I based this Kashyyyk off of the one from Revenge of the Sith, if I'm remembering correctly. If not… -shrugs- oh well, at least I tried. :)
Leia had never been to Kashyyyk. As she and Han walked down the lowered ramp, she wished she had. It was beautiful. Wroshyr trees towered above them, Wookiee houses covering the wide trunks. There was a large, shimmering body of water behind them, reflecting the sun's light.
There was a load roar, causing Leia's head to whip around. Chewbacca was lifting Han up in a tight embrace. Han was laughing, patting Chewie on the back.
"Hey old buddy," Han said. "Wanna put me down now? Kinda crushing my ribs."
[Sorry, Cub] Chewbacca laughed, placing Han back on his feet. Even though Leia couldn't understand Shyriiwook, but she could get the gist of it.
A female Wookiee with a cub by her side hurried to hug Han seconds after Chewbacca had put him down.
Once all the hugging was done, Han gestured for Leia to come over. "Malla, Lumpy, this is Leia Skywalker, the Jedi apprentice protecting me." He rolled his eyes.
[Nice to see you again, Leia] Chewbacca said.
[And it's nice to meet you] Malla added.
"He said it's nice to see you again, and she said it's nice to meet you," Han translated to Leia.
"Same to you both," Leia said with a smile.
[We welcome you both into our home] Malla told them.
"Aw Malla," Han sighed. "You're too kind."
[We're just glad you finally have a nice girl] Chewbacca laughed.
Han reddened. "Hey! It's not like that."
Leia blushed also, figuring out what he must've said. Her mind unwillingly drifted back to the kiss they hadn't talked about. Frankly, she just wanted to forget about it. Or, she wished she wanted to forget about. She actually felt an embarrassing longing to be kissed by him again.
[Sure it isn't] Chewie chuckled, grabbing the suitcases Leia and Han had put down and turning and walking toward one of the trees that held a Wookiee home.
Malla laughed along with her husband, taking Lumpy's hand and leading him away to follow Chewie.
"Do I even want to know?" Leia asked Han quietly, as they followed the Wookiees.
"Let's just say they think there's an 'us'," Han muttered, not looking at Leia.
Leia blushed deeper this time, her suspicions confirmed.
Chewbacca's home was high in a wroshyr tree, wrapping around it with a deck. Holos of Chewbacca and Malla, the whole family, and even one of Han with the family decorated the walls.
"Your home is very nice," Leia told Malla and Chewie with a smile.
[Thank you] Malla said.
"She said thanks," Han said without thinking about it. It seemed translating came mindlessly to him.
Malla showed Leia and Han to the rooms they'd be staying in. Han seemed to already know where everything was, asking if he'd be in the same room. Apparently, he'd stayed with Chewie on Kashyyyk multiple times.
Leia's room had a wide bed as the center of it. There was a wooden dresser and a closet, but it was mainly undecorated. Apparently, it wasn't used very often.
She started unpacking the few items she'd packed, putting them away in the closet and dresser. She had no idea how long they'd be here, and the thought was both thrilling and terrifying. What if Han tried to kiss her again? Would she let him?
Leia sat heavily on the bed and lowered her head into her hands, running her fingers through her hair. When did everything become so complicated?
The next day, sometime around noon, there was a knock on her door. Leia stood up quickly, allowing whoever it was to enter. Han stood in the doorway, smiling slightly.
"What?" Leia asked, trying to sound cold, but failing.
"I was wondering if you wanted a formal tour of Rwookrrorro," Han said, reaching up to scratch his neck.
"Oh," Leia said in surprise, "okay, sure."
"There's really not much here," Han told Leia gesturing around the forest at all the tall trees, homes of hundreds of Wookiees. "But it feels like home to me, ya know?"
Leia smiled softly. "You really have been here a lot, haven't you?"
Han laughed. "Yeah. Usually, whenever Chewie comes home, I come with him. Nothing better to do without my best co-pilot, huh?"
They continued walking and Han grinned, grabbing Leia's hand. She found she liked the way her hand felt in his a little too much. He led her through the trees to a clearing. They were on the other side of the lake that she had seen upon their arrival.
The sun was setting, reflecting onto the water and setting it off with oranges and reds. The mountains and trees in the background just enhanced the picture.
