Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Valentine's Challenge 2017 Submission #10 from imnothere24

Because there are no deadlines for challenges....



“Come on, Han, I’m starving,” Leia grabbed him by the cuff of his sleeve, tugging playfully.
            
 “A guy back there was selling Gapanga fruit for-”
            
 “After,” Leia commanded. A hungry Leia was not to be ignored. Han intertwined his hand in hers, removing her grip from his sleeve.
           
 It was a typical Sepday. Han and Leia had spent the morning in bed before venturing out to Coruscant’s take on an outdoor market. It wasn’t like the ones on Corellia— nor, Han guessed, Alderaan— but it was an open-aired break from the urban, mechanized bustle of the planet and you could set your feet on something resembling ground for several kilometers. After they visited the food carts, Han would buy groceries for the week. Leia would tag along, vetoing the foods she didn’t like, being cajoled into trying the way Han cooked them before permanently banishing them from their table, and generally looking around. He enjoyed the time walking with her, his arm round her shoulder and hers slung dangerously low around his waist, just being private citizens rather than founders of the New Republic. In the afternoon, Leia would slip away to her office and Han would tinker on the Falcon. He would start dinner. Chewie and Luke would come over, sometimes Lando. They’d start the week over recharged.
           
Leia led them to their favorite vendor where they got their usual fare. Leaning back on a shared bench, they ate in comfortable silence and watched passersby coming and going, passing a shared kaffe between them.
             
Han chewed over whether to say anything about the impending holiday, announcing itself from half the stalls. The decorations had been up for two weeks and somehow neither of them had mentioned it. Red and pink hearts of paper and castplast covered stall walls and hung from the awnings, while merchants hawked edible hearts made of chocolate and- it looked like- actual chalk. Stuffed loth cats and varactyls, some a meter high or more, professed I LOVE YOU in Basic and several other Core languages. Just this morning Han had accidentally backed into the end of an arrow held aloft by a winged, humanoid baby god; Han wasn’t much for religion all around, but kriff, the Reynonians were weird.
             
Han had forgotten that Sweetest Day even existed; nobody got it off, even if their job was real cushy, so it didn’t really count as a holiday in his book. Han had never had any reason to celebrated Sweetest Day either. Not since he’d been a dumb kid at least, and that hadn’t worked out for him. Then two weeks ago he stood in front of a heap of cheap chocolate and thought, Huh. It was- well, Sweetest Day was mushy. But he guessed he was in a mushy relationship now. After what he and Leia had been through, he figured they were entitled to a little mushiness. Like these Sepdays.
            
 Leia called him away from this train of thought to look at a table she said would work in their foyer, which had turned into a discussion of what a foyer was and why they needed a table in there if they weren’t gonna eat off it. Distracted, Han failed to mention the holiday and since then, hadn’t been sure how to go about it, especially as Leia hadn’t said anything either.
             
With the day only a week away, they still hadn’t talked about it. Did they not need to talk about it? Was it supposed to be a understood? A surprise? Han was reasonably good at romantic, it turned out. He had options. He could go quiet, and reminiscent of that night he had shared with her in the days after the battle on Endor— deck out the Falcon, make her dinner, spend a lot of the night in bed. Lando kept reminding Han could get him and the Princess reservations at the Skysitter, if they wanted to go glitzy (he didn’t). His favorite idea was to break into her office and leave about a million flowers. Han had ensured he got in with Ambassador Organa’s Chief Assistant early on, just in case he ever had such a need, and was fully prepared to call in the favor. But the truth was Han didn’t know what Leia liked for this particular day, and it seemed like the kind of thing women might have very definite ideas about. Was there something she would expect as an Alderaanian woman? Anything he should avoid? He really didn’t want to go in blind here.
            
“So.” Han cleared his throat a little, as Leia finished wiping her hands with a napkin and stuffed it into the bag with the remains of their meal. “What are we gonna do about that?” he asked, nodding at a stall with necklaces laid out on heart-shaped pillows, the banner above it proclaiming Diamonds: For A Love That Is Unbreakable. Han knew knock-offs when he saw them.
             
