Thanks to everyone who helped lead and support HanLeiaWeek2022!

I'm thrilled to be able to contribute to day 3 (Traveling together) and I hope you enjoy!

The streams of light sped by through the front windows of the Falcon's cockpit. Flying through hyperspace in the Falcon was another sort of experience all together, or so he had been told by many a passenger. Yeah, it creaked a little more than a standard ship and rattled you around a little more on that first jump. But after so many years and so many miles with just him and his ship, he was used to it now. And he was suspecting that someone else was growing more comfortable with it.

The cockpit lights were dimmed. The multicolored buttons lit the space more than anything. That and her holo pad. She was curled up in the co-pilot's chair, legs wrapped together in a pretzel and covered by her brown sack tunic and dust colored pants. Her hair twists were long today, tossed over her right shoulder and falling in her lap. He watched her curved nose crinkle as her eyes scanned back and forth over the holo before her.

He held his place for a moment. She didn't seem to hear him come in, or she decided not to acknowledge him. Both were possible answers. He brought his broad hands to his knees and crouched down, feeling the pull of his bloodstripes against his legs and the bend in his boots. He held his breath as his face lowered, now only inches away from hers.

"Personal space, Han!" she ordered loudly, her voice rising above any creak or beep of the ship.

He clicked his teeth and remained in place. "I'm good, thanks."

Keeping her focus, she shoved her shoulder into his chest. "Let me concentrate."

"Oh, so you can't concentrate when I'm near you." His signature half grin and puffed chest carried him to the pilot's seat.

"Yes, that's exactly it."

He pulled the lever that brought them out of hyperspace, the glowing stars now visible orbs around them and a giant planet hovered in front of them. "You get a blush on your cheeks when I'm near you."

"I do not." Her flat voice didn't rise to his baited tease.

"Your breathing changes."

He kept his body titled towards her as the ship neared the planet.

"Careful sweetheart," he shook his head. "Or I'll think you're starting to get feelings for me."

She couldn't have had less emotion in her voice. "I have feelings for you alright…"

He scrunched the corner of his mouth as he looked forward. This game wasn't worth playing alone. Instead, he did what he was there to do. He radioed into the control station out of Theed on Naboo and got clearance to land. 'Meeting a family member' was the reason he gave for his visit. They accepted the falsified flight codes without question and let the hunk of junk proceed towards the landing pads.

Leia eventually turned her holo pad off and uncrossed her legs as she watched the cityscape appear from below.

"Chewie's gonna hold down the fort here for the night," Han said.

She nodded. "I hoped we'd be able to get there sooner, but it looks like the day's dimming already."

"A tomorrow morning leave time won't be bad. We'll still make it back to that block of ice with plenty of time."

Block of ice was a generous term for the Rebel base of almost three years. Hoth was a hell of a planet in his humble opinion.

She knew his exact sentiments. Her lips curled as she tilted her head towards him. "You're looking forward to the return, I see."

"I've got warm blood and even I can't stand it for more than a few days." He sat back in his seat, half concentrating on piloting and half concentrating on her. "Don't know how you manage it being so small."

She shrugged and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I have one of the Rogues warm my bed every night."

He would be lying if he said her tease didn't effect him. "Gods…" he choked on the word before swallowing. "I know your joking, but…"

"Says who?" Her body dropped so it was leaning over towards him. Her eyes both playful and fierce. "Care to take a number? Next Tuesday is still open."

"We're here," he announced, now fully concentrating on landing the Falcon onto their assigned landing pad and effectively ending that line of conversation.

Han was finding himself on the move more recently than ever before. The Rebels had found his skills, contacts, and fast ship extremely useful for scouting, supply runs, and intel missions. At the time of their first ask and the credit exchange, he was inclined to stick around for a while until he got bored. That was three years ago.

He had just returned from another run when the Ice Princess of planet Hoth informed him that they were prepping for a trip to Naboo the next day. Something about picking up provisions; They needed his on-planet contacts and the princess needed to be there to make the exchange.

He didn't question it. He rarely did anymore when the orders were coming from Leia.

So that's how he found himself within Naboo airspace with a Princess in his co-pilot seat.

With the ship safely landed, they stood and made their way towards the ramp.

"You know where to get a speeder?" She asked.

"Do you even have to ask?"

He took her silence as a rhetorical response.

Chewie emerged from the back of the ship with a wrench in his hands and a farewell growl.

Leia gave him a nod as she took a long piece of fabric and wrapped it around her head and body. "Thanks Chewie," she said. "We'll be back tomorrow. We'll leave the safe house at first light."

