MIXED UP ⌲ HAN AND LEIA

seven; not all that bad

— SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF HOTH; MILLENNIUM FALCON/ASTEROID FIELD —

Leia wandered, her mind troubled and terribly conflicted.

Han Solo. Han Solo.

He was a friend, she thought. A "drive-you-crazy" one, maybe, but certainly a friend. Sure, they argued—and he could exasperate the hell out of her, per occasion—but he was there for her in ways that surprised them both immensely.

And, yet—now that he had kissed her—she couldn't help but feel....unsteady. It was in the short moments after that kiss she had realized how easily Han Solo had stolen her heart.

Leia stopped and leaned against the wall of a narrow hallway, a shaky sigh escaping her lips. She wanted to think about other things; like the fact that they were stuck in an asteroid field (boy, would that be quite the story!), or how she hadn't seen Luke in presumable days. But the only thing that infiltrated her mind was that damn Han Solo and that wonder of a kiss.

And then she heard footsteps behind her—footsteps she instantly recognized.

"Hey, Princess."

She turned slowly, suddenly and strangely feverish. "What is it?"

Han looked different to her. She noticed everything—the soft hazel color of his eyes, the way his hair was ruffled in a way that oddly almost brought it to perfection—how his smile rose up to his cheeks and made his eyes look undeniably exuberant. He really was one-of-a-kind. That smile—hell, someday it was going to drive her crazy.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said simply, his cheeks surprisingly glowing red. The words were so benevolent, so different, and Leia couldn't help but smile.

"I think I'm doing pretty well. What about you, Solo?" she asked. The words surprised even herself—her tone was so lighthearted, she wondered if it was just all in in her imagination. Leia had never felt so contented in her entire life.

"Fine, just...." he paused and laughed shyly. "thinking about you, of course."

"Really—a scoundrel thinking about a princess like me?"

Han smirked. "I can be full of surprises."

There was still some strange awkwardness between them—and, quite honestly, Leia didn't really know how to feel—but she knew that this, whatever it was, probably wouldn't be all that bad. As a matter of fact, she had a feeling it might be pretty....good. And, somehow, that one kiss seemed to open up a lot of possibilities in the Princess's mind—both exciting and terrifying all the same.

"You know, Han, you might be a scoundrel...." she grinned. "but you're not all that bad."

"You're not too bad yourself, Princess. But I've known that for awhile now."

Leia took a few steps closer to him. "So....the ship's coming along fine?"

Han bit his lip. "That's....debatable. But I think we're making progress. Not that it's all that bad here."

"Personally, I feel like I'm going to go insane."

Han laughed. "Are you sure that isn't because of me?"

"Well....no comment,"

The scoundrel walked closer and kissed her on the forehead softly, making both of their hearts flutter. "You're the one who said I wasn't all that bad."

Leia's eyes glowed playfully. "And I wasn't lying when I said that—but you're quite the oddity, Han Solo."

"That I can't deny."

A sigh escaped Leia's lips. "I wish we could always have moments like this."

Han looked astonished, but his words were simple. "Me too,"

Leia looked down. "I'll—I'll be in the cockpit if you need me. I have some thinking to do."

"Okay," Han took a few steps back, his lips still curved into a smile. "You know where to find me if you need me."

"I sure do,"

With that, Leia walked passed him, her shoulder brushing against the side of his arm. He was tempted to pull her back and kiss her—but all he did was stand with a silly grin plastered on his face. Somehow, though, that felt right; he knew he would kiss her again, of course, but he wanted to wait until the moment that mattered most.

And he had a feeling it would be soon.