“About what?”
            
 “Y’know. That.” Han raised his left index finger to point without lifting his elbow from his knee.
            
“Counterfeit necklaces?” Leia asked innocently, taking the kaffe from his other hand and giving him a mild arch of her brow.
            
 He gave her his best you-know-what look.
            
Leia took a sip of the kaffe. She too had noticed the garish sea of red and pink when it popped up two weeks ago. Like so much these days, it felt blessedly yet bizarrely normal. Leia had forgotten the way the Galaxy’s merchants ticked off the days of the calendar in commercial output, Sweetest Day hearts turning into Harvest fruits which then turned into Winter Fête’s evergreen trees,. While Leia had been unable to suppress an inward groan at the emergence of the tacky lovers’ paraphernalia, part of her savored the opportunity to experience time in tandem with the rest of the galaxy again. It had not occurred to her to broach the topic of Sweetest Day with Han, however. This piece was new.
             
“Sweetest Day? Isn’t that kind of-” Leia paused, her kaffe hand held out in mid-gesture, wrinkling her fine nose slightly. “-saccharine?”
             
“Sappy as hell,” Han assented.
            
“I like the Corellian version better,” Leia leaned in, dropping her voice low.
            
“Mmm,” Han said, straightening to slide his arm around her waist, speaking into the top of her ear, his voice low and deep. “Corellian version’s not for another four months. Can’t just skip ahead, Princess. Gotta have some respect for the way things are supposed to go.”
             
“I suppose we’ll have to wait four months then,” Leia said, pulling her head back in a feint at withdrawing from him.
             
“I don’t want to,” Han said, lifting his arm off her waist to catch the back of her head, running his fingers lightly over her hair in that way he knew would keep her close. 
             
Leia looked up at him, smiling wryly, and put her free hand on his chest, holding the flirtation there rather than allowing it to escalate further. They were in public and sated from the morning. Han moved his hand down to the nape of Leia’s neck, placing his thumb where her skin met her hair, and gently running his thumb in circles. Comfortable in silence again, Leia took another sip of kaffe. A Twi’lek was pouting by the stall with the necklaces, the Devaronian beside her apparently attempting to reassure her of his love while asking her to settle on something a little more reasonably-priced.
            
“You don’t really want to do Sweetest Day, do you?” Leia asked. It hadn’t really occurred to her that he would.
            
Han shrugged. “Why not?”
            
Leia paused before settling on, “I never really liked it.”
            
“Neither did I.”
            
“So we agree,” Leia said. Han furrowed his brows slightly and the movement of his thumb slowed.
            
“What didn’t you like about it?” Han asked after a moment.
             
“Sweetest Day? Well,” Leia handed the cup back to him. Han dropped his hand from her neck to take it. “Well,” she continued, “there’s the standardization of the whole thing. It takes all these diverse cultural practices and waters them down to the least common denominator. Corellia’s Fesheni de Uhl Erohica and Alderaan’s Amos Es each have their merits, but when you smush them together you just get this ugly hodgepodge.” She gestured to the stalls in front of them.
             
This was not what Han had expected. Leave it to Leia to make this about the actual holiday itself. 
            
“And it's not just that the colors clash, it’s that Sweetest Day doesn’t know what it is. At least the Corellians specify: this is the kind of love we’re celebrating. Alderaan is very clear, choosing to celebrate art that has been inspired by love. The Reynonians have their focus on parental and filial love. This is supposed to be all of that, but it really just becomes none.
             
“And somehow this results in this conflation of love with romantic love. Sweetest Day is supposed to be a generalized ‘Love’ Day, but it ends up being primarily dedicated to romantic love, as if by default. Why? Why not friendship? Or justice for that matter? On Alderaan, we said that justice was the social embodiment of love…” Leia shook her head and trailed off, more in thought than in sadness. For now, she was focusing on abstractions rather than feelings, even when it came to Alderaan.
            
“The social embodiment of -?”
            
