I figure everyone could use a distraction from boredom and anxiety, so I am in the process of editing this story and posting as I go. It was posted on only one site back in 2002 or 2003 (a lifetime ago) so some might have read it before.
Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewie journey to the planet of Parans, where an official mistakes Han and Leia for a bonded couple. Through a temporary psychic link, Han and Leia begin to share some dreams that are erotic in nature...
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Bonded
By Dant Solo
Han Solo stood at the bottom of the Millennium Falcon's ramp, waiting impatiently. His passengers weren't actually late yet, but he found himself annoyed anyway. He wasn't sure how he had been talked into this latest mission. It was bound to be boring. But somehow, when Princess Leia had asked him, although he had refused at first, in the end he had agreed.
How did she always get him to do just what she wanted? No matter how hell bent and determined he was to say no, she always managed to change his mind. Han couldn't understand it. It was simply not like him to bow to anyone else's wishes. Particularly a stuck-up Princess who was used to having her wishes obeyed. Sometimes he wanted to refuse in order to deny her the satisfaction of getting her way. But she managed to get her way anyway.
Hell, Han wasn't even sure why he had stayed with the Rebellion for almost two years to begin with. Granted, they paid him well enough, but he had never wanted to get caught up in their cause at all.
Han expelled a harsh breath, thinking of Luke. So, he liked the kid, was that a crime? He supposed there was nothing wrong with making a friend or two, but Luke had somehow become important to him. And normally Han tried to avoid that. The less entanglements the better. But the kid had gotten under his skin, and now when he did leave, he loathed the thought of the hurt and disappointment he would see in his friend's eyes.
Then there was the princess. When he was being honest with himself, which was not often, he had to admit that he cared for her too. It had taken a long time for him to admit that at all, but eventually he had been unable to deny the protectiveness he felt toward her. If only she didn't get on his nerves so damn much.
From the hangar entrance, Han finally saw two familiar figures approaching the Falcon, one carrying two travel packs.
"Well, it's about time," Han said loudly when they were in earshot.
Princess Leia's dark eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? It's not lift-off time yet."
"Well, it's close enough," Han said sternly.
Luke Skywalker groaned. "Am I going to have to listen to this all the way to Parans?"
"No," Leia and Han answered in unison, eyes locked on each other. Han added, "Her Worshpifulness and I are going to get along just fine. Right, Princess?"
She cocked a challenging eyebrow. "Of course. I assume you're going to be civil then?"
He moved closer to her, towering above her tiny frame. "Never assume, Sweetheart."
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Luke shook his head in disgust and headed up the ramp without looking back.
Han and Leia remained where they were, locked in a battle of wills, each too stubborn to back down.
"Listen," Han finally said. "I don't wanna be on this mission to begin with. So, don't make it worse than it is."
Leia gaped at him. "Me? I make things worse?"
"I'm glad we're in agreement here." Han patted her on the shoulder a bit too gruffly, then swaggered up the ramp, leaving Leia speechless. When she had recovered, she squared her petite shoulders and ascended the ramp, her stance indignant. When she reached the top, she found everyone preparing for liftoff. Chewbacca howled a friendly greeting.
She smiled genuinely. "Hello, Chewie." She made her way to Han's cabin, which he graciously, and surprisingly, allowed her to use whenever the four of them travelled together. It was the only way Leia could have any privacy.
Luke had left her travel pack in her temporary cabin, and Leia began rifling through it for her datapad. She didn't bother to remove her garments from the bag, knowing from past explorations that there was nowhere in the small, untidy cabin to store them. It was a fairly unimpressive cabin, containing a bunk, a desk and chair, and several storage lockers. Half his clothes were in a pile in the corner. She sighed. She would have to fold them and put them away later. She couldn't stand existing in such disarray.
When she finally found her datapad, she sat back against the pillow of the bunk, trying with all her might to forget who's bunk it actually was. She settled in for the long, two-day journey to Parans, intent on making the most of her time in flight.
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Leia stared intently at the rectangular cards in her hand, praying silently that the randomizer would shift yet again. How she always let Han Solo suck her into this game was beyond her. She always started out with indifference, playing more to shut him up than anything else. But she never failed to get caught up in it, and soon she was on the edge of her seat, hoping for a pure sabaac or an idiot's array. She had never beat Han yet, a fact that infuriated her beyond words. She often wondered if he used a skifter, but had never called him on it. At least not yet.
