experience around a boy. Leia was always so sure of herself, who the hell did Han think he was marching himself into her life and making her feel all strange?
Regardless of her incomprehensible feelings, Leia was happy to have a new friend- the mysterious 'Chewie' she'd heard so much about. With their first meeting, she'd pinned the (very) tall eighteen year old as rude and loud, which made her understand why he and Han were such good friends. But the senior quickly redeemed himself in her opinion when he brought her breakfast out of the blue one morning, purely because "she was so small" and "needed to eat". As Leia hung around the boy more and more, she realized he was not as rude and loud as she'd pinned him for; he was simply vociferous.
Luke enjoyed the new friend group as well, however he did not forget about Wedge and the boys continued their tradition of eating lunch together every day.
"So, what's the deal with Leia and that Solo kid? Are they going together?" Wedge asked one lunch, pulling a sandwich out of his lunch sack.
Luke shook his head and pulled his meal out as well. "No, not that I know of. He's fine but... I don't know."
"Aw, look at Luke being protective of his sister!" Wedge teased as he elbowed Luke in the ribs gently.
"Shut up! I'm just worried he's gonna use her. I don't know though, I could be wrong." Luke explained.
Almost as if on cue, the two boys' eyes landed on Leia and Han, walking across the courtyard. They seemed to be engaged in a happy conversation, but he'd seen the pair bicker far too often for him to be sure anymore. That was one of the reasons Luke didn't get that pair; there was clearly something between them, but just when you think they're getting cozy, they turn around and start butting heads at every opportunity. It made absolutely no sense to the teen and he chose to ignore it all together.
"So how's it been being on a winning football team?" Luke asked, resting his arm on his knee. He was referring to the upsetting past few sports seasons that had come from the school.
Wedge beamed, subconsciously adjusting his letterman sweater. "Absolutely boss! Junior year is proving to be mighty kind to me, my friend," the beam turned into a smooth grin. "How come you don't play?"
"My old man won't let me. He's not really about letting us do sports, the only reason Leia was allowed to be on the soccer team is because she pitched an absolute fit." The younger boy told.
"Why is he so crazy on the two of you?" Wedge curiously inquired.
Luke stiffened a bit. "Well, my mom passed when we were really little, so I think he's just scared of us getting hurt or something. I guess I get it, but it still think it's a little unfair. And it's not just sports, he's strict with everything! We have to be home at exactly four o'clock, and I failed my stupid drivers test so he told me I'm clearly not responsible enough to get another attempt til next year. How bogus is that?!" Luke hadn't intended to ramble like that, and he realized his cheeks were getting darkened with anger. "I'm.. I'm sorry, Wedge, I didn't mean to go off like that,"
Wedge gave a dismissing wipe of his hand. "Don't worry about it."
"You know, when I first met you, I thought you were gonna be a total ass," Luke admitted. "Now I know that you are an ass, but an ass with a heart."
"An ass that'll kick your ass!" Wedge warned with a laugh.
—
"So how come people call you Chewie?" Leia asked, the group of four walking out to the parking lot after school one Friday.
Chewie, who she had noticed was particularly quiet, did not answer. Instead, Han turned his head to her and gave a small smile. "He's always chewin' gum," he chuckled.
"Really?"
The tallest of the group leaned over to Leia's view and responded simply by blowing a bubble.
Leia shrugged to herself, wondering how she'd never noticed that before. There were always things to learn about people, she supposed, and Chewie was practically silent so she knew she had a lot of learning to do with that one. So far she'd found out that he was a few months older than Han, used to be on the basketball team but quit because he "didn't like it", which Han later explained to her that he wasn't very good, and most recently the bubble gum fact.
"So, are the wonder twins making an appearance at Calrissian's party this evening?" Han asked in a mock cordial tone.
"Absolutely not, there's no way dad's gonna let us go to a party over in Bespin Lakes. Or really go to a party in general," Leia responded, pulling her keys out of her bag.
"Are you going?" Luke asked, looking at the two seniors.
"I dunno, might stop by, Calrissian and me go way back. Used to play little league baseball together. His parties are fun, I hear." Han returned casually.
"Well, it doesn't matter, because we aren't gonna be allowed to go." Leia reached for the door of her vehicle and unlocked it.
"Whatever, your loss sister," Han raised his hands half way up his body. "See ya on Monday," he turned away on his heel, starting towards his car.
As the twins settled into their seats, Leia noticed Luke wearing a puzzled look on his face, as if he was in questioning thought. Turning on the car and pulling out of the lot, Leia immediately knew what her brother was thinking and shot it down quickly.
"No."
"No what?" Luke furrowed his brow.
"No, you and I are not sneaking out to go to that party!"