Leia rolled her eyes. “Try not to get hung up on the phrasing.”
            
Han held up his hands, kaffe and all. He was trying not to let the swipe at romantic love sting. Academic Leia was a powerful thing, and he knew she didn’t mean anything by it, wasn’t thinking anything personally about him when she said those things. Still…
            
So you’re objections are all intellectual.”
           
“I suppose so.” They sat with that before Leia asked, “What don’t you like about it? Sweetest Day?”
            
“Just girly.” Han said, shrugging. “Sappy, like I said.” He had figured no one ever really felt that way, the kind of love Sweetest Day pretended to celebrate. Or if they did, it was an illusion— a drug, like spice, the effects not to be trusted and quickly worn-off. He knew how he felt about Leia, though, and it wasn't fake. That didn’t mean he bought into every overwrought sentimental piece of advertising.
            
“You’re objections are intellectual too,” Leia pointed out, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.
            
“Yeah.” Han ran his free hand through his hair. “Still…” He shuffled his feet a little, and looked embarrassed. “Seein’ as we’re a couple an’ all…”
            
Leia gave him what he swore was a side-eye.
            
“Han, are you saying you want to celebrate Sweetest Day?” She wasn't opposed to it if it was something he really wanted to do. But she didn’t need a holiday to tell her to spend time with him. Nor did she particularly want to squeeze into something fancy and parade themselves in public.
           
“It’s what people do, isn’t it?” A part of Han he didn't want to acknowledge couldn’t help but think that someone else— had she chosen someone else, or left herself free for one of the Elder House blue bloods who were crawling out of the metalwork post-Endor— would go big for her. Han knew he didn’t have to impress or prove anything to Leia, but he didn’t want her to think he took her for granted either.
             
“I don’t want to do what people do, I just want to be us,” Leia said, placing her hand on his forearm. 
             
He nodded. “Me too.”
             
“You don’t need a meter-high nerf with a ribbon around it’s neck to know I love you,” Leia gently teased, squeezing his arm.
           
“‘M not sayin’ that.” Han withdrew from her grasp. “I just thought we could do something,” he mumbled into the dregs of the cold kaffe.
            
“Well, what did you want to do?”
            
“I don’t care what we do, Leia. I just wanted to do, you know, something. Preferably something you’d like.
            
Leia regarded him thoughtfully. “Han, can you tell me why this is so important to you?”
            
“ ’S not.” It wasn't important to him, it's just— it was just—  Leia was— well, he wasn't supposed to have this. Her. Them. Us. He didn’t want to screw it up and he wanted... to enjoy it a little. Make a fuss over it even.
            
“I thought you said you didn’t like Sweetest Day?” Leia asked, frustrated by a sense that she couldn’t get a handle on where the disagreement lay.
            
“I didn’t like it,” Han insisted, gritting his teeth. 
            
Leia honestly didn’t know what to do with this. “So- ?”
            
“So now, with you,” Han paused, ran a hand over his jaw, keeping his eyes on the ground, “maybe it’s not so bad. Might as well do it right.”
            
The earnest roughness in his voice stopped Leia. She cocked her head slightly, as if listening for what he wasn’t quite saying.
           
“That’s true,” she said.
           
“Come again, Princess?”
            
“You’re right. Celebrating with you wouldn’t be bad.”
             
Han eyed her with suspicion, and Leia leaned into him suddenly, wrapping her arms around his torso. The empty cup slightly crushed between them as he wasn’t prepared for her to come in for the hug. She smiled up at Han, and took the cup and placed it with the rest of the garbage, and settled back in. This time he put his arm around her too though he still looked at her a little warily. She had not quite made it all better yet.
             
“I wouldn’t do it with anyone else though.” She was talking into his shoulder, going for cute and contrite and was almost getting away with it.
             
“No?”  
            
“No,” she emphasized, leaning properly up now to face him.
            
“I bet you’re gonna get Luke something,” Han said with bitterness that was wearing away at the edges, and Leia let out a laugh that was almost a bark.
           
“He’s my brother,” Leia rolled her eyes.
            
