Chapter Seven

The three of them found a space in the far corner of the passenger lounge. Luke leaned against a wall, his feet stretched out in front of him. Leia was lying on a couch, curled on her side. Han sat on the floor, his back against the couch, cleaning his blaster. After running through the details of the mission and what went wrong, they had been quiet for some time. Luke was considering taking a nap when he noticed movement across from him.

Leia ran her fingers through Han's hair, trying to tuck some behind his ear. "Your hair is getting long."

He was focused on his blaster, checking the sight lines, and didn't look up. "Hard to get to the salon these days."

"I could cut it."

"No chance." He gave a joke smirk even though he didn't look at her. He trusted she would know it was there.

"I'm serious. Alderaani women are skilled hair stylists."

"You haven't cut your hair since you were twelve." He blew on the sight guard of the blaster, knocking away any speck of dust that may have landed.

She ran her fingers through his hair, over his ears again, and Luke noticed Han tilt his head into her caress. He was doing it subconsciously, like it was a natural and familiar gesture. Luke wondered how often she did it and why he hadn't noticed before.

"That's where you are wrong." She didn't shift from her position, head resting on couch pillow, but her voice took on a faux-superior tone. She employed it sometimes when speaking to dignitaries. Or when she wanted to harass Han. "My hair is trimmed regularly. It used to be a friend or one of my aunts but I do it myself now. It's how I maintain its healthy and vibrant shine."

This time he did look at her. "And you say I'm conceited."

They had been arguing only a few hours earlier. In fact, they fought several times over the course of this mission. Their ground assault to support a Rebel cell in trouble took on more firepower from Imperial and militia forces than expected. As soon as everything went sideways and the Rebels had to work out a new plan, Han and Leia were at each other's throats.

Technically, Leia was in charge but that never stopped Han from offering his opinion. Loudly. Repeatedly. In the end, he caved but it was an intense battle. The last round—their transport was destroyed by Imperial explosives and she thought it was idiotic he would steal a local planetary shuttle that could only do sub-light speed—lasted right up to the point that she laid down on the couch and he started cleaning his blaster.

"When you were in the Academy, did you have a military cut? A buzz cut?" Leia had a surprisingly deep voice, resonant, for someone so small. She wasn't whispering but her voice was low, almost conspiratorial.

"Nope."

"How did you get away with it?"

"I was kicked out for insubordination, remember?"

They were silent again. Luke tried to take it all in. He was certain that not that long ago they wouldn't have sat so close. Looked so at ease with each other. They were only a few feet away from him but they were speaking to each other like they assumed no one was listening. Like they were the only ones in the room.

Luke was used to their fighting. Everyone was used to it. He was also accustomed to seeing them get along. The four of them had spent a lot of time together and Luke knew they liked each other and each other's company. Neither of these things surprised him. He also knew that the talk around base had them already in bed together or well on their way but until that moment Luke had considered it as nothing more than passing gossip. Now he wondered what else he had missed.

Leia nudged Han's shoulder with her knee, jostling him slightly.

"Careful! I'm handling a blaster here."

"I'm bored. Entertain me."

He gave her a look that was stern and playful. "Have we been ignoring you, your Majesty? You're gonna need a new crop of loyal followers. The old ones aren't cutting it anymore."

She gave an exaggerated sigh. "This trip is taking too long!" When he didn't turn to look at her she sighed again. "I hate waiting around. This was supposed to be a quick in and out job."

He gave her a leer and wiggled his brows. "I love it when you talk dirty."

"We were supposed to be back with the fleet a half-day ago." She pushed him again with her knee, then again, enjoying his reaction and sway. He pretended to ignore her.

"Take a nap." Han grabbed her knee without turning to look at her. She had to yank it back. "Even over-eager princesses have to sleep sometime."

"Why don't you tell me a story and then maybe I'll fall asleep."