"It's…beautiful," Leia whispered breathlessly.
Han squeezed her hand. "I know." He turned to her, catching her look of complete wonder and feeling like his heart was on fire. "I've never had anyone to share this with."
Leia tore her eyes away the sight of the setting sun to look up at Han. "Thank you for sharing it with me."
"I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else," Han found himself saying, reaching out to brush a strand of Leia's hair behind her ear.
Her lips parted, wanting to say something, anything. But, her voice just wouldn't comply.
Han leaned close slowly, allowing her to stop him if she wanted to. Instead, Leia met him in the middle. Their lips moved smoothly together, stopping time for a moment. Han's hands pressed against her back, bringing her closer. Leia's arms wrapped around his neck, removing any space between their bodies.
Slowly, almost unwillingly, they pulled their lips apart.
Han noticed that it was dark. "You missed the sunset."
Leia blinked. "Huh? Oh. That's fine. There will be more."
A grin tugged at Han's lips. Without warning, he pressed them back to hers.
[You love her] Chewie called up suddenly.
Han nearly fell into the opening in the floor of the Falcon that Chewie was working in. "Who?"
Chewbacca roared. [You know who. Leia!]
"I don't love her," Han scoffed. "C'mon Chewie. I hate the girl. She's a stuck up, little Daddy's girl."
[You don't believe that, I know it.]
Han rolled his eyes. "What makes you think there's even something between us?"
[The way you look at her says everything. She makes you smile, from your mouth to your eyes. Like she's making your soul smile too.]
Han's shoulders drooped. "What? Who says my soul is happy to see her? When did you become so insightful?"
[I just know you, Cub. I've seen you with other women, but none have made you as happy as she does.]
"She's a pain in the ass," Han muttered.
[Admit it, Cub, you've got it bad. Don't think I don't know you took her out to see the sunset over the lake. There's really nothing more romantic than that.]
Han reddened. "I was showing her around and we just happened to be there when the sun was setting."
Chewbacca laughed. [Sure, believe what you want. I'll make sure to gloat at the wedding.]
Han muttered something not-so-nice, to which Chewie threw a wrench up that just barely missed his head. "HEY!"
Leia stood on the deck outside her room, staring out at the various homes and the Wookiees moving about far beneath her. But, her mind was on something other than the scenery.
Han had kissed her again. Correction: they had kissed each other. It was mutual. No one kissing the other, just kissing together. And she hadn't stopped him. And she had liked it. Way too much. Han was getting into her brain, under her skin, running through her veins, like some fatal disease.
She closed her eyes tight, blocking out the outside, leaving only her thoughts. If she kept continuing down this road with Han, it would lead somewhere she promised herself she'd never go. If she wanted to save her heart, she'd have to cut herself off from Han. To remove her emotions from the equation. She was protecting him from the Federation, and that was it.
Leia's hands tightened ever-so-slightly on the railing. She wouldn't let her heart get in the way, despite the fact that it was yelling at her to not give up on Han. Suddenly, she wished Padmé was here, so she could talk to her about this.
At the dinner table that night, Han kept trying to catch Leia's eye. She was purposely avoiding his gaze, keeping her eyes on her plate. Chewie and Malla were silently watching the exchange with amusement at the foolishness of humans. Lumpy was concentrating on turning his food into a toy, much to his mother's annoyance.
"Dinner was lovely, Malla," Leia complemented, standing up and picking up her plate. Malla gestured for her to leave it, that she'd take care of it. Leia nodded her thanks and turned to leave for her room. Han stood quickly and followed Leia.
[Humans] Chewbacca laughed, shaking his head. Malla joined in.
Han grabbed Leia's arm halfway to her room. She sighed, turning to face him. "What?"
"Are you just going to pretend yesterday didn't happen?" Han asked angrily, leaning down close to her face.
Leia held her ground, steeling her gaze and clenching her jaw. "Yesterday was a mistake. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but I'm saying I wish it didn't." She turned swiftly as his grip loosened in shock.
Han felt as though Leia had slapped him across the face, her words leaving a stinging pain. And as her door closed, he felt his heart sink. Had Chewie been right? Was he in love with her?