A flicker of relief passed through Leia when the randomizer did change and Han grinned. His grin could, of course, mean anything, so she did not let that deter her. Each of the four companions silently pressed the small scrambler button on the left-hand corner of a card in each of their hands. Leia glanced at Luke, who could never keep a straight sabaac face. He was simply too reactive. When she saw a slight wince, she almost smiled. Then her eyes met Han's and she knew he had seen it too. No surprise there.
Leia looked down at her cards and a thrill coursed through her. Pure sabacc! In a negative value. The only thing that could beat her was a positive pure sabacc or an idiot's array.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Han slammed his cards down on the holochess table, a big, lopsided grin planted firmly on his face. "Twenty-three, positive! Pure sabaac!" He sat back and placed his hands behind his head with a self-satisfied smirk.
Leia couldn't believe the Corellian's luck. She dropped her cards, face down, in disgust. She watched in annoyance as Han scooped up the credits they had all thrown into the middle of the table.
Luke sighed. "This just isn't fun anymore."
Han shot the younger man a wounded look. "Whaddaya mean? Sure, it is."
"For you," Leia mumbled under her breath. More loudly she added, "You could be a more gracious winner, Han."
Chewie let out a quiet, grunting laugh.
Han's grin returned. "I could be. But that wouldn't be nearly as much fun." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, I have something that might make things a bit more interesting." He glanced around at his friends.
Chewie grumbled a soft question, and Luke and Leia both eyed Solo suspiciously. Luke leaned over to Leia, who sat between him and Han, and whispered loudly, "I don't know about you, but somehow, I don't trust him."
"Well, you know what they say about Corellians," Leia whispered back, equally loud. They both turned back to Han, who simply smirked.
"What's your big idea, Han?" Luke asked.
"I say we up the stakes."
Luke groaned. "I hardly have any credits left as it is," he complained.
"No, not for credits. Something different." His eyes rested steadily on Leia. "Something more personal." He smiled.
All eyes turned to Leia, and she resisted the urge to squirm uncomfortably. What could he possibly have up his sleeve? "What?" Her voice was heavily laced with suspicion.
His smile slowly grew to a grin. "Whoever wins," he said, eyes staying firmly on hers, "gets a kiss from the Princess." Now his grin turned sly as a soft, rosy blush crept up Leia's neck to inflame her cheeks.
Luke coughed, unable to come up with an appropriate response, and Chewie laughed gruffly. Leia scowled at Han, her eyebrows lowering to almost meet her eyes.
"Cute, Solo. And what happens if I win?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
He leaned toward her, staring into her eyes. "You get a kiss from me," he drawled slowly in a deep rumble that Leia could almost feel as well as hear.
Her blush darkened, and she saw Han's expression of satisfaction increase. "No, thank you," she replied coldly. "I'll pass."
He sighed in mock resignation. "Alright, Sweetheart. I understand if you don't think you can handle it. I admit, I'm overwhelming."
She gaped at him, astounded at his audacity
. "You...are such...a conceited guttervrelt, Solo!"
He crossed his arms over his chest, gearing up for battle. Then his expression changed, as if a light went on inside his head. "All right, Your Highnessness. I've got one for you. If you win, I'll do whatever you want for a whole day."
Leia had to admit, that piqued her interest. "Anything I want?"
"Anything," he said, leaning over the table and lacing his fingers together, eyes intent.
Luke looked from one to the other. "Guys, I don't think any of this is such a great idea."
"That's just cause you know you're gonna lose," Han answered without taking his eyes off the Princess.
"Hey," Luke said defensively. "Don't count me out yet."
Finally, Han turned to face his young friend. "Kid, you have yet to win one hand."
Taking the bait, Luke's anger surfaced. "That doesn't mean I won't."
Han grinned wickedly. "I guess these stakes motivate you." He was rewarded with a flush to Luke's cheeks that matched Leia's previous coloring.
Leia was feeling decidedly uncomfortable as she realized that this was some male rivalry that she really didn't want any part of. She stood up suddenly. "I think that's it for me."
With the fast reflexes Han was known for, he was holding her hand in his before Leia had time to even notice, staying her gently in place. "Come on, Your Worship. Don't take the coward's way out."
That mild accusation caused Leia's stubborn streak to kick in. Her lips pressed to a thin line as she fixed him with a hard stare. "Alright. You're on." She sat back down.
For a moment, Han was stunned speechless. Then he recovered himself with his usual cockiness. "Well, alright. Looks like I'll be getting a kiss tonight."
