Thursday, April 11, 2013

Speedo Challenge - Submission #3

(Submitted by Push)


The Millennium Falcon (somewhere on Tatooine)

It was early morning and the Princess was up first, as usual.  She stood for a moment, looking around the Captain's quarters of the Millinneum Falcon where she had been sleeping these past several days.  She had followed Luke to Tatooine and joined him and Chewie on the Falcon.  Lando had already infiltrated Jabba's Palace and now they were made to wait.  During that time, she had already organized the galley, the storage bins in the lounge, the spare parts in the engine room and the medical supplies in the main hold.  Everything that had aggravated her during that trip to Bespin was being checked off her mental list as she mentally checked off each passing minute, hour and day.
 
If Chewie had minded all of her housekeeping, he had been either too polite or too considerate to complain and Luke, for his part, had merely done his best to stay out of her way.  Now, what had started as something to keep her worried mind occupied, had slowly started to become an all-consuming obsession.  Perhaps it was because she wanted everything to be perfect when Han arrived, although she realized her idea of perfect and his were probably worlds apart.  Thinking back to her polishing efforts in the cockpit the day before, she worried that he might actually want to kill her when he finally did return.

Leia bit her lip, turning around to survey Han's bedroom once more.  Of every nook and cranny in the Falcon that she had swiped, wiped, organized and dusted, the Captain's quarters had heretofore remained untouched.  Perhaps it was because she felt it too presumptuous to invade his personal space or maybe she found comfort in every discarded item that had been touched by him last, in some ways feeling like one of them herself as she slept restlessly all alone in his bunk.  Whatever the reasons had been, they had lost their argument with her on this day.

She started with the storage bins underneath his bed which were full of clothes she was positive half of which didn't fit him anymore.  Her agenda had not been to get rid of anything, so she merely folded and organized; sniffing, studying and sometimes wearing items of clothing along the way.  He was everywhere in this room; his scent on his clothes, his personality in every piece and part of machinery that he had obviously felt some need to keep, his unique style of filing and organization.  Her heart swelled with the sensory overload.  Maybe this was why she had avoided this space.  Regardless, she pressed on.

She reached his desk and began sorting through old space charts, flimsiplasts and assorted paraphernalia.  After efficiently organizing one drawer in particular, she noticed a scraping noise as she moved to shut it.  Opening and closing it a few times more, she realized something was stuck behind the drawer itself.  Reaching a slender arm down and back behind the drawer she grabbed for the thin object with the tips of her fingers, but it remained stubborn and elusive.  Several tries later, she had finally pulled the item free.  It was a photo still, or holo, and it had been printed, old-fashioned style, one-dimensionally on a thin piece of flimsiplast.  It was of Han.  It was of a nearly naked Han wearing less than Leia knew was his normal choice of underwear, his legs crossed, shoulders comfortably slouched, eyes looking directly into the holocam.  Behind him she could make out some greenery and he appeared to be near some water.   
   
Leia took a step back from the desk, disorganization and dust long forgotten as she stared at the image in her hands.  Compared to everything she had recently immersed herself in, thoughts of him, his room, his scent, his clothing, this struck her all the deeper.

She knew that throughout most of their relationship Han had been steadily giving her chase.  Looking at him now, the reasons and all that history and baggage put aside, she wondered at how she had resisted him that long.  He was quite the specimen.  This Han she now held in her hands, all bare-chested and exposed, appeared comfortable and accepting of whatever intimate situation he had been in at the time.  She realized that she did not have the right to know him in this way yet.  Her fingers traced over the lines of his broad shoulders and her eyes seemed to keep finding their way back to his stomach and below.  In perfect imitation of his sunwashed shoulders, Leia felt a full body blush spread a delightful warmth across her and she suddenly felt somewhat voyeuristic and intrusive.  She glanced furtively behind her, suddenly afraid of being caught.  Her body ached for him, the warm blush abandoning her just as quickly as it had surfaced, leaving only want and desire in its place.