Han was right behind her and listened to his friend's more colorful private goodbye. "Yeah, yeah…" he shrugged of Chewie's paw as it rubbed his already mussed hair. "Take care of her."

And with one last caress of his ship, he closed the ramp and stepped to where Leia was waiting on the paved walkway.

His hands went to her scarf-like attire around her face. "Cover up, Princess," he insisted as he shifted the fabric that cloaked her identity.

"Han!" Her hands swatted at his. "I need to be able to see."

"No you don't," He insisted as he turned her forward, looping his left hand in hers and placing his other hand at the small of her back. "I'll guide you."

He felt her hand grip his, her vision obviously obscured through the tiny crack left in the fabric. "I don't trust you."

"Yes you do."

"I don't trust you to not run me into a wall for your own amusement."

He smirked at that, although she couldn't see it. "Good instincts," he admitted.

Although she argued, she didn't make any moves to change their current arrangement. So they proceeded and passed the multitude of other ships and beings along the landing platforms on the outskirts of bustling Theed. The skyline at dusk was hard to see from here but a few of the more elaborate buildings could be seen atop the walls and complexes on this side of the city. The clientele in this area varied from family travelers, to discrete smugglers, to native Nabooans looking for a ride off planet. The crowded people brought a cacophony of languages and dialects to their ears.

Following the crowds, they came to an underpass that separated the platforms from the main city entrance. "There should be a speeder we can rent right thought here."

Han was pleased to see that his memory and his old contact hadn't failed him. Right where expected, there was a bearded man with a line of old looking speeders to the side and back of him. Some were even stacked on top of each other, though how they drove, Han had no clue. The man sat on a three legged stool with a cart beside him and a sign for his business.

Han told the princess of his plan with a simple tap on her back. They both proceeded over and caught the man's attention.

"Scuse me sir." Han pronounced with a slower draw that attempted to disguise his voice. "My wife and I would like to rent one from you for a day."

The man eyed them, but proceeded with his work, digging through the cart for something. "Where're you headed?"

"The shipping district. Got a cousin there we'll be spending the night with. Back early tomorrow."

The man stopped, his head tilted as he looked them both up and down. "Shipping district? It's only a 20 minute walk."

"Can't do that." Han clicked his tongue as he smoothly explained, his hand pressing up until it squeezed his partner's shoulder. "She's pregnant."

"Honey," Leia whispered loudly and sweetly. "I think I need to sit down soon."

"Okay." The man nodded and averted his eyes quickly as he dug back into his cart and found the correct chip. "Go on and take the reconstructed flash speeder on the end. That's 70 credits now and you'll get 20 back on return."

Han easily reached into his pocket and counted out the correct amount of credits. "Thanks," he grinned before steering his waddling wife away. "This way, sweetheart."

With practiced routine, he led her to the passenger side and she made a show of her struggle to get in. He waited until she sat comfortably before scooting around to the driver's side, sharing a farewell head nod with the owner, and getting into his side of the speeder.

"Why do people always ask less questions when they think you're pregnant?" He asked as he started the speeder and pulled away.

The guffaw that came from her mouth intrigued him. "Is that rhetorical?" She asked as she lowered her scarf from her head to her shoulders.

"It wasn't."

"Most male beings are uncomfortable speaking about women's bodies when it's not directly for the pleasure of a man."

"Really?"

She nodded. "That has been my observation at many dinner party conversations." He watched her face scrunch with a laugh. "I remember a story my mother used to tell about a pregnant Senator who's water broke in the middle of the dance floor during the Annual Senatorial Ball."

"Oh yeah!"

"It cleared the dance floor faster than a loose Rancor could have!"

He laughed along with her. "I can picture it!"

"It was her seventh child. She was quite experienced by then."

"Seven!" He exclaimed, his mouth hanging open as he contemplated that reality. He could't imagine being a part of an insane family like that.

"Don't look so shocked," she admonished as her eyes stared straight ahead of them. "On Alderaan, it's customary for families to have between seven and ten children."

"You're not serious…"

"I want twelve myself."

He could tell that his breathing changed, sped up to accommodate for the air that was knocked out of his system. His eyes dried out after being opened too wide, the lids blinked rapidly to bring moisture back. With strained effort, he moved his jaw to speak, but nothing came out.

She hummed with mirth. "We'll that got him to shut up."

He heard her wry comment and immediately exhaled. Thank gods…

Her laughter grew as she turned to watch his reaction fully. She was enjoying this. "Did that make you uncomfortable?"

He tried to join in her merriment with a smile and a shrug. "No, why?"

"You missed the turn."

