A/N: A section of Chapter 23 of Purpose of Heritage from Han's POV.

He couldn't fuck this up. Han knew what he had, though he couldn't begin to guess how he had managed to get it, and he needed to do whatever he could to not lose her. Leia deserved better than him; she surely knew she deserved better than him no matter what she said, and he needed to make sure she didn't feel as if their relationship was lacking in any way.

Relationship. That was…certainly a word he had historically used sparingly.

He had never had the best luck when it came to women, at least not women he actually wanted to stick around. And now he had somehow managed to catch the eye of a literal princess and…He just needed to not fuck this up.

It wasn't even the princess thing that intimidated him. Leia was royalty through and through, sure, but she didn't act aloof or as if she thought she was special. She was special, but not because of who her parents had been or what Elder House she had been a member of; she was special in a way that involved intelligence, bravery, humor, frighteningly good aim with a blaster, pretty brown eyes, the most charming laugh Han had ever heard…the list went on. People liked to talk about no one truly being the complete package, as if the idea were fanciful fiction; those people, Han assumed, had never met Leia Organa.

Leia Organa, who was, right then, resting her head against his shoulder and touching his hand like some sort of dream, lacing her fingers through his and stroking the top of his thumb with her own. She seemed entirely content with what had quickly become their after-dinner routine while traveling: Chewie would shuffle off to his hammock for the evening, and Leia would scoot close to Han in the dejarik booth as he slid his arms around her.

Chewie knew. Leia didn't know that Chewie knew, but the Wookiee had overheard some mild — but still private — flirting on the trip between Hoth and the settlement after they had first kissed and put it all together. That, and he claimed their scents were more mingled than usual. And, he alleged, there was some sort of change involving pheromones that Han intentionally did not ask about further.

Anyway, Chewie knew, and Han suspected that was why he had taken to turning in early nearly every damn night while they hopped between planets. Not that Han was complaining, exactly; he liked having some predictable alone time with Leia. He just didn't want to have to actively hide that he knew that Chewie knew from her.

"Has Chewie been feeling okay?" she asked as she mindlessly tapped her fingers against his elbow.

"Think so. He hasn't said he's not. Why?"

"He's gone to bed early three nights in a row. I thought it was odd yesterday, but I'm getting a little worried now."

Observant. That was another thing to add to the list. Leia was one of the most observant beings alive. Han had forgotten to consider that factor.

He felt uncomfortable keeping the truth from her, but Leia had talked about keeping what they had private for a bit, and he'd said he could do that. He'd even offered to keep it private forever, though she hadn't seemed interested in the idea. Still, he didn't want her to think he went off and spilled to Chewie immediately. It had only been a few days.

He opted for an indirect answer to avoid lying or addressing the issue altogether. "Oh, that. Don't think that has anything to do with him not feelin' good."

"He's acting normal during the day, so I can't imagine he's upset with us about anything." Leia tilted her head up to look at him, cheek still planted on his shoulder, and brows drawn together slightly in that cute little expression she made when she was trying to puzzle through something. "Do you think…Are we nearing an anniversary or holiday? Could he be missing home more than usual?"

Han met her gaze and tucked some stray hair behind her ear, thumb lingering over the now-healed cheek that had been torn to shreds during her encounter with that bastard on Kinyen. The memory of nearly running past the alley while that trooper had her pinned to the wall still haunted him, and Han would be lying if he claimed he hadn't woken breathless and shaking a time or two after having a dream reliving that moment.

Leia appeared concerned for Chewie — and of course she was concerned for Chewie. She knew better than anyone what it was like to miss a home she couldn't return to. Han was pretty sure Chewie was just trying to give them space, but he hadn't thought about how their shift in relationship might make the Wookiee miss his own family — particularly Malla. Han mentally earmarked the topic to ask him about later, but attempted to reassure Leia in the meantime.

"Not any anniversaries or holidays that I'm aware of. He's probably fine, but I can check in on him in the morning."