“Yeah, I know. And you’re gonna feel bad that he’s single and your only family and I swear you’re gonna give him one o’ those little cards for kids with the cartoon characters and some chocolate.”
             
Leia laughed again, then grew serious.
             
“You’re my family too, Han. You know that, right?”
            
He made a gruff noise, but he squeezed her tighter, and she knew that he knew.
             
“All right. Who is your favorite character? I want to get the card right, and I don’t suppose you’d like the ones with legendary Jedi on it. Would you prefer that Corellian superhero, then, the one with the cape?”  
            
“I dunno, I like them princesses.” Leia knew the ones he meant; that series caused lots of misunderstandings with her peers growing up, as her life did not consist of being turned into mystical animals or— at least up to that point— falling in love with roguish peasants. She shook her head.
            
“Don’t be greedy,” she said, pulling far enough from the embrace to poke her index  finger into his chest. “You can only have the one.”
             
He ran his hands through her braids, tugging gently. “We don’t have to do anything if you really don’t want to.”
            
Leia shook her head. “I never mind spending time with you.” She closed her eyes, running her hand up and down his chest. “I wasn’t supposed to have this, you know. A real lover. One that I chose. It’s a good thing to celebrate.”
             
“Yeah. Me neither,” Han was so quiet she could barely make out his words. Leia knew he wasn’t talking about having a princess, but a regular lover who actually cared for him and who he could rely on to be there. “So, how you wanna do this, Princess?”   
            
“At home. Can we get some of those chocolate covered fruits?”
            
“I’ll make ‘em for you. Champagne?”
             
“Yes, please.”
             
“Girly bubble bath?”
           
Leia groaned in anticipated pleasure, and Han smiled.
            
“Presents?”
            
“You’re my present,” she said, rubbing the collar of his shirt between her forefinger and thumb.
            
“You got it, Sweetheart.” He kissed her temple. “It’s not very flashy, though.”
           
“I’m tired of flashy.”
             
“Me too,” he admitted.
           
“Han?”
           
“Hmmm?”
             
“You are the love of my life, don’t ever think that you’re not just because Sweetest Day hearts make me a little nauseous.”
           
Han took Leia’s face in his hands, and kissed her long and slow.

29 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this, so glad you stuck it out and submitted it even if it was a little late.

    I loved so many things about it, like how this says so much about this stage in their relationship without kind of beating us over the head with it, them figuring things out and not really sure where certain things stand. Like they know they love each other but still aren't totally sure about everything. I love the little detail about getting a table for the foyer, and what one is, and why they need one. Silly, new couple stuff.

    And of course I love that they're both thinking it's sort of a dumb holiday, but Han kind of wants to celebrate anyway, because he likes the idea of being able to do something for Leia to celebrate it, and it's not something he ever expected to have the opportunity to do.

    I also liked how Leia's objections to the holiday are all about the cultures and stuff. And I also liked how Leia reiterates at the end that she doesn't need to celebrate something like that to know he loves her or anything. But that she'll let him do it anyway, even though "you're my present."

    Really sweet, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks for posting and thanks for your long and thoughtful comment!!! :) :) :)

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  2. Wow. That was so good. I may have to read it again just to take it all in. A lot of nuance in it. I have to echo a lot of what Zyra said. I like seeing them in the part of their relationship where they are figuring things out. We don't see much of that. And really feel like you were spot on about how they would be. Loved the characterizations. It really drew me in to see where it was going. And like how they wanted to celebrate even if it seemed like a silly holiday. The part about the different cultures was a nice touch. It struck me as very real. I let hubby off the hook years ago for Valentines. As long I get chocolate, I don't make a big fuss of things. But those are the kind of things you work out.

    I half expected a proposal. But hey, that would be great for a follow up. :)

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    1. Lol I was really curious to see where it was going too. I had the idea of Han wants to celebrate Valentine’s Day and Leia doesn’t particularly, and wasn’t 100% sure if I could get a story out of it or what it would look like! (Funnily enough, it was actually almost done the week of Valentine’s Day- but then life got CRAZY, and I couldn’t finish it up for several weeks. I’m glad people enjoyed it anyway!)

