Chapter 44
After hours of playing games and watching holofilms, Han and Leia started preparing Ty for bed. Once he was all washed up they all sat down on one of the couches in the main room, with Ty between Han and Leia. Han found a book that he thought Ty would like and would help get him to sleep, and prepared to read.
"Why do you have a book, Han?" Ty asked.
"Uh, because we're going to read," Han replied.
"Why do we have to read? That's boring," he said stubbornly.
"Because little boys like to read before going to bed."
"I'm not little! And I know I don't like to read…I hardly even know how!" Ty argued. "Wait…I have to go to bed?"
"Yeah," Han droned.
"But I thought you guys were fun! You aren't really going to make me go to bed, are you?"
"Ty, it's way past your bedtime," Leia said. "We can play more games tomorrow, but right now we're going to read."
"No!"
"Yes!" Han and Leia said together.
"No! I want to watch another holofilm!" Ty whined.
"You're going to bed, Ty," Han demanded. "I don't think your parents would be happy if they knew that you were up this late, anyway."
"No! I'm not!" Ty rebutted before running off into the other room.
"Oh, great!" said Han. "Since when was he like this?"
"Well, we've never had to put him to bed before. The one time he slept over with us he fell asleep before we got to the room," Leia replied, leaning into her husband and appreciating a few moments of silence.
"Yeah, but he wouldn't have been like this before," Han grumbled.
"I know. He's not a poor little boy anymore. We have to realize that he is just like any other boy now, and he thinks that we're just his friends. He doesn't think that we have any sort of authority over him," Leia explained.
"Yeah, but you'd think that if he thought of us as friends he'd listen to us."
"But he's only seven years old, Han. One of us needs to go in there and explain that he needs to listen to us and go to bed."
"Well, I'll go get him," Han gulped.
Han went into the kitchen (Ty's room of choice), and couldn't believe that he was seeing what lay before him. Ice cream was dripping from the floors and walls, chocolate syrup was splattered on the counters and sink, and Ty was sitting at the table, leisurely eating a sundae.
"What is this?" Han asked, mortified.
"I felt like having dessert," Ty stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy.
"You can't just make a complete mess of the kitchen and eat dessert when you're supposed to be going to bed!" Han exclaimed.
"But I'm not going to bed! I'm staying up late with you guys!"
"You're right; you're not going to bed now. You're gonna clean up this mess and then go to bed," Han declared, leaving little room for argument.
"But I thought it was going to be fun staying with you!" Ty cried.
"Can you seriously say today wasn't fun?" Han asked.
"Well, no…" Ty began.
"See? Tomorrow will be fun, too. If you clean this up and go to bed, that is," Han said, giving in to reason rather than punishment. He was the cool friend, after all.
"But can't I watch just one more film?" Ty pleaded.
"You can - if you don't mind watching Leia and me kissing."
"Aahhh! Okay, I'll go to bed," Ty groaned. "Will you still read me a book?"
"Maybe. If you do a good job cleaning, that is."
Ty cleaned up the counters and floors as well as any seven-year-old could, and Han went back to the couch, sitting next to Leia.
"What did you do?" Leia asked Han.
"Oh, I just gave him a good old-fashioned threat. It was easy."
"Well, as long as that was all it was," Leia replied, kissing him.
Ty walked back into the main room. When he saw the two kissing, he ran straight into his room and jumped on his bed, covering himself with blankets.
"Well, that was even easier," Han stated. He then took Leia's hand and went to bed.
