stardust | han solo

vi

HAN WOKE UP WITH a huge bump on his forehead. He groaned, pushing himself up from the floor to find himself on one of the cabins in the Millennium Falcon. His head began to spin and threw himself to the nearest bucket to puke all the food (which was slim to none) into it. He leaned back and wiped his mouth, groaning from the pain in his stomach.

"Two fucking days." He muttered. "Empire Scum." He fell on the floor, the metal springs squeaking under his weight. 

But then the thought hit him, they were supposed to be at Gorse, how is he in the Falcon? His thoughts were cut short by distant voices from above.

Han sprung up from the bed and a sharp pain accentuate from his thigh. He cussed under his breath and limped his way to the main deck.

"You did what?" Lee yelled, his hands furiously gripping his hair.

"You heard me. It was the only way we could get out of there." Juno replied calmly. Han could see how badly bruised Juno was from afar; one eye was covered in a deep blue color and there were deep cuts gashes on her face yet she barely showed any pain nor discomfort.

"What did she do?" Han stepped out, his hands gripping the wall beside him. The pair looked up at him. They both looked tired and exhausted. Lee's was red from his recent blowup and Juno could barely look at him in the eye. "What did she do?" He repeated.

"Juno gave three containers away to the Empire." Lee explained.

"It was our only chance to survive!" Juno cried. "We could've never left the planet if I didn't make the deal."

"Yeah you could've discussed your little idea with us." Lee retorted, crossing his arms. "You could've discuss with us so that Jabba won't kill us." The three of them remained silent. Han sneaked a glance at Juno who had her arms crossed and her head held down in defeat. He frowned at the sight, cursing at Lee who was making her feel guilty. She did the best she could for her crew and it was enough.

Lee sighed and shook his head. His fingers massaging his eyelids.

"If I didn't give him part of the shipment, we'd all be dead. Karina would be dead. I can't deal with it, Lee." Juno said, her voice soft and fragile. "I'm not willing to sacrifice my crew for shipment. I—"

"You're sacrificing yourself for shipment!" Lee interrupted. He turned to look at Han. "She knows Jabba won't touch us. She's willing to take all the blame and punishment." He turned back to her. "But that's not your decision to make, Juno. Karina cries every night, praying for you to make it out alive everyday. She knows how dangerous you're living." Lee paused for a moment, letting all the words sink in. "We're done with you taking the blame. Now it's our turn." And with that, Lee walked out the main deck and disappeared behind the corner.

Beside him, Juno fell onto the Captain's seat and buried her face into her palm. Han sat in the seat beside her, watching as she took deep breaths against her palm.

"You did the best you could, Juno." Han said softly. She looked up to him, her eyes started to water. Han sent her a small smile.

"Jabba's going to scar me for life."

"Hasn't he already?" Juno bursted into a weak laugh. "Don't worry, Juno. I won't let it happen."

"I know you wouldn't."

The two stayed in silence. The Falcon wondering aimlessly in the void and hearts thumbing against their chests.

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Juno decided that the crew stopped by the nearest planet. After their capture, she thought they all deserved some fresh air. The ship landed on the landing docks and all of them stepped off the ship.