She studied his face, the expression not one she was particularly accustomed to.  He looked more open, less the cynical, jaded space jockey she had had occasion to deal with.  And, although she had once called him scruffy, she had never seen him wearing quite that much facial hair, she made a mental note that when she got him back she would request he take a reprieve from the razor.  When I get him back.  She refused to entertain thoughts of failure.  They would get him back.  And what would they be like when he returned, she wondered.  Did she have the right to know him in this way now?  The possibilities both excited and scared her.

They had declared a truce of sorts on the way to Bespin, they had acted together like they had never acted before.  Like a couple.  But little had been talked about.  Little had been done of those kinds of things that couples do beyond idle chit chat and niceties.  She was inexperienced and reluctant to initiate, he had been reticent for his own reasons.  Nothing would be standing between them when he returned.  Would it?  She looked at his face for answers.  His eyes deep and shadowed, his brows furrowed from the sunlight.  At that moment he looked worried and remorseful, she hadn't noticed those emotions before.  "Are you alright?"  She asked him, the him that was out there somewhere frozen in carbonite and in time.  This him that he had been for someone else some time ago in this photo, this him that she wanted for herself now.

She closed her eyes on the silence.  The Republic medical staff had prepared them as best as possible for what to expect upon freeing him, stating that his first moments of consciousness would be the most telling.  It was possible that he would not remember her.  It was possible that he would no longer know.  Opening her eyes, she refused to give further life to those thoughts and she moved to shut the drawer, content now with leaving the mess for another day.  The holo still in her hand, she looked down at it and studied it one last time.  Such a rare find, it was.


She had never known Han to pose for a holocam and he wasn't very likely to share any sorts of memories of his past - especially near-naked ones.  But the longer she held it, the more it began to lose its charm and the larger the hollow ache inside of her grew.  Initially bewitched by the sight of him and his state of undress, the entire thing only became increasingly frustrating and sad.  It was a poor substitute for the man himself, she decided.  She would take her jaded, cynical spacer over whoever this was any day, fully clothed and grease-stained at that.

She pushed the drawer gently shut and walked away, discreetly stuffing the holo into her pocket.  Poor substitute or not, she would be a fool not to keep it.


Harrison Ford in his "Yoda" pose?

28 comments:

  1. Oh Push, you are making my spring break waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much fun :)

    I liked how your perspective on this was very different from mine and Amara's. I was struck in particular by the clothing that belonged to Han; when my husband is traveling, especially if he's gone for more than a week, I sleep with one of his shirts. Wait, did I just confess that? See the effect you have on people :)

    I could see Leia doing full frontal cleaning assault on the Falcon. I mean, you're talking about someone who was previously a confirmed bachelor and a Wookiee (Wookiee needs no elaboration. I see how my cats are shedding and shudder to think how Wookiees might shed). And I loved your ending.

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  2. Am I the only one that kept checking out the website background as I read the story? Each time there was a description of the holo, my eyes kept going to that oh so sexy Indian style Harrison picture. I enjoyed the change of pace from an uncomfortable Han to a sexy and confident Han. I think there should have been a movie scene with a banana hammock-clad Han Solo. I mean the guys get all those images of Leia in the metal bikini but the most we get is a little lower back showing and some pleasantly tight pants! I guess the few photos here and some story posts to spark my imagination will have to suffice.

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  3. Aw, I love where you chose to set this and how Leia is just missing him terribly and her sudden annoyance that a mere photo is a poor substitute for the real thing. I loved the image of her going through his things and periodically putting on one of his shirts. Poor Leia. And of course I also loved the end when you mention that of course she kept it anyway :)

    Excellent job!

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  4. Wow, I really loved the time period you chose to write this in. That was a nice twist. And Leia's thoughts on finding it were nicely done. I loved how she was really taken with the photo at first, but how she came to find it a poor substitute in the end. Nice job! :-)

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  5. I like how you handle the fact that they haven't done very much physically and Leia is longing for him, wondering if he's alright... great story!

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  6. Thanks for the story! What I appreciate most is that you acknowledge the difference between Han the character and "whoever this [is]" (I'm assuming the man himself?) As enticing as these photos are, there is a marked contrast between the guy in the photo and the character I "know."

    Do you have any info on the backstory for these images? I'm kind of fascinated!

    Zyra and Push, can you redirect me to or review here the guidelines for this challenge? I have some ideas floating around, but not sure if they're within scope.