"C'mon, Leia! We never get to have any fun, don't you wanna live a little?" Luke pleaded.
"What's gotten into you?" Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing from Luke. He knew just as well as she did that if they were to get caught, they wouldn't be allowed to do anything ever again.
"Han's gonna be there," Luke gave a knowing smile and wiggles his eyebrows.
"And what does that mean to me?" Leia kept her gaze fixed on the road.
"Oh, I know you like him. It's easy to see."
Leia's grip on the wheel tightened slightly. "I don't know what precisely you're talking about. But like I said, it doesn't matter because we are not going!"
"You're such a buzzkill." He tolled his eyes and slumped into his seat.
"One of us has to be," Leia retorted quietly.
—
As they often did on Friday evenings, the twins sat up in their respective rooms. In Leia's, she sat with her back flat against her bed and rested her feet vertically against the wall as she extended her arms about her head so she could read her book. In the corner of the warmly lit room sat her record player, which was set on a low volume playing her 'Greatest Hits: '58 Edition' record. She was perfectly content like this, dressed in her comfiest wool socks and one of Anakin's old sweaters that she'd taken some time ago when she was doing laundry.
Meanwhile, across the hall, Luke sat focused at his desk, hands steadily working on a mode airplane. That was a guilty pleasure of his; it was something Anakin and Luke had done together when he was a child, and even after Anakin decided it was too juvenile Luke continued spending some of his work earnings on small models from the war and fixing them up for his shelves. And while some boys his age might have found spending a Friday night like that extremely unappealing, he too was perfectly content just as he was.
Until he heard a tap on the window.
Luke stood up cautiously, a confused expression on his face as to who or what could be beckoning him. His immediate thought was that the wind had blown a branch from one of the large trees in the yard into the window, but upon investigation by opening the window he found that there was no wind. Luke looked from side to side perplexedly, until a small "psst" could be heard from the ground below.
"Han?!" Luke whispered.
Another rock in his reared back hand, Han waved up to the window. "Hey kid, you guys up for some fun tonight?"
"Oh my god, are you crazy?! My dad is literally going to kill you if he sees you out here!" Luke replied in awe.
Instead of responding, Han moved to the narrow oak tree nearest to the house and made a jump, long arms grabbing a hold of one of the lower branches. Swinging his feet slightly and planting them on the trunk, he moved his arms up to a higher branch and continued scaling the tree until he was level with Luke's window, which had a small diagonal platform that connected with the rest of the roof for him to step onto. Han crawled over and motioned for Luke to step aside, entering the bedroom and dusting off his legs.
"Anyways, you two need to get out and have some fun." Han continued as if he hadn't just scaled two stories.
The younger of the two, still slightly shocked, sat back on the desk chair. "Listen, I'd like to, and queen tightwad over there might pretend that she doesn't but I know she does. But we'd be goners if our dad found out," he whispered hastily.
Han rolled his eyes, as if the solution was clear as day. "That's why you don't get caught, kid."
It was Luke's turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, that's easier said than done."
"C'mon! I've got Chewie in my ride down the street, it's getting late anyways, your dad is probably about to go to sleep. We can just make sure the coast is clear, grab Leia, and go make an appearance just for a little while so you two can see what it feels like to be normal." Han almost seemed to beg.
Luke pondered the suggestion for a moment. He really, really wanted to go to his first high school party, and even though Leia wasn't the party type, he was sure she'd have fun. She knew practically everyone in the school, he told himself. And Han did make a good point, the clock read 9:30 and his dad was known for going to bed rather early... he knew he shouldn't. Every fiber of his being was screaming no. But something small in the very back of his mind whispered yes, and an unforeseen bout of confidence overtook Luke. He was going to that party.
"So you said Chewie is down the street, right?"
"That's what I like to hear, kid!" Han grinned and clapped a hand against Luke's shoulder.
Over in her bedroom, Leia set down her book when she heard hushed voices coming from Luke's bedroom. She swung her feet down from the wall and arose, suspicion taking over her as she decided to check out whatever was going on. And when she saw Han and Luke standing in Luke's bedroom as the blonde boy was grabbing a coat, she was surprised to find that she was less angry and more exasperated at the scene before her.
"Do I even want to know what the hell you two are doing?" She sighed, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe.
"Nice digs," Han snorted, taking in Leia's frumpy outfit choice.
Straightening, Leia quickly fired back. "At least I'm at home, you look that bad all the time."
"Shut up. Go change, your highness, you two are going to a party."
Leia turned to her twin in disbelief. "Luke!" She kept her voice low but maintained her shocked tone.
"Leia, please?" Luke's head tilted to the side. "We never do anything fun, let's just go for a little bit."