"Don't count on it," she said icily. "Let's just get something straight here. You said that if I win, you'll do anything I say for an entire day, correct?"
"Yep."
"I just want to make sure there are no ridiculous stipulations here. Like you'll only do as I say if I'm standing on my head, or something equally ridiculous."
He laughed shortly, then leaned in closer to her. "Why, Sweetheart. Don't ya trust me?"
"About as far as I can throw Chewie," she muttered.
Han laughed again.
"And we're talking about a standard day, right? Not a day on the third moon of Arista, or anything like that." A day on the third moon of Arista was only eight standard hours long.
In a serious tone, Han said, "A standard day. Anything you want. You got it, Princess."
Something flickered in the air between them, and Leia was suddenly very aware of his leg pressing against hers beneath the table. She could see in his eyes that he felt it too, but at the moment, Leia was completely unable to acknowledge what that something might be.
Luke cleared his throat loudly. "So, let's play."
Chewbacca's terse growl seconded Luke's statement.
Leia glanced at Luke, noting his grim expression. Chewie appeared oddly curious Apparently, the only one genuinely enjoying this little diversion was Han. But Leia was out for blood now. The idea of having Han at her mercy was far too enticing. She would order him to be overbearingly nice to her. She would force him to call her by her given name. She would make him serve their meals to them. Perhaps she would even make him dance around the ship with his undergarment on his head. There was no end to what she could torture him with. She simply had to win.
Han dealt the cards as Chewie grumbled something about the stakes. Leia guessed it had something to do with the fact that kissing Leia was not much of a prize to him. That thought amused her.
Leia picked up her cards and examined them, her fervor for the game greater than ever before. She didn't have a bad hand, but she knew it was not good enough.
They each took turns changing the value of the cards, and Leia noticed that there was a new air of challenge between Han and Luke. Han was, as one would expect, much cooler about it, while Luke was easier to read. He seemed more confident in his hand, and Leia hoped that, if one of the men had to win, it would be Luke. At least Luke would not gloat. And somehow, the idea of kissing Luke did not unnerve her the way the idea of kissing Han did. The mere thought caused an odd fluttering in her stomach. She pushed the thought aside, returning her attention to the game.
It went on for a long time, longer than their games normally did. The suspense was beginning to get to Leia, and every time the randomizer shifted, she found herself holding her breath. At last, the values changed, and Leia found herself with a twenty-two, the best she was likely to do. She bit back the grin that threatened to overtake her.
Luke spoke before she could. "I call." Leia could see that he was suppressing an enthusiastic grin.
Han's eyebrows rose. "Whaddaya got, kid?"
Luke carefully laid his cards down on the tabletop. "Twenty-one." He held his breath in anticipation.
Han's gaze shifted to her. "Your Worship?"
She felt her heart rate increase slightly as her cards joined Luke's on the table. "Twenty-two."
Luke's face fell slightly, then he looked expectantly at Han. Han allowed a slow grin to creep across his face, and Leia felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. With deliberate slowness, Han placed his cards on the table, one by one.
Leia looked down at the cards with dread, mentally adding them up in her head as her mind screamed in protest. Her cheeks grew warm at the thought of what she would now have to do. She groaned inwardly.
Han brought his face very close to hers and whispered softly. "Well, Your Highness. Let's see you put your credits where your mouth is."
When Leia looked up into his eyes, what she saw there made her go breathless. His eyes bored into hers, not teasing, not tormenting, but deathly serious. Her mouth went dry and time stopped.
Before Han could progress with his intentions, an amused roar from Chewie grabbed everyone's attention. With a smack, he placed his cards on the table.
An idiot's array. The only thing that could beat Han's positive twenty-three. Relief, mingled with a disappointment she refused to acknowledge, flooded Leia. "Chewie wins!" She sighed deeply, then laughed as Chewie leaned over and offered Leia his cheek. She kissed it enthusiastically, grinning with relief.
Luke covered his smile with one hand, while Han scowled, eyes going dark with disappointment. The big Wookiee laughed appreciatively, as Leia rose from her chair with a glowing smile.
"Well, I'm off to bed now." Her disappointment at not winning was powerfully overshadowed by Han's loss. He grumbled something incoherent, staring darkly at the table. Luke and Chewie offered more cheerful goodnights, and Leia left them all there, smiling as she made her way to her cabin.
As she drifted off to sleep, her mind lingered for just a moment on what it might have been like had Han won.