He looked at her with an exaggerated scowl.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" She shifted on the couch, leaning over to look at him. "That your story will bore me to sleep."

"It was subtle but, yeah, got it." He turned back to his blaster. "Does this tactic usually work for you, Princess?"

"So far, I've only tried it on you. How's it going so far?"

"Not great."

She laughed and he smiled.

Luke felt like he was intruding. Or that he should clear his throat to remind them he was sitting close by.

He had already suspected that Han liked Leia more than he let on. Even though Luke had long ago given up on his crush, he could sense a bit of competition from his friend for the Princess' attention. Still, he didn't think that Han had a crush on Leia. It felt like something else. Something not so easily defined.

Luke started to clue into Han's shift in affection as his Shyriiwook improved. More than once, he heard Chewie taunt Han with [Be nice or I'm telling the Princess] or [Did you brush your hair? Is the Princess coming by?] His suspicions were confirmed by Han's mumbled response of, Fuck off.

Luke's second clue was how much Han insisted Leia irritated him. She was demanding. She only thought about the Rebellion. She was wasting her time on some boring guy. She took too many chances. She didn't appreciate everything he did. She was going to be lost when he finally left. Then Han volunteered for every mission she was on. He went looking for her as soon as he returned to base. Found the tea and fruit she liked on supply runs. Brought back a holo of Alderaan. Sat with her on overnight watches.

Luke wondered if he was thrown off the scent because Han was never sentimental about it. He seemed just as likely to push her buttons as sooth her. Like he tried to ensure every public interaction looked contentious. Luke now realized there was a Han and Leia when they were all together and a different version when they were alone. Their shields weren't as visible. Their gestures had an unexpected intimacy.

"Where did Chewbacca go?"

Han shrugged. "Probably looking for food."

"I hope he somehow finds nerf steak. That would be a nice treat."

"If it's here, he'll find it." Han chuckled. "Also roasted tubers. And that thing…" He held out a hand, fingers touching to form a circle.

"Custard with nufrand berries."

Han nodded and turned back to his work. "That was good."

Luke had no idea what they were talking about.

This was Luke's first realization that Han's feelings—the non-crush, maybe something more, maybe something else—were reciprocated. Luke found it hard to measure Leia's feelings but she was clearly in deeper than he suspected. Probably more than she knew.

He didn't know much about Leia's romantic life. She almost never mentioned Pyrtor and when she did it was never to reveal her feelings. She discussed schedules and intel. She mentioned Thyre Industries' contracts with the Empire. Every once in a while she would recount a story from her days on Coruscant and those were few and far between. But her feelings were closely guarded and Luke never felt comfortable inquiring. She was careful, reserved, and Luke tried not to cross the boundaries she'd set, other than a few times when he accidentally encountered more heated moments.

Leia never held back if she had an opinion or alternate plan and she usually handled it in a diplomatic fashion. When Luke heard her raised, on the edge of yelling, voice through an office door, he thought she was fighting with Han. He entered without knocking, thinking he could act as interference, and was surprised to see Leia and General Dodonna squared off.

Dodonna seemed to be accusing Leia of being negligent in her duties, saying certain things were expected of her, which was an insane thing to say to a woman who worked twenty-hour days. Luke tried to look casual, said he was wandering by and wondered if Leia wanted to go for a kaffe, and she quickly picked up her datapad and notes to follow him out the door, throwing Dodonna a final shot as she left.

"Feel free to take my place any time, General. At the moment, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

She didn't provide details about the argument, other than to say Dodonna wasn't happy she put off a requested meet up with Pyrtor, and she didn't actually want kaffe. She thanked Luke for aiding with the escape then disappeared inside another office. This was all standard procedure with Leia, especially when stressed. She worked.

It also didn't seem that unusual a few hours later when Luke stopped by the Falcon and found her working there. She was set up at the table and Han had the panel for the sensor array pulled off. They both looked up, nodded at his arrival, then returned to their respective work. It seemed like a simple extension of the routines they had all developed together but Luke realized now there were a lot of pieces that he missed.