It was about three hours later into the night when the speeder finally stopped at their intended destination. Shockingly, they were not on Naboo to visit a cousin in the shipping district. Leia's contact lived away from Theed, in a small village. Leia led Han quickly through a side street and around the back way until they reached the third open door on their left. Parking quickly, the door shut behind them. Once safely concealed, they observed their surroundings.

It was a relatively small parking enclosure with another small speeder to the side. The dimmed lights revealed little else in the bare space with the exception of a smaller door that most likely led to the apartment inside.

His suspicions were confirmed almost instantly as a human female emerged from the sliding door. Leia was out of the speeder before him with arms stretched.

"Princess Leia!"

The girl was much younger than Han expected, maybe 13 or 14. She ran with childlike energy to the princess.

"Hi Mazie!"

Han knew when the princess was putting on her public act, and this wasn't it.

Leia greeted her with genuine enthusiasm and a hug. "How are you?"

Mazie continued her hug; Han watched her eyes close as she squeezed tighter. "I'm okay."

Leia told him about the contact during their ride. Mazie Strazda; her mother and father worked as operatives for the Rebellion on Naboo. Serving in official capacities in the Empire, they passed on information and supplies to the Rebels. That is until they both died a year ago after an 'accident' left them both dead. Despite the Rebellion's caution, Mazie wanted to continue her parent's legacy in fighting for a democratic galaxy and continued smuggling what supplies she could get.

Mazie finally disentangled from Leia and took a step back. Mazie switched from basic into another language that Han didn't understand, but Leia evidently did. He watched and listened as the third wheel in a party he wasn't invited to. It didn't bother him though, especially when he noticed how genuinely happy Leia looked.

Mazie took them into the small apartment and then into the back room with the false floor where cases of food sat ready for some hungry rogues. Han was impressed by both the quality of the food and the quantity of packages shoved into a pretty large storage space. Leia was right, this run would be well worth their time.

They quickly and efficiently loaded the speeder with all the supplies they could fit. Leia told him in basic that Mazie confirmed her suspicions about the dangers of leaving at night and the increased patrols. So the vehicle would be ready to leave with them at first light.

Mazie had a dinner ready when the went back through to the kitchen space. Han gave her a grateful smile as he scooped up a bite of stew. It was not half bad.

He watched as the princess sat at the two person table with Mazie. The two enjoyed their quick dinner and conversation until the late hour had them all looking for sleep.

"I have a room set up in here." Mazie led them to a side door that opened to another room with a decent sized bed, some side tables and an adjacent 'fresher. "There's also a sofa out in the other room if…"

She didn't finish her thought before Leia cut her off. "This is more than enough Mazie. Thank you."

Han pursed his lips, but didn't say anything as she continued speaking with their host.

"I'll be up early to see you off." Mazie gave a quick wave as she walked out, their door shutting behind her.

Left alone, Han was in a quandary that had him confused and aroused. And so he resorted to dealing with those emotions with taunts. "Are you sure we're ready for this next step in our relationship, Princess?" He started, right as his roommate turned with her hands on her hips. "Once you're in bed with me, I'm afraid you'll never recover."

"She's being extremely generous already and we'll make do." Leia pushed past his presumptuous stance and walked towards the 'fresher, clearly not interested in any of his antics.

"What if I'm not okay with this?" He argued as he stepped closer to her.

"You're not okay with sharing a bed with me?" Her head whipped around with her skeptical question. "Well then excuse me! Get me the bantering Han Solo from three hours ago and bring him here."

"That was just a lot of talk!" Yeah, it was just talk. Han would never cross a line that she wasn't ready to cross. And her signals now had him in a joking fluster.

He watched as she pointed to a rug on the floor at the bottom of the bed. "Since you're being so sensitive about it, I'll take the floor, your excellency."

His protest was immediate. "Oh no! I can't let a Princess sleep on the floor…."

"Ah, so you're a monarchist."

"I can't let a woman sleep on the floor…"

"So you're sexist."

"What! No… I just…" He was trying to be polite, but now he was regretting agreeing to this whole mission in the first place.

"Han," Leia broke him from his babbling. "Look over there."

He followed her pointer finger to the far wall where he saw a very obvious cut out bunk with bedding and a mattress pad; a sleeping space designed for an adult human. "A hide-a-way…" he acknowledge with a nod, finally finding a peaceful composure. "Did you see that…"

"Right when we walked in," she interrupted, finishing his sentence. "Yes."

"Well, I'll take that," he insisted, his lips pursing as he moved towards his sleep space for the night.

"Okay, hotshot," she responded drolly as she finally made it to the 'fresher.