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    1. Guidelines? Basically just write a story that has something to do with him sitting there in that Speedo. We don't have a whole lot of rules around here :)

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    2. Oh, and as far as back story for those images, I don't know exactly. I think they may have been in some magazine in the early 80s. And no, not one of THOSE magazines, just something that had an article about him. There are a few other pictures of him in Speedos throughout the years that would imply that it was either his swimsuit of choice or he just liked being funny by wearing one quite a bit. Either way, this was not an isolated incident.

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    3. Huh, there are OTHER pics of him in a speedo from different times? Why have I never seen these? Please tell us more!

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    4. There are like 4 I can think of. One from an article in Time when he's standing by the pool holding some sort of Yoga pose (not a very good pic, looks like newspaper print) one of him leaning over holding a big piece of wood, appearing to be caught a bit unaware in this pic. There's one of him sitting in a hot tub with a trucker's cap on (for some reason he always seems to have facial hair) and one I haven't been able to find again but it was a lot more recent (late 90s, I think) when he was in a Speedo on a beach but literally caked in mud, head to toe. Anyway, yes, there are others.

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    5. Thanks. I do know the yoda pose (lol) one and I do remember the one with the piece of wood, it looks like he's done his back in the way he's stooped over if i remember correctly. Not famikar with the other two though, and very curious to see.

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    6. I should have added that I always thought the Yoda pose one was from the same session as the speedo ones we're all talking about, which is why I recognise it. It does have a very similar leafy background and he appears to be wearing the same watch, and is unshaven, but on closer inspection his hair looks different, so maybe it is a totally different time after all.

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    7. I thought the same thing upon closer inspection. Also, his midsection looks a little pudgier as well, like that isn't the same stomache that would produce those adorable rolls. My conclusion? Same pool, same bathing suit just perhaps a few cases of beer later...

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    8. Well spotted, Push, and I agree. And I also think his biceps are a bit more defined on that one too.

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    9. I woulodn't mind see the one of him in a hot tub if someone has it.

      Biceps? Huh. I can't stop staring at his chest long enough to notice. :)

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  7. Wow, Push, this is amazing. Once again you blow me away with your writing style. I agree with the others, I love when you set this, it really really works. Aww, poor leia, you portray so well how much she misses him and longs for him and I love all the mixture of feelings she had upon seeing the picture.

    LadyPeter, I believe these speedo pics of Harrison were taken whilst he was filming Raiders back in 1980, but I don't know which magazine they appeared in.

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  8. Thanks you guys for all of the nice comments! I'm glad you liked it. :-)

    As for the other speedo pics. I think I've seen the one in the hot tub that Zyra mentions, but maybe not the other ones. When I first read her comment I thought Han was in a "Yoda" pose for one of them and I thought "What is a Yoda pose?" But then I reread it...

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  9. Oh wait. I think I have the "Yoga" pose one. I'll put it up. I think it's this same photo shoot.

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  10. I put it at the bottom of this post.

    Zyra: is that it?

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  11. Okay, for those who haven't submitted their take on the Speedo pics: What are you waiting for? I, for one, am very hungry :)

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    1. OK, I'm taking the 'plunge'. You all have inspired me. But how do I get what I've written to you Push or Zyra? I'm a newbie at this.

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    2. That's awesome. (squeals excitedly!) Just send your contribution to me at: shouldigetoutandpush@gmail.com and we'll get it published for you. :-)

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    3. I'll join in on the squealing. Can't wait to see it.

      I think we should make this the challenge with the most responses to date. That'd be awesome and quite funny that a pic of him in a speedo can be that inspiring. :)

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  12. Lovely story, thank you for sharing. Nice way to start the weekend :)

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  13. I noticed that in the photo for this selection, the man has tan lines.

    Maybe he and Leia need to find a nude beach somewhere.

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  14. That was lovely, Push. Wow. I love your choice of setting and you really know how to tug at the heartstrings and get the emotions going. It was great how she saved the bunkroom for last and all the emotions she was going through as she clean it. Cute how it was sensory overload for her. I don't doubt that Leia would clean like that and Han probably wouldn't be that thrilled when he got back. :) Very nice.

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