Because the Leia who sat across from him, curled up on the couch and chatting about custard tarts and haircuts was a different Leia. He knew she could be warm and friendly, fun, when not performing publicly. Luke knew the private Leia. Or maybe he knew a private Leia because there was clearly more than one. Luke also knew she was warming up to others on base, especially the Rogues, and didn't seem quite so distant. She was learning how to trust others, be in the present and not so worried about etiquette. But it turned out she could also flirt. Leia was flirting with Han.

"I bet Chewie would make that again if I asked nicely." She dropped her head back down to the pillow.

"You think you got that much pull, Princess?"

"I think Chewie knows how much I appreciate his culinary skills." She shifted slightly on the couch, moving her legs so they rested right behind his neck. "You might be surprised by my ability to sway and influence should I decide to make the effort."

Han broke out into what Luke would have called a stupid grin if he was willing to speak out loud and break into this conversation. Han looked at Leia and gave a silent laugh.

"Noted, Princess." Han looked at Leia for a moment more before refocusing on his blaster. He reattached the sight to the blaster and checked it. "Hey, what did Madine say about Eugynoa?"

"They're giving it to Sullust."

"What the hell!?"

"They're closer."

"But it was our intel!" Han shook his head, clearly annoyed by leadership's poor decisions.

"It wasn't my call."

Han leaned his head back to look at her. "Maybe Madine heard about your Novachek escapade."

"I knew it was a mistake to let you in on that story."

What the hell was a Novachek escapade? Luke had no idea.

Han spun the blaster on his finger, checking out the weight.

"Is the safety on?"

He checked the hilt of the pistol then made a small oops gesture. "Hey, you were distracting me!"

She laughed. "How is it that you haven't shot yourself?"

His voice was low, almost a mumble. "Maybe I have."

Leia nudged him on his back with her foot. "That's the story I want to hear."

Han continued to laugh as she rocked him back and forth. "Get used to disappointment, Princess."

"You have to tell me that story now."

"On the contrary, your Highnesses, I do not."

"This is abuse."

He dropped his blaster into his thigh holster and held out his hand toward her. Leia gave him the blaster from her hip holster.

Han pulled it apart and started the cleaning process as she kept up a steady barrage of questions.

Where did he shoot himself? Was it his foot? It was his foot, right? Was this a euphemism for shooting off his mouth? If he said it was a euphemism for shooting anything else she would kick him. How many times had he been shot? Had Chewie ever shot him? An ex-girlfriend? How many of his scars weren't blaster-related? No, but seriously, where and how did he shoot himself? Did it happen more than once?

She quickly volleyed the questions his way. Han deflected them all without providing any real information. But he laughed, occasionally throwing his head back or shaking his head. He had lost some of that cynical edge he worked so hard to cultivate.

The thing was, though, the safety was on. Luke knew Han would never attempt that maneuver without double-checking. Luke saw him do the quick scan before spinning the blaster.

Han lied. He lied to make Leia laugh. He told a lie that he knew would result in a barrage of questions but that would also distract and amuse her. Han played the fool to get a reaction and Luke felt almost stunned at that realization. For those few moments, Han wasn't claiming to be the toughest guy in the room. He let himself look fallible to make her laugh. He wasn't on high alert and hyper-aware of everything around him. He didn't even notice Luke watching them. Neither of them did.

"Aren't you tired yet, Sweetheart?" The pieces of her small blaster were spread out around him. "Been a long day."

"It's true." Leia did sound tired. She curled up more on her side and pulled her arms across her chest. "You've worn me out with your evasive tactics."

Han peeled his jacket off then nudged her arm. She sat up, wrapped the jacket around her shoulders and laid back down.

They slipped into another silence. Luke watched as Leia closed her eyes and Han took his time working on the blaster, carefully going through each part. Luke considered lying down but that felt like a lot of work. So, he stayed in place and closed his eyes.