They both took their time in the 'fresher and by the time he was out, she was already lying in the main bed with the blanket pulled up to her chin. Her hands manipulating one of the holo pads she was engrossed in earlier. His eyes scanned her quickly before she could notice and then proceeded to his own bunk.

"I never thought I would find something to praise on the Falcon," Leia said. "But at least the water pressure in that hunk of junk is better than here!"

He grinned as he sat on the corner of the bunk to remove his shoes. "Did her worship not enjoy her royal 'fresher?"

"Not in the slightest, my servant." Her voice sounded all snooty. "Now go fetch me my sleeping pearls."

His lip turned up on one side as he chuckled. "It was better than the Hoth 'freshers, you gotta admit that."

"Oh gods!" She groaned, moving the holo to the bedside table. "It's been years since I used one of them."

"You haven't showered in years?" He exclaimed as his last boot dropped to the ground. "What kind of royal smelling salts do they put in your blood to make that possible?"

It was her turn to chuckle as she settled down in the bed. He watched as her face disappeared from his viewing angle behind the lump of her knees. "Of course I've washed!"

"Where?" He asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

She answered simply and honestly. "The Falcon."

His eyebrows crossed as he tried to square that in his brain. "What? How? When?"

"Chewie gives me 'fresher privileges. We made a bargain years ago."

Chewie… he should have known his pal was behind this. He certainly had a soft spot in his heart for the Princess and he loved pulling a fast one on Han. Something else clicked. "That's why… The lavender scent it yours!" His shirt and jacket eventually dropped to the floor beside his boots.

He heard her deep laughter rise from the bed. "Well it's not Chewie's scent!"

"That explains it…" he nodded to himself, unfastening his holster and buckle. "You think you know a pal and then he leaves the 'fresher smelling like lavender soap."

"I'm glad I could solve your scent mystery for you."

He moved his blaster to the bunk before tossing the holster onto his growing pile. "I like that you smell like lavender." He certainly did. "Don't know how I didn't put that together."

"You know what I smell like?"

She asked that like she didn't know the answer. "Yeah," he said, as if the answer should be obvious to her.

He waited for her to respond, but she didn't. He managed to slide his pants down his legs from his semi private position outside of her view. In just his shorts, he laid down on the bunk and stretched his legs as far as they would go. They hit the end of the bunk before they were at full length, so he hunkered down as best he could.

He let out a deep sigh as he settled, just as he heard her soft voice finally respond.

"My mother used lavender soaps."

Her mother. He never heard her say that before. He rarely heard her speak of them, ever. In the past three years. Queen Breha and Viceroy Organa; That was how she properly referred to them in official conversations. But never 'my mother.'

He felt his eyes blink as his chest fell for her.

"I don't have much soap left," she shared.

"I'll get you more." His voice was much deeper and adamant than he expected.

He heard her tongue click and could just picture her eyes rolling at him. "Han, you don't need…"

"I will." He insisted. He didn't know how, but he knew right then and there that he would somehow get her the soaps that she wanted. The scent that gave her a passage into a past life.

He laid on his back and his eyes scanned the ceiling above. "I know what today is," he said, his voice much lower than it was a moment ago.

The entire base was probably back on Hoth hosting a round of drinks in celebration of their significant milestone. Three years to the day since the Battle of Yavin. And three years since the destruction of Alderaan.

He interpreted the silence from the other side of the room as an invitation to continue. "I'm guessing that's why you wanted to get off planet. And you want to try and stay busy so it doesn't consume your mind." He paused. "But… I'm thinking 'bout it too… It wasn't right."

He paused. He acknowledged the very large bantha in the room, but he needed her to know. Needed her to understand that she wasn't alone in her sorrow.

He spoke again. "I'm guessing Mazie's family was Alderaanian."

She didn't correct him. So his suspicions were confirmed. That was why she insisted on being the one to collect the supplies. Why she chose this mission. His eyes blinked heavier as the time passed.

"Grease, pine, and musk."

He almost didn't hear her. "Hum?"

"That's what you smell like."

He swallowed. His head slowly rolled against the bunk until he was again facing her. But this time, she was sitting up. The covers dropped to reveal her sleep tank and bare shoulders. One shoulder was hidden by her thick braid cascading down her side. Her hand was stretched towards him.

"Han." Her fingers pulsed, eyes both resolute and vulnerable.

"Leia…"

"Please," she interrupted. "Just for tonight."

That was what he was afraid of. Just for tonight.

He watched her and she watched him. He rose from his bunk, bare shoulders and chest for her viewing pleasure. He brought his blaster with him as he walked to the other side of the room.

