DISCLAIMER: I don't own the copyright of Star Wars. Just using it for fun.
SUMMARY: A "Rebel Olympics" was held to boost the morale of the troops. And this brought Han and Leia closer to each other, which was against their will, but it was something they've always wanted. (A/N: Don't worry, readers, they get to kiss later on. Watch out for it!)
CHAPTER XVII- Closer to YouA Rebel Olympics? Leia thought in apprehension upon reading the request form. She looked at Threepio, her brows furrowed. "What is this for?" she asked.
"Oh, Mistress Leia, it's something to boost the morale of the troops before the battle." the droid replied, his mechanical eyes glowing.
"Whose idea was it, anyway?" she asked. What would be the reason why somebody would suggest this two days before the battle is about to start? "Isn't this too late?"
"I think we have enough preparation for this, your highness," Threepio said. "In fact, some of the rebels are already preparing outside for the events."
"What events?"
"Some ball games, an obstacle course, a three-legged race, and that's it." Threepio knew that it was the suggestion of Wedge and his group of friends, but the droid bothered not to tell her anymore.
Leia looked more carefully at the paper in her hand. She was first hesitant to sign it, thinking, I don't want to have anything to do with this. But then she thought, Maybe this request is asked for good reasons, and it might as well boost the morale of the troops. She grabbed a pen and signed her name at the bottom of the paper. "Okay. This will be for the common good, and I agree with it," she said, as she handed Threepio the paper. She watched as Threepio bade her farewell before going out of her office.
I think this so called "Olympics" will be good for the troops, she thought. I just wish that they wouldn't be asking me to participate in the games. Leia suddenly had a hunch that she was in it for the embarrassment. She just can't imagine herself running around and getting dirty, as she wants to maintain her whole image thing with the Alliance, as a serious and no-nonsense woman who meant business. But little did she knew that Wedge suggested it so that she'll be closer with Han, and this might serve as a chance for them to make-up.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Miracle of miracles!" Wedge exclaimed as he read the paper posted on the bulletin board at the hangar. "Ice Princess did sign it!" The notice was now posted on every bulletin board in the Rebel Base, and it was requesting the troops to participate in the "Rebel Olympics", which was meant to boost the morale of the troops.
"Why did you suggest it, anyway?" Luke asked.
"Actually, this is meant to bring Han closer to the Princess, so be quiet about it. It's our little secret," he whispered to Luke.
Luke shook his head. "Pie in the sky. You'll never get her to participate in the games, much more if it's meant to bring her closer to Han." It was widely known among them that Han and Leia were not in good terms with each other, and it had been the topic of juicy gossip for three days now among the troops, making them wishfully postulate on why they aren't speaking with each other.
"How would you get her to participate in the games without making her back out, like she has no choice?" Luke asked Wedge curiously.
Wedge smiled a mischievous smile, as if he's hiding the biggest secret in the universe. "Oh, don't worry, I'm in charge of it," he said.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The games were held in the middle of the afternoon. All the rebels participated in the games, and Leia had never seen them looking this happier since the day they arrived at Hoth. It did boost their morale, she thought. After two hours of watching ball games like ice hockey (on the frozen lake in Hoth), the last two events were three-legged race and obstacle course, in which four pairs of partners were going to ran around over poles, skip on ropes, and skate across the frozen lake until they reach the finish line. The winning pair would then battle it out against each other on the obstacle course, until a winner is declared.
"Okay folks, now it's time for the three legged race!" Wedge exclaimed on the speakers, his voice blaring loudly enough to be heard. He was hosting the event, and he felt excited as he now planned to carry out his plan. "The mechanics are," he read, "Four pairs of partners, a male and a female, are required to ran around five poles prepared for each of them and skip on ropes. After that, they'll be skating across the frozen lake until one of them reaches the finish line. Then the two of them will be obligated to join the obstacle course, until one of them is declared as winner. In short, they'll be racing against each other."
The crowd cheered wildly as Wedge read out the names of the contestants, which he randomly picked from a container, which contained a list of the names of the male and female members in the Alliance. The first three pairs called out went in front of the field, nervous and excited at the same time. Then Wedge picked out the last male name in the container.
"Who could this be?" he asked as he opened the tiny piece of paper. It had Han's name written on it, and Wedge did that on purpose. "Oh!" he exclaimed, pretending to be surprised. "The last guy to complete the set of four will be..." he paused for a while and then blurted out, "Captain Han Solo!"
"WOOOOOOOO!" the crowd cheered. Han, who was falling asleep on one corner out of boredom, was awoken to the sound of the wild hoots from the crowd. "What's happening?" he asked Luke, who was seated next to him.
"You're asked to join the three-legged race!" Luke told him. He too, knew about Wedge's plan, and he thought it was going perfectly. But he tried not to let his expression give him away.
"What?" Han asked confusingly. Luke explained to him the mechanics of the race and upon hearing it, Han wanted to back out. "No way will I be joining in that!" he cried out.
