MIXED UP ⌲ HAN AND LEIA

nine; convincing

(Sorry if this is a little messy, I was feeling very inspired but only had 30 minutes to write it lol)

— 3 MONTHS BEFORE THE BATTLE OF HOTH; ECHO BASE —

Leia had been working for days.

Moving the Alliance to Hoth had been a wise move, but it didn't make her life any easier. Not that she was complaining—being a leader among the Rebels helped ease her mind from the thought of Alderaan's destruction and the death of her loved ones.

But it sure as hell didn't distract her from Han Solo.

She could recognize the sound of his footsteps instantly—and it filled her stomach with a strange, hot feeling. In her mind, she tried to convince herself that the odd feeling was dread or annoyance; but she secretly knew, to her dismay, that it was something quite the opposite.

"Hey, Your Worship." His voice was filled with the same ridiculed tone Leia had heard a thousand times before.

A long sigh escaped her lips, her eyes still focused on the hologram-filled table in front of her. "I thought you were planning on leaving, Han."

"No....I never said that. And whoever the hell did–" Han paused, realizing his voice wasn't as casual as he had intended. "Er....what are you doing?"

Leia stifled an abrupt smile from appearing on her lips. Han tried to act suave, but when shyness got the better of him, it was rather....captivating. "I'm working. Unlike you, of course."

She expected a fiery, sarcastic comment back from him—and was rather surprised at the response he gave instead.

"You seem tired, Princess. Anything I can do?"

Leia felt lost for words, her cheeks suddenly growing hot. "Thanks for the reminder. And, no—I have to finish this."

She glanced at him and immediately noticed the same, fascinating smile he had flashed her a thousand times before; the same smile that made her feel oddly lightheaded every time it appeared. He ran his fingers through his hair, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Sweetheart, you've been 'finishing' that for the last three days....I think you need a break."

He moved so he was directly behind her and placed his hands on the top of her back, moving them upwards until he started massaging her shoulders lightly. Leia froze, her stomach turning.

"Jeez, you're tense,"

Han would flirt with her or touch her whenever he got the chance—which, in turn, drove her crazy. But this was on a whole other level. She couldn't allow it.

"Stop that,"

He inched closer, to the point where Leia couldn't move, her head against his chest. "Stop what?"

"Stop—ugh, you're impossible,"

Han laughed. "I just think you need something more....enjoyable than this, sweetheart."

The color drained from Leia's face. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, Solo, but I am not sleeping with a scoundrel like you–"

"Scoundrel? That's a new one. Much to your dismay, Princess, I was not planning on sleeping with you...." he smirked, moving his head closer to her ear. "Though I'm sure a feisty woman like yourself would be rather interesting–"

Leia squirmed, causing Han to loosen his grip. She spun around, her face inches from his. "Why are you here?"

Much to Han's surprise, her voice wasn't irritated or uncomfortable. It was just....pensive. Careful.

He put his hands on his hips, not bothering to move and separate the current closeness between them. "In all honesty, the General asked me to check on you. You've been working nonstop for who knows how long, Leia," He didn't seem to notice that he had slipped her name—but his eyes were filled with so much abnormal concern, the Princess decided to let it slide. "I know that you haven't been listening to him when he tells you to take a break. I guess—maybe—he thought I could convince you instead."

Leia frowned. "You?"

Han smirked. "Yeah, isn't that surprising? Maybe he knows of your true feelings for me."

There it was. Right when she thought the scoundrel was acting alright for once, he turned right back into his arrogant self.

Leia crossed her arms, still staring up at him with a deadly gaze. "How hilarious of you. For your information, Solo, I am perfectly content with you leaving this—all of it."

Han looked mockingly puzzled, an exaggerated frown on his face. "That's why you're trembling?"

She was suddenly aware of how close he was to her, thus leading her to attempt to step back—only to find that her lower back was pressed against the table.

"I'm n-not—okay, fine, I'll....I'll go to my quarters if the General truly insists on it."

He grinned. "Good. I'll walk you there, if you don't mind."

Leia immediately realized that he had backed up, lessening the odd "trembling" (as he had put it) feeling in the pit of her stomach. She exhaled. "You really don't have to do that, Han...."

"Nah, it's the gentleman thing to do."

"Because you're such a gentleman," she muttered, walking past him with her eyes drawn to the floor. He quickly followed, easily keeping up with her pace.

"Ouch,"

Leia's heart still pounded rapidly from whatever that was. She wasn't quite sure what Han was to her; sometimes he felt like a friend, sometimes a nuisance....however, more frequently, she unwillingly thought of what it would be like if he was something more.

But he surely didn't feel the same way. Besides—he irked her continuously. And she didn't have time for men. Especially not men like Han Solo.

They walked in silence, their quick footsteps echoing the walls. Occasionally, he would brush against the side of her shoulder or subliminally touch her arm—but, oddly enough, it didn't seem like he was doing it purposely. Or, if he was, it certainly wasn't for the same reason as before. His face was expressionless.

Admittedly, Leia was completely oblivious of how hard Han was trying to suppress the same feelings she had.

Once they reached the doorway to her quarters, they both stopped. Han didn't want to leave her, nor did she want to leave him. But they could hardly admit that to themselves—let alone each other.

In that moment, once she turned around to face him, Han was terrified to find that he had to resist the urge to kiss her.

"Well, Princess...." he cleared his throat, not meeting her eyes out of dread that he might do something irrational. "Here we are,"

"Here we are...." she repeated quietly.

Han finally found the emotional strength to flash her a phlegmatic smile. "I guess I can be pretty good at convincing, huh?"

Leia opened the door and surprised him with a small smile of her own. "That's up for debate."

With that, she quickly turned and shut the door behind her.