Leia lifted her head and stared at his face, mind whirring away. Han recognized that look, and realized he had mere seconds before some detail slid into place in her head and she figured something out. What that something was depended entirely on how much she had observed over the past several days.

She raised her brows and bit her lip, an almost bashful expression appearing on her face. "Does he know?" she whispered.

Her tone wasn't accusatory, but Han couldn't quite tell how she felt about the idea. He grimaced, not wanting to blatantly lie, and shrugged one shoulder. "I didn't tell him."

"But he knows." Leia smacked her palm softly against his chest. "Of course he knows. He walked straight past us while we were cooking dinner last night and acted like he didn't notice us at all, but I'm sure he could probably hear us down the corridor."

Han exhibited what he considered to be a commendable amount of restraint by refraining from remarking that he wasn't sure that his nearly burning rehydrated ration packets while Leia sat on the counter and distracted him really counted as cooking dinner, and he was certain the flirting and kissing Chewie no doubt heard fell outside of the definition of the activity.

"How long has he known? It's only been a week. How are we unable to keep a secret for a kriffing week?"

Han snorted softly and gave her a quick kiss on her nose. "He heard us talkin' when we were heading to the settlement."

Leia blinked, disbelief clear on her face. "So, what, we kept a secret for four whole days?"

He thought a moment, counting days in his head. They'd made it off Hoth by the time Chewie figured things out, but barely. "Maybe five."

Leia shook her head and exhaled sharply, a reaction Han had generally seen when she was irritated but had nobody to be rightfully irritated with. "Unbelievable. I was a double agent for two years and I couldn't even keep this under wraps for a week. I've lost my edge."

Han was about to attempt to reassure her when Leia jerked her head and stared at the entrance to the lounge. Chewie's heavy footsteps heralded the Wookiee's approach seconds later and he stuck his furry head through the doorway.

[To be fair, I do not think your Senate work involved keeping Cub from flirting shamelessly when you were within earshot of a Wookiee. I am sorry to have ruined any fun you might have been having sneaking around, though. I can continue to pretend I don't notice the cuddling and the pheromones if you would prefer.]

Leia glanced between Chewie and Han, confusion clear on her face. "Sorry, Chewie, that's a new word for me. Cuddling and what?"

Han glared at the grinning Wookiee. "Would ya knock it off, fuzzball?" He looked to Leia. "He's mainly teasing me. Don't worry about it."

[Perhaps I could increase the excitement by almost walking past the entirely open doorway of the common area you are kissing in and turning around at the last second. Again.]

Leia's cheeks turned a bright pink and she laughed. "Stars, I have lost my edge."

[I think maybe you just feel very safe here on the ship. You are used to letting your guard down with us, so you weren't as alert.]

Han smiled slightly at Chewie's assurance. The Wookiee could poke fun with the best of 'em, but he had a soft spot for Leia that Han appreciated. He never wanted to overstep with her or upset her.

Leia closed her eyes tight and nodded for a second before looking again from Han to Chewie. "Have we been very annoying?"

Han took umbrage with the implication of her tone — that it was a given that they were being some level of annoying, but hopefully not very annoying. As far as he was concerned — and by most humans' standards, he would bet — they had been the definition of discrete. It wasn't anyone's fault that his copilot had extraordinary senses.

Another mischievous grin from Chewie raised Han's hackles. [No, not very annoying. Cub is now too preoccupied to bother me with complaining. It has felt like a holiday.]

Leia laughed, and Han found he was too taken by how delighted she seemed by Chewie's comment to react negatively. She smiled up at him, pressing her teeth into her bottom lip, eyes shining with humor and care, as if she were checking to make sure he was okay with the teasing.

Han watched her as she returned to her conversation with Chewie. Affection bubbled up in his chest while he stifled reappearing concern about whether he'd be able to hold it together for her, for them.

He really needed to not fuck this up.