She shifted to the right side, so he walked over to the left. His every action slow and deliberate, giving her opportunity to change her mind.

But she didn't. She watched him as he set the blaster on the bedside table, lifted the covers, and sat down onto the mattress pad. The extra weight shuffled her briefly as he brought his legs up and laid his upper body back.

The blanket shifted down to his hips as he turned, now fully recumbent, to his side. Facing her.

He watched as she laid back down, also finding herself lying on her side. Facing him.

Their arms mirrored each other; one bent atop the pillow, the other laying loosely in the space between them. He watched her eyes lids shift as she looked down. Following her sight line, he saw her fingers stretch towards his, the pads of her digits linking with his tips.

He let her touch him, felt her warmth as the tips of her fingers shifted against his own. And yet, he could tell she was deliberate. Her fingers moved no further than the very edges of his skin.

Eyes drifting to her head, he saw half her face over the plush pillow. Her lips pressed together, lids still lowered.

He inhaled audibly before he spoke softly, deeply. "It doesn't have to be like this."

He watched her head nod. "But it does."

He broke the little wall the she built with his pointer finger as it reached to touch her palm. He circled his digit, drawing invisible designs against her skin and her soul.

"You know how I feel about you," he stated, willing her eyes to meet his. "I know you know."

How could she not know what he felt, how much his heart was now beating for her. He couldn't pin point the exact moment it happened, but one day he woke up and that was it. He couldn't live without her.

She challenged him, pushed him, teased him, surprised him, flirted with him. She trusted him, more so than any other Rebel leader at the beginning. She saw what was inside of him, even when he didn't see it himself. She knew what he was capable of, where his allegiances lie. Day by day, he discovered something new about her that made him fall even more for her.

She had to know how deeply he loved her.

"Leia …"

Her fierce eyes finally snapped to his. "Don't say it, Han."

Her walls were up. He pressed his fingers into her hand, pulling it to rest on his bare chest. "What if I want to say it? What if I want to hear you say it?"

Desperation. That's what he saw when he looked into her eyes. "I can't, and you know that. Don't ask me to."

He would never ask her for anything she wasn't ready for, even if it was crushing him slowly to keep in bottled in.

Words aside for the moment, he used action. With her hand still in his, he pulled her closer to him as he shifted onto his back. She moved herself the rest of the way until her head was pressed in the divot between his shoulder and his chest, her body flush against his side and her free hand now willing to dance up and down the muscle and hair on his chest.

Like a magnet without any control of his own, his cheek fell to the top of her head. He rolled his chin across her hairline, feeling the smooth silkiness against his rough face. Eventually his head dipped and his lips found her forehead.

"You're thinking of your family," he whispered.

He felt the breath she took before speaking softly into his chest. "Everyone I loved is gone."

"You're afraid to love again."

She shook her head once, her voice quieter than ever. "I'm afraid to lose a love again."

His mind shifted, something he never contemplated before. She was afraid to lose him.

He wanted to say, 'That'll never happen.' But he couldn't. He wouldn't, couldn't make a promise he didn't have control over. This war was getting brutal and the bounty on him grew by the day.

'She's afraid to lose me.' The sad but beautiful refrain played through his head. After all the loss she experienced in her short life, her parents, her planet, her home. She was afraid to lose him.

"You're the strongest person I've ever met, my warrior Princess." He pulled her closer to him.

"I used to think so too. Now I'm not sure."

"Look where you are right now."

Her head tiled up to face him, eyebrows crossed. "I'm brave for sleeping in a bed beside you?" She questioned with a hint of mirth. "That's either a low bar or there something you're not telling me."

"Nah," he insisted, pushing his hand against her head until it was back where it belonged. "It's brave to take that first step. Let someone in. And… I'm glad it's me."

"Humm…" she gritted, her once roaming palm turning into a fist.

"I wanna be there, Leia. Not just for the fun stuff. But the hard stuff too."

She stilled, stiffened.

"I know it's scary to hear, but… Leia I…" he swallowed as the forbidden words came into his head.

Without looking at him, she grabbed his hand and flipped herself over onto her other side. With her tugging at his wrist, he moved his own body so it molded behind her. His arm tighten around her waist, keeping her as close as possible while she settled comfortably in front of him.

"Go to sleep, Han."

Her words and actions were effective. They were done talking for the night.

In this new position, his lips still had access to the back of her head. So he pressed them to her with reverence, communicating everything she wasn't willing to hear yet. His head relaxed against her pillow comfortably. Extremely comfortably. Like it was always meant to lie there.

He wasn't done yet. No, he would keep pushing her, challenging her, loving her.

Because they both knew what this was destined to be.