He didn't feel as restless as he used to and knew it was about more than exhaustion from a stressful mission. Something happened around the time they marked the first anniversary of the Battle of Yavin, Ben's death, his aunt and uncle gone, the destruction of Leia's home world. He'd had a year of learning how he fit into this new environment, marked all the milestones like birthdays, solstice, seasons. Luke understood how he fit into the Rebellion, his role, his connections. He knew that it was vital work, nothing he would abandon, but he needed more.

Some of this made sense. He'd been pulling away for a while. There were still missions and he and Leia met some mornings for their workouts but Luke was spending more and more time on his own. He was getting better at meditating. He liked his work as Commander of Rogue Squadron. He found ways to research the Jedi, asked questions, looked through archives when he could. The more he learned, the more he knew it was his path. It gave him a weird sense of peace that felt both foreign and like home.

Taking the time to be alone wasn't the same as being alone. Luke wasn't lonely anymore. Watching Han and Leia together, doing whatever it was they were doing, being whoever it was they were becoming, didn't make him feel isolated or separate. It felt like they were all figuring out where they were supposed to be. Well, Luke knew he was on the right path. He suspected they were still in a state of denial.

Luke didn't know how long he was asleep, maybe a minute, maybe an hour, when he was startled by someone calling his name.

"Skywalker!" Hobbie walked up to their small group. "Catch."

Luke's reflexes were quick and he caught the plastene bottle of blue milk thrown at him.

"Thanks!" Luke snapped off the lid and took a sip. "Where did you find it?"

"Found a cooler unit."

"Anything good?" Han had almost finished reassembling Leia's blaster.

"If you think blue milk's good." Hobbie snorted.

"Then the answer is no." Han gave a nod to Hobbie as the Rogue walked away.

"Hey, I like it." Luke took another drink.

"It's disgusting, Luke." Leia didn't open her eyes or move from her small fetal position on the couch. "Nostalgia doesn't mean something actually tastes good."

"Well, all I know, is I have a drink and the two of you don't." He finished off the milk then gave an exaggerated, satisfied smile. Leia smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

"Maybe I should go on the scavenge." Han looked around the large room, assessing all the beings gathered. Most were stilled lounging on furniture, up against walls. "The Rogues probably don't know where to look. Gotta be some good stuff somewhere."

"What's the best thing you ever found? Not stole but found."

Han laughed—Luke noticed how genuine laughs meant Han's face broke out into dozens of lines around his eyes—and nudged her leg with the side of his head.

"What's with the overdrive, Princess."

"Hmmmm." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I see that you're trying the ask a question to avoid answering routine."

"I'm an open book, Sweetheart. You know that. What you see is what you get." He spread his arms wide and cocked his head. He flashed the half-grin then went back to reassembling the blaster.

"I told you, I'm bored." She lowered her voice. She was aware, finally, that they weren't alone in the corner of the room. "You're not keeping up your side of the deal."

"What deal? I didn't make any deal."

"It was implied."

There was a quick, almost furtive, glance and small smiles. Then Han concentrated on the blaster again and she pulled his jacket closer.

"I could quiz you on military history. See if you've done your homework."

"Yes!" She sat up enough to rest on a bent elbow again. "That's a great idea. Let's do that."

Han shook his head, laughing. "Luke, wanna jump in here? Your turn to distract her Majesty for a while."

"I didn't get all those Academy lessons," Luke said. "I could quiz you on moisture farm equipment and X-Wing maintenance."

"Actually, we should talk about what's next." Leia let out an almost sigh, seemingly resigned to going back to work topics. "We'll need to follow-up with Rieekan after our debrief. I suspect the Rogues will need to patrol through the Solarum sector to monitor activity."

"I'm going to guess there will be an overhaul of all our assignments in the next while." Luke ran through the list of upcoming duties in his head. He would likely have to schedule a meeting with all the squad commanders as soon as they were back on base.