"I'm surprised we haven't been caught already by dad's sixth sense!" Leia threw her hands up.
While the smarter side of the girl knew that sneaking out was possibly the worst idea one of them had ever concocted, a smaller part of her begged to know how it felt to experience a party that wasn't a simple family get together. Eyes switching back and forth from Luke, who had a serious look of supplication on his face, and Han, who wore a comical pout matched with eyes of a sad puppy dog. Taking a deep, heavy breath, Leia made her decision.
"Oh... alright. I'll go change. But we are only staying for thirty minutes!" She pointed at the boys with raised eyebrows.
"Thirty minutes." Han repeated.
—
Sneaking out was an adrenaline rush and then some for both of the twins. Han had to hold back a chuckle at the two of them, both resembling children who had never been into a toy store and had suddenly been given full freedom. It was almost endearing to the seventeen year old as he drove the group of four across town to Lando's house.
When they arrived, he realized it was not a house, but more of a mansion. From what Han could remember, Lando's family was extremely well off, as they owned their own mega business in the city, and it showed as they drove up on a long driveway that formed into a roundabout, surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn. Once parked, the group approached the front entrance of the large, brick walled estate, which was notably surrounded by strange topiaries shaped in strange circle arrangements. Han discreetly peered into one of the windows and saw that there were multicolored lights flashing inside, indicating that the party was in full swing. Moments after entering the foyer, the quartet was approached by a dark skinned boy sporting a pale blue sweater, underneath it a white collared shirt and black tie.
"Look what the cat dragged in." He spoke in a honeyed tone.
Han cocked an eyebrow, stepping forward assuming there was about to be a confrontation.
"Aw, I'm just kidding, man! Come here!" Lando laughed, pulling Han by his wrist into a hug. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
Off guard, Han chuckled back as he pulled away. "Well that's what happens when you move off to private school,"
Noticing the group behind Han, Lando composed himself and stepped towards them. "Well, where are my manners. Who might you be?" He grabbed Leia's small hand, drawing it to his lips for a gentle kiss.
She did not find it appealing. "Leia." She replied monotonously.
"Alright... Chewie! How ya doin' big guy?" Lando moved awkwardly to the tallest of the group, clasping their hands for a shake.
Chewie responded with a nod of his head, as if to say "good, please leave me alone."
Arriving at Luke, Lando again outstretched his hand and the younger boy gladly accepted. "I'm Luke Skywalker, Leia's brother."
"Well, I'm glad you all could make it. There's refreshments over there," he pointed to the sitting room where a small table with various snacks could be seen. "And if you need anything, don't hesitate to find me."
Once he was gone, Leia let out a loud huff. "This is why I didn't wanna come."
"Actually, you didn't wanna come because you're scared your old man would catch you. Get your story straight, princess," Han gave a smug look. "C'mon, let's go get some food."
—
What was supposed to be thirty minutes turned into an hour, then into two. Eventually, Han and Leia had moved to the backyard for some fresh air, while Luke danced inside, clearly having found the heavier... refreshments.
"You're pretty," He slurred, leaning towards a red headed girl dancing near him.
"And you're drunk," She chuckled, speaking loudly over the music.
Luke's dance moves were something resembling trucking, although it looked more like him kicking his feet and waving his hands in the air off beat to Chuck Berry.
"You had any of that stuff in there? It's crazy good!" He giggled, pointing with his small cup towards the kitchen.
The girl laughed again, though she knew she probably shouldn't at this drunk stranger. "Here, let's go get you some air," she grabbed his upper arm, pulling him towards to front door.
The pair sat on the front porch steps, Luke leaning against one of the large pillars. "What's your name?" He quizzed.
"M.J. You're Luke, right?" The girl asked, resting her head on her fist.
"Mmhmm." Luke's voice resembled a child's.
M.J. nodded to herself, knowing she'd seen the kid around school a few times. "Well, Luke, do you have a ride home this evening? It's getting late."
Luke looked up, as if he was pondering a few philosophical question. "Uh... oh, yeah! My buddy Han, a real nice guy, you met him? He's gonna take me home in his car. It's a swell ride, it flies like a bird, like, like... a falcon!" He snickered to himself, rambling on and on.
Normally, M.J. was positively disgusted by boys who went to parties to get drunk, but something about this one seemed different. He seemed so innocent, it pulled on her heart strings a little even though he was a total stranger to her.
"That's great. Well I'll stay here with you til Han comes, okay?" She told him.
"Mmmhmm." Luke repeated.
Concurrently in the back yard, Han and Leia had settled into Lando's porch swing. There was a safe distance between them, but Leia was wrapped tightly in Han's leather jacket that he'd offered once he noticed her shivering. Mentally Leia was angry with herself for taking it, but physically she knew it was frostbite or wearing the stupid jacket.
