AteIsa: I'm writing wayyyy too many oneshots alksdfhasdfjads but am I gonna stop? nOPe. Hope you enjoy this short fluff fic!
Now that the Empire was defeated, it was nice to finally have some time to relax. The fires around the entire village were getting low, and most of the ewoks had fallen asleep on the spot. Several of the rebels were asleep as well: in their seats, on the ground, and wherever else they happened to be when the drowsiness overtook them. All was quiet except for the crackling of the bonfire and some occasional murmurs of conversation.
Luke, Han, and Leia were all laying on their backs behind a thick tree, where they could have some privacy. It was oddly comfortable, especially because of the leafy pillows the ewoks had given them to rest their heads on. Lando was off to their right, snoring quietly, and to their left, Chewbacca was dozing off.
Luke was staring up at the stars, smiling contentedly. Leia was snuggling close to Han, who had fallen asleep with his head resting on top of hers. Luke smiled as he glanced at them, then yawned and rubbed his eyes drowsily.
Leia shifted positions and went a little closer to Luke. "You awake?" she asked, and Luke nodded. She smiled in the feeble torchlight, then rested her head against his shoulder. They were both silent for a moment as they stared up at the sky, Luke tilting his head so he could listen to her breathe.
"I wonder what they're doing now," she whispered suddenly, nodding at the stars. Luke fixed his gaze upon a particularly bright planet and hummed to show he was listening.
"I bet people are having parties all over the galaxy," Leia continued. "Back on Alderaan, we used to have some of the most extravagant parties in the galaxy. At least," she laughed when Luke turned to raise both his eyebrows at her. "That's what my parents used to tell me. I never liked parties that much. But, on occasion, there were some that I enjoyed." She chuckled.
"Have you been to that many parties?" Luke couldn't help asking.
She shook her head as if it was painful to remember. "Too many." She and Luke both laughed quietly. "But, looking back on them now, I'm glad I was always made to attend."
She fell silent, suddenly seeming lost in the past. Luke looked again at the very bright planet and thought for a few moments. "What was it like, growing up as a princess?" he asked curiously, turning on his side so he could properly face her.
Leia laughed, shrugging as well as she could lying down. "It wasn't all it's cracked up to be, I can tell you that much."
"But did people really do everything for you, like they say in stories?" Luke asked. The image of Leia being waited on by five servants at once suddenly popped into his head, and it struck him as ridiculously amusing. He laughed quietly.
"Oh, gosh, no." Leia actually giggled. "I hated it when they tried to do that—It made me feel like I was being babied. Anyway, my parents often encouraged it if I wanted to do things on my own."
Luke smiled. "Well, it seems things turned out pretty well because of that, then."
Leia chuckled. "I suppose so."
She suddenly glanced at Han, who was stirring. He slowly blinked his eyes open and mumbled, "You two talking about me?"
Leia rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully in the ribs, and Han laughed tiredly.
"Anyway," Leia said, turning back to Luke. "What about you? You probably know a lot more about me than I know about you."
Luke tried not to blush. He hoped it was too dark for her to properly see the expression on his face. "I lived on Tatooine."
"Yes, yes, I know that," she laughed. "But I mean, what was it like for you growing up? What did you do besides flying your T-16 and shooting womp rats?"
Luke laughed nervously. "Well, it really wasn't that interesting. Not as interesting as, you know, your life was, anyway." He coughed and looked up at the stars again, determined not to show her his embarrassment.
"Oh, come on," she insisted, prodding him in the arm. "We're siblings, right? And twins at that. Don't siblings tell each other everything?"
Luke couldn't help giving her a look. "Oh, don't pull that one on me."
Leia raised an eyebrow at him and pushed herself into a sitting position. She crossed her arms. "I can, and I will."
Luke sat up, too, looking closely at her. She was frowning at him intensely, her cheeks flushing in a very pretty way. When he first saw her, if someone had told him that he was the brother of pretty much the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, he probably wouldn't have believed them. Would he even think she was pretty if they had grown up together? He had no idea, but as far as he knew, not many siblings would admit it if they thought any of their siblings were good-looking. They'd probably be grossed out by the mere idea of it.
"I'm serious, though," Luke persisted, trying to sound it. "My life really was boring before all this. I spent most of my days there dreaming about the day I could finally leave. It was so boring that I actually looked forward to running errands at Tosche station! I… couldn't wait to get away." He smiled a little ruefully, and Leia laughed.
"Oh, come on," she said. "I know you're avoiding the question. I highly doubt your Aunt and Uncle did nothing, and I doubt they wouldn't have had you help out. Were they pilots, too? Traders? Mechanics, maybe?"
Luke could feel himself growing redder by the second. Han was sitting up now, too, and he looked closely at Luke before breaking into a smirk. "What is it, kid? Come on, don't be shy." He reached over and started prodding his arm, and Luke swatted him away. "Are you embarrassed by it?"
"No!" Luke lied.
"Then why don't you say it?" Han continued to nag, grinning. "Come onnn. I'm sure a big hotshot like you—at the very least—had a decently cool childhood."
"Well," Luke stammered. "Nothing can really beat a princess though, can it?"
Leia snorted, which was probably one of the most un-princess-like things she had ever done. "It's really not all it's cracked up to be."
"Uh-huh," Han said, squeezing her shoulder. Leia made an odd yelping noise and pushed him away, and he laughed. "Really, Luke," Leia said, turning to him again, her face growing serious. "Was it really that bad that you can't even tell me about?"