"Captain Han Solo, go down here, right now!" Wedge exclaimed on the speakers.
"Wedge, you idiot, I won't be joining there!" Han exclaimed vehemently. "Go find somebody else to join!" he shouted out loud.
"Rules say participants for the three-legged race will be randomly chosen. In this case, you have to participate, as you were chosen from the list of names."
Han's voice was drowned by the shouts of the crowd, screaming, "GO HAN GO!" "GO DOWN NOW!" His ears felt like being blasted off by the sounds, which made him annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. What kind of a fcking rule is this? Han thought to himself as he went down from the bleachers and into the open field. He had no choice but to participate, and make a fool out of himself. Then he became curious, thinking, I wonder who'll be my partner? He looked at the crowd, and felt relieved that many females were still available to join the race. At least that'll take my mind off Leia for a while, he thought, relieved. He had not spoken to her for three days now, and he didn't felt the need to do so, except when there's something important to be discussed about regarding Alliance matters.
"And last, but not the least, our female partner for Han," Wedge said out loud on the microphone. "Who could this be...?" he mumbled, as he picked out a piece of paper from the container of female names. He knew it had Leia's name written on it, and he smiled as he read out her name. "OH, CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!" he exclaimed. My plan is going perfectly! he thought. "Han's partner will be... make a guess folks!"
Leia froze in her seat. The crowd was shouting out her name. Oh no, it can't be, she thought dreadfully. Her fear elevated when she heard Wedge calling out her name, and she was right with what she's thinking of.
"HAN'S PARTNER WILL BE... OH MY GOSH... IT'S PRINCESS LEIA!"
The crowd went even wilder than they were a while ago, as the screams and hoot calls filled the entire place. Leia's blood froze when she heard that she was asked to participate in this race with Han. She secretly wished she would just evaporate in her seat, and don't want to go on anymore facing more embarrassment. She and Han were the topic of gossip for days on end, and she knew that the others would gossip behind her back. It irked her, as if she and Han were some showbiz couple.
"YOUR HIGHNESS, GO DOWN HERE NOW!" Wedge called out to her.
"YOU IDIOT, NO ONE TELLS ME WHAT TO DO HERE!" Leia exclaimed, fuming. Wedge was amused that she had the same reaction like Han did.
"GO PRINCESS!" the crowd screamed excitedly. "WOOOOHOOO!"
"TOGETHER AGAIN!" a group of female rebels screamed in delight.
She stared at Luke, who urged her to go for it. "It'll be only for a while," he assured her. "Let go of your Ice Princess facade," he told her nicely.
She knew that Luke meant well, and realized that she has no choice but to go down there and face all the cheering crowd. She was stuck in a moment she couldn't get out of. When she finally reached the field, Wedge motioned for her to stand by Han, and this made the crowd wilder than ever. She tried to ignore their irritating, gushing screams, and looked blankly at Han, who looked back at her in the same way. Then Wedge blared out loudly again.
"All contestants start tying your ankle against your partner's ankle, as this will be a three-legged race. You'll be racing against each other as you ran around the five poles, skip on the rope, and skate across the frozen lake as you get to the finish line. Whoever reaches the finish line first will be obligated to join the obstacle course, as you and your partner will race against each other this time." Wedge explained again the rule.
Han motioned for Leia to stay by his right side. "Place your left ankle next to my right ankle," he said. With that, he started tying her ankle against his own one. Then both stood up, supporting each other. "Just do as I told you," he whispered to her. Leia just nodded her head and braced herself for the would-be embarrassing moment about to happen.
"ALL RIGHT, GET READY!" Wedge shouted. "ON YOUR MARK..." the four contestants prepared for running position, and Han made a mental note to support Leia firmly, as he realized he might find it hard to run because of her petite height. He might be braced to carry her, if needed.
"READY..."
Leia breathed deeply, and nodded at Han. Han winked at her and whispered, "We can do it!"
"GO!"
The crowd cheered wildly as the four contestants ran around the poles. Han and Leia were doing their best not to trip over each other as they ran, and soon, they arrived first at the place wherein they have to skip over a bundle of ropes tied in between two benches. The ropes were so close to each other, and Han wrapped his arm around her waist as they prepared to skip in between the ropes. Leia placed her arm firmly on his shoulder and made sure that her grasp won't make the two of them trip. Then they finally made their way in between the ropes. They were able to do this without speaking a word to each other, and for the first time, they weren't arguing about how to do things the right away. It was as if their thoughts were on the same wavelength, as they concentrated on what needs to be done. They were intent to finish this race and get over with it, even if they didn't win.
When they were finished skipping between the ropes, Leia turned her head and saw the next couple already on the verge of reaching them. The first couple tripped on each other while running on the poles, and this disqualified them, while the second one suffered a bad fall when they tripped on the ropes, and had to be assisted by the medics. The third one was about to reach them and Han nudged her that they should run now towards the lake before they could be reached. They ran fast enough, even though they were limping, and arrived shortly at the lake before the other couple could be finished with the rope course.