"Someone knew we were coming." Han looked from Luke to Leia. "Either the Imps or the militia. And they shared the news."

"But we only received the distress signal a few days ago." Leia pushed herself up higher. "It was all last minute."

"You mean you knew a few days ago." Han gave her a smirk. "Someone else had this intel."

"Are you saying there's a double agent? Someone feeding information to the Empire?"

"Kid, always assume someone's already double crossed you or planning to real soon. Best way to stay alive."

Luke didn't like to think any rebel was capable of such deceit but it was hard to argue with Han's point. People turned for all kinds of reasons. Survival, money, glory. It was yet another harsh reality that Luke learned since leaving Tatooine.

"I've heard nothing about a leak. Certainly nothing on our base." Leia's voice took on a hard edge. "I'll check in with Madine, too. Maybe new information has come to light."

They didn't discuss the possible double agent any further. They weren't in a secure location and didn't want to raise concern or suspicion. Instead, Luke and Leia discussed the pros and cons of sending patrols out and who should go. Where their latest additions, the rebels they picked up on this mission, would be relocated. Han offered his opinion, even though he was an independent contractor with no say in the operation. They were preparing themselves for the debrief. It was never easy reviewing missions, especially when lives were lost, but they had all grown accustomed to it. In this instance, only two lives were lost and it struck Luke as a particular harsh reality of war that those numbers were considered a success.

Han handed the blaster back to Leia. "When's the last time you cleaned that thing?"

"Do you mean, when was the last time you cleaned that thing?"

He narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "You got to take care your things, Princess. Treat them right so they treat you right."

"Please don't tell me you sweet talk your blaster. It's bad enough when you do it with your ship."

"You just wish I'd sweet talk you."

"If you ever speak to me in the same tone you use with the Falcon, I will shoot you."

Han looked like he was planning a swift retort but he was too busy trying to mask a wide smile. Luke realized that Leia may have stumped him, stopped Han in his tracks if only for a few moments.

Chewbacca wondered through, saying he found stores of packaged snack foods but nothing worth saving, then wandered off again. A card game on the opposite side of the lounge erupted in shouts and taunts followed by laughter. A Rodian—Luke tried to remember his name but they had never been properly introduced—sitting in the center of the room warbled a song. A few beings milled about the room, coming and going, settling down with friends. A few kept close together, arms draped over shoulders, hands clenched.

After his first few battles, Luke was so pumped full of adrenaline he thought he wouldn't sleep for days. Sometimes that was true. Now he could almost switch it on and off and he wasn't sure if that was a positive transition. It shouldn't feel as normal as it did. Luke knew he wasn't alone in this, so easily moving from pumped up battle mode to naps and card games so soon after. It was how he could tell the new recruits from the seasoned vets.

"I need to go for a meet up soon." Leia looked at Luke but he felt certain she wasn't actually addressing him. "Apparently there's some new information about development projects."

Luke paid close attention to Han's reaction. He didn't look up. He didn't acknowledge the upcoming Pyrtor mission.

"A new weapon?"

She responded with a small shrug. "I won't know until I get there."

Luke sensed another shift in the dynamic. The quiet interlude between them was over. They were a trio once again. They were in a room full of rebels. They were being watched. Shields were rising and settling into place.

"Princess Leia." A young cadet stepped into the area. He stood at ease with hands clasped behind his back. Someone had clearly given him instructions on how cadets stand and address officers. "We are dropping out of sub-light speed momentarily."

Leia sat up. Han shifted so she could swing her legs onto the floor.

"Thank you, Corporal. I'll head to the bridge now." She stood and dropped the jacket in Han's lap. "Thanks, Flyboy."

"Anytime Princess."

As Leia walked away, Han noticed Luke staring at him. "What?"

Luke shrugged. Shook his head. "Nothing."

But Luke was very sure that it was actually something.