"And me?" Han asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"You weren't even a part of this conversation!" Luke yelled as he pushed him away. Han laughed again.
Leia was smiling, but when she turned back to Luke, he could tell that she really was being serious. Luke couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
"Fine, fine, fine," Luke sighed. "But don't laugh, okay?"
"Of course," Leia said immediately, at the same time as Han said, "No promises." Leia smacked him in the head.
Luke exhaled slowly through his nose, fixing his gaze firmly on the branch in front of him. "Alright, alright." He winced, bracing himself. "Before I came here… before I met Ben… Iwasamoisturefarmer," he blurted.
Leia tilted her head. "What?"
Luke sighed, loudly. "A. Moisture. Farmer," he said, enunciating exaggeratedly. "There!" He made the mistake of turning to face them, and Han, typically, snorted. Then he started to snicker, which soon turned into a loud, full-on guffaw.
"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Luke protested, hugging his pillow to his chest defensively. Han ignored him and smirked widely. "So the hero of the war… defeater of the Empire… last Jedi knight and son of Darth Vader… was also… a scrawny farm boy?" he gasped through his laughter. "I should've known the moment you guys walked in…"
But Luke wasn't looking at Han anymore. He was looking at Leia, who didn't seem that disappointed. In fact, she seemed both a little piteous, and… even more impressed than before. "A moisture farmer?" she repeated, and Luke nodded. She paused, as if processing the news, then broke into a smile.
"There's no need to be ashamed of that," Leia told him. "There's nothing wrong with having a humble childhood." She shot Han a look, who was finally starting to calm down. He rolled his eyes but seemed to understand what she was saying. "Besides, I think that makes you even more of a hero."
Luke stared at her, trying to see if she was just messing with him. "Really?" he asked, and she nodded. Though she was smiling, he could tell that she truly was serious. He smiled back at her and shrugged. "I—I guess you're right."
She nodded, then suddenly broke into a wide grin. "You know how much our lives sound like those stories we heard growing up?" she asked. "I mean: a princess, and a farm boy—two very different people, from very different places, who just happen to be siblings and the children of one of the most feared enemies the galaxy has ever seen—along with their swashbuckling scoundrel friends—" At this, Han couldn't help but start laughing again. "—somehow manage to defeat the bad guys and restore peace to the galaxy." She laughed in amazement. "Doesn't that sound just like the kind of thing you'd only ever hear, or read about in the stories?"
Luke had never thought of it that way before, but now that he did… he realized that she was right. He nodded, at a loss for words, and even Han seemed a little surprised. After a moment, he said, "I never took you for the sentimental type."
Leia gave him a look. "I can be sentimental if I want to," she said defensively. Han smiled, and Leia shook her head. "You know, whenever my parents would read to me at night, I'd always pick those stories. The ones with good triumphing over evil, romance, and love, and adventure, and danger. As a little girl, I never thought that something like that could happen in real life. But… we're living proof that the stories were real, somehow. That anyone can be a hero." She raised an eyebrow at Han, who was smiling weirdly. "And that a hero can come from anywhere. Isn't that right, Han?" she asked pointedly.
Han stopped and actually had the decency to look chastised, if only mildly. "Yeah, yeah," he said. He looked at Luke with a genuine expression. "Don't worry, kid, your secret's safe with us." He chuckled. " Guess we're more alike than we thought, huh, farm boy?"
"How's that?" Luke asked, still reluctant to forgive him but, at the same time, curious despite himself.
"Well," Han coughed. "We… both had what people would consider, uh—ahem, humble, uh, pasts." He shrugged, but Luke could tell that this was something he didn't tell people often. "You were a farm boy, while I—" he laughed, sounding—could it be?—embarrassed. "—while I was an orphaned criminal living on the streets, doing anything to just make it through the night alive." He seemed to cringe at himself, which Luke found amusing. "I could only ever dream of being able to escape, of being considered a hero, of—of finding true love." He started fidgeting with his golden dice (which Luke noticed he kept around when they were doing particularly risky things) as he trailed off, looking down. He hadn't even noticed him holding it, but it seemed that he was reliving his past again in his head. Luke couldn't help the stab of pity that shot through him.
Then Han shook his head quickly as if to snap out of it. He shot Luke a smile. "But look at where we are now, huh?" he said, his sudden enthusiasm sounding genuine, if a little forced. "Heroes! And you have a princess for a sister, while I have one for a girlfriend!" He laughed loudly, waking Chewbacca, who grunted in protest.
"Again, it was not all it was cracked up to be!" Leia protested, avoiding Han's attempted kiss and pretending to be annoyed.
"Aw, now look at what you've done. You made the princess upset," Luke joked, which resulted in him receiving a smart whack in the forehead from Leia's pillow. Han burst out laughing, and he ducked as Leia attempted to hit him, too.
"What's happening?" Lando asked sleepily, as he watched Luke, Han, and Leia start to attack each other fiercely with their respective pillows.
"Sibling stuff," Luke grunted, as he was struck in the stomach by Leia's pillow. He tried and failed to smack it at her head, instead flinging it into Han's face. It knocked the pilot down, hard, onto his bottom, and Luke burst out laughing.
"Oooookaayyy," Lando said slowly, as Han scrambled to his feet, bringing his pillow down upon Luke's back. Leia tossed her pillow at Han again in defense of her brother. Han only managed to duck in time before he tackled her. He started to tickle her, and she laughed and cried out in protest. With a loud cry, Luke leaped on top of them both, and they all continued to wrestle furiously, rolling around on the ground as Lando and Chewbacca watched in utter confusion.