Amidst the hooting and cheering sounds of the audience, Han and Leia sat for a while and hurriedly put on the skating shoes without undoing their ankles, which was still firmly tied. They stood up, and started skating across the frozen lake while maintaining their tight grasp against each other, doing their best not to let their feet get undone. They realized it was hard to skate in a three-legged manner, more so with Han, who was having a hard time supporting the diminutive height of his partner.
"FIRST IN THE RACE ARE OUR FAVORITE COUPLE, CAPTAIN HAN AND HER HIGHNESS-NESS, PRINCESS LEIA!" Wedge exclaimed. He totally loved this whole scene, and assumed that maybe; they'll be on speaking terms with each other after this. More decibel-breaking screams and cheers could be heard among the crowd.
As they skated in the frozen lake, Han and Leia didn't looked at each other. He gazed at her, who had her eyes averted towards the finish line, and she didn't even look back. Through the cold, chilly, Hoth winds, he caught a whiff of her fragrant-smelling hair. Must be the shampoo, he thought. He tried not to let his thoughts wander off, as he found himself feeling that feeling again. You only entered my mind once, and had never left it since. Leia was trying not to be affected with her own emotions, now that Han was tied so closely to her. She felt electrocuted with the way he placed his hand on her waist.
They finally reached the edge of the lake, and with that, the finish line at the far end of it. They realized that they have to run towards it for sixty seconds, and felt the other couple drawing even closer to them. Leia was prepared to remove her skates, but Han told her, "Don't bother. We'll be running off right now."
"In this?" she asked, brows furrowed, and not knowing how to run across the snowy road in their skates.
"Trust me," Han said. He helped her get on her feet, and they started running towards the finish line in an awkward manner.
"LOOK WHO'S GETTING FIRST IN LINE! WILL THEY MAKE IT, FOLKS?" Wedge blared.
"YEAH! GO HAN! GO LEIA! GO!" The crowd cheered. Among the bleachers, Luke also joined in the cheering. He was enjoying this whole scene.
"WILL THEY MAKE IT?" Wedge asked loudly.
"YEEESSSS!" the crowd cheered.
As they got closer to the finish line, they began running faster than ever, as if they never ran so fast in their entire lives. The other couple was about to reach them, and it was not a problem for them anymore. One-meter closer now, and it's all over.
Then, the unexpected happened.
As they were about to get close to the finish line, Leia tripped on a rock hidden amidst the snow, and dragged Han along with her as she fell over. Both rolled over each other for a while, and when they stopped rolling, Han found himself face-to-face with the Princess. She was on top of him, and her face was shoved closely against his'. Thisclose. He felt her lips pressed against his. Both were lost in the moment, not mindful of the jeering crowds and Wedge hooting over the speakers romantically. Han secretly wanted time to stop and feel those warm lips pressed against his own, as if they were kissing.
He was jolted back to reality as Leia looked at him with wide eyes. In shock, she realized that they were already kissing, and pulled away from him, embarrassed. She looked up, and found that they had already torn the finish line the moment they tripped and rolled on each other. She nudged Han, and said, "Hey, we won!"
Han, whose head was still reeling from the "kiss", looked at her. "We did?" he asked absent-mindedly. She just smiled at him in agreement.
"OH, WHAT A SCENE!" Wedge exclaimed amidst the cheering crowds. "THEY KISSED, FOLKS!"
"WOOOOOO!" the crowd cheered romantically. Han couldn't believe his ears. We kissed? You call that kissing? he thought.
"NOT ONLY WE DID SEE THEM KISS, THEY ALSO WON! THEY WON THE THREE-LEGGED RACE! CONGRATS!"
As they walked back towards the main field, this time not tied to each other, Han looked at Leia and said, "I can't believe you're such a good kisser, your highness." He smiled, and actually meant the joke.
Leia wrinkled her nose at him in disgust. "Yuck! I didn't liked having my lips pressed against you, and it was just an accident!" she said in denial, although deep inside, she liked it, and longed for a deeper kiss.
Yuck, and you liked it, I know. Han thought. Me too. "Don't forget, we'll be against each other in the obstacle race," he said, pointing to the obstacle race course at the other side of the field.
"I'll beat you, Captain Solo! I'll make sure I will!" Leia exclaimed, and ran off ahead of him.
Yeah, I'll let you beat me all you want, just let me get closer to you once more. Part of his anger with her had died down, although he still doesn't have the heart to forgive her for what she did.
Leia thought of the same thing. Allow me to beat you, and let me get closer to you once more, she thought, smiling to herself.
A/N: I enjoyed writing this chapter! I loved the "accidental kiss" part. Wait for their first real kiss inside the Millennium Falcon in a future chapter! Stay tuned! RR please!