      A proposal literally did not occur to me!!!! These two should totally get married though. ^^

      We’re not big on V-Day in my house either, but this year I GOT SW rebellion earrings so it was a win. :) Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment.

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  3. So sweet!i love seeing them in normal earthy situations, since that's how we can relate to them. The open air market was a fun idea. I really liked how Han didn't like the holiday, but since they were together, he wanted to do it "right". So cute. My favorite part was when she said "you're my family. You know that, right?" Aww.

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    1. Personally I wouldn’t want to live on Coruscant, I feel like there aren’t enough outdoorsy spots/events/etc. I wanted to give them this at least. :) Thanks for commenting!!!

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  4. What a great surprise, another submission! This was really good. I liked Han's musings about what their relationship means and how he/they are different, and Leia's intellectualization.

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    1. Yeah, Leia and her intellectualization. I love that woman, though not in the way that Han does. ^^ Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

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  5. Wow...this was a very sweet surprise! It's so well-written and you've got a very firm grip on both characters. (Leia's response to Han asking her why she doesn't like the holiday was just about the most in-character thing I've read lately. And I love Han making a "gruff noise" in lieu of actually verbalizing.)

    I really enjoyed your sketch of a typical "Sepday" for them; the lazy morning in bed, then strolling through the marketplace, and later having dinner. I really love that shared cup of kaffe, for some reason. It's so intimate, without being sexual.

    You capture that "new couple" thing to very good effect, too. The bit about the foyer made me laugh.

    Honestly, there's so much to say about this short piece, I'm bouncing all over the place with my comments. I'm really glad you shared it and hope you will write more!

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    1. I will firmly grip Han any time… (I’m so sorry, forgive me, please nobody kick me off this board! ;) )

      I truly do appreciate that particular compliment, as well as the whole comment; your thoughts really mean a lot. Thank you.

      And writing more is definitely the goal, though a lot of life transitions right now means its likely to be very slow!

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  6. I loved this! And I'm so glad you shared it with us.

    Here's what I think really gets me about your characterizations here: Han and Leia are not waxing poetic about their love and devotion. I really like the "less is more" approach to them as a couple - that they show their devotion with action and the words when they absolutely have to. So this kind of gruff conversation feels so right because, yeah, I think they'd both feel a little confused by Valentine's Day (or its GFFA equivalent).

    Also, I really like the idea of Leia wanting to celebrate the passage of time. That's something I hadn't considered, that she would miss the social aspects of holidays and the calendar as the seasons changed. What an astute thought. I like that a lot, it rings absolutely true!

    Well done, my friend! This is a lovely piece of goodness!

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    1. I have to say, it means a LOT to hear you say I did a good job with the less is more stuff. Having them go on and on about their love, as well as verbalize every thought or feeling that pops into their head, is so very tempting and something I’m always afraid of falling into. And of course it’s not good to go too far to the other extreme either- they are genuinely emotionally open with each other! *Your* ability to walk that line always impresses me. So its hard to imagine a higher compliment.

      I liked that particular detail too. ^^ I feel like after living “on the run” for so long, Leia would be like “Oh, not this holiday again - oh, its so good to get to groan and roll my eyes at this holiday again, like a normal sentient being! I forgot what this was like!”

      Thanks for your comment, and your support in general.

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  7. This was so damn good!! There's nothing not to love here--like Erin said, the description of their day off together, filled with little routines away from the routine, talking about what to buy for their house, arguing about what a foyer is and what's the point of it (I could so picture that), picking grocieries, sharing a meal; it was lovely. The little insight into other traditions across the galaxy and how this one came to be (I can see what the Corellian celebration is about, lol). Leia's response to why Sweetest Day makes no sense is very in character, and so is Han's, but it's also in character the way he's so in for it now.

    “I wasn’t supposed to have this, you know. A real lover. One that I chose. It’s a good thing to celebrate.”

    “Yeah. Me neither.”