"So, how's your first party been?" Han asked.
Leia used the tips of her toes, which barely reached the porch, to swing them gently. "Pretty fun, I guess it's worth the hype. I hope Luke's having fun, we kind of ditched him,"
Han shrugged. "He and Chewie are probably fine, they're both squares so they're probably sitting in the corner talking about math or something."
Leia let out a laugh, Han following suit. "What's the deal with you and that guy anyways? I know you said you defended him from some bullies, but why did he decide to become your best friend?"
"I dunno, he said he owed me one then he just never left me alone. Doesn't bother me though, he's done a lot for me." Han replied.
"Like what? If you don't mind me asking." Leia turned to her body was horizontal on the swing.
"My, we're feeling quizzy tonight," Han quipped. "And well... I ain't no orphan, but my momma... she ain't a very good lady. My dad ditched out when I was little and after he left, she decided drinkin' was more important than her kid. So I lived on my own for a little while, then Chewie came in and let me crash at his place. His mom loves me like her own, now." His voice was somber, almost sad.
Leia was taken aback by the sudden revelation. She had no idea Han had dealt with such a rough life, and she suddenly felt extremely guilty for all the times she'd complained about her dad. He would've been happy to just have a dad, she figured.
"Oh, I'm sorry..." she began, but was cut off.
"No, don't give me all that pity mess, I'm fine." He interrupted. He hated being pitied, that's why he never really told anyone about his life because he knew they'd try to help him. Han didn't need help, in his mind. Still, he felt so close to Leia sitting on that swing. He felt like they'd known each other forever.
"So what about you, princess? You got any deep dark secrets you'd like to share?" Han perked back up, turning the conversation to Leia.
A rollercoaster of thoughts rolled throughout the girl's mind as she debated what she could tell him without revealing too much. Leia made sure to always keep her guard up; that way she couldn't get hurt. But on the other hand, he had been so honest with her, so was it her responsibility to let him in as well?
"You want a deep secret or a funny one? I have both," she decided to let him choose the path for her.
Han feigned making a decision. "Hmm... both?"
In hindsight, Leia knew she should've seen that coming. "Well, first of all, when I was little, I used to steal Luke's shoes and hide them. I don't know why I did that, but dad used to get so cross with me and I just found it hilarious."
"God, you little criminal!" Han have a bemused laugh.
"And a deep secret?" Leia pondered a moment. "Sometimes I make up conversations in my head with people, just so I can say what I'm thinking or something. For example..." her voice trailed off, debating if she should continue. "I don't know. This is probably stupid."
Han shifted so his body was facing Leia's completely. "It's alright, you can tell me," his voice was serious.
"Well... sometimes I talk to my dad, just about school or soccer or stuff like that. I know if I were to bring it up to him in real life, he'd be short with me because I swear sometimes he hates me. But who knows, it's silly." She rambled.
"It's not silly," Han told her. "It's kind of sad, sure. But I don't think he hates you, he just doesn't know how to talk to you guys."
"Look at mister philosopher." Leia teased.
Han rolled his eyes and breathily laughed. "Whatever, I don't have to listen to you," he joked.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Leia glanced down at her watch. "Oh god, it's almost midnight. We should probably go," her voice sounded regretful.
"Yeah, you're right." Han agreed, standing with a grunt and offering his hand to Leia.
As the two of them stood, Leia still wrapped in Han's jacket, their eyes met. It was like a scene out of a film; the wind blowing gently, moving their hair and Leia's skirt. Moonlight bathed them in a shiny, silver glow and their bodies closer than either one of them realized. Han opened his mouth and for once in his life, he was speechless. Ever so slowly, Leia found herself leaning closer and closer, almost unaware of what she was doing. The spell was broken when Han turned his head.
"We... we should go get Luke and Chewie." He mumbled.
Leia coughed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. We definitely should."
As the two moved around the side of the house to find the rest of their party, they met Chewie, who sat with a group of other seniors discussing one of the members' most recent hunting trip. After he joined Han and Leia, they rounded to the front porch and saw Luke slumped over, a redhead none of them had ever seen before perched next to him that explained that Luke had gotten himself rather drunk, and babbled himself to sleep. Looping him under arm, Han gave thanks to the girl and began carting Luke to his car. He made sure to warn the intoxicated boy that if he vomited anywhere near his beloved Ford, he wouldn't live to see the next day, a threat that Luke took very seriously and honored it with a salute and an "Aye Aye, captain".
After being dropped off down the block, Leia skillfully used the backdoor and made it back inside without getting either one of them caught. Once Luke was in bed and Leia was alone in her room, realization dawned on her- she hadn't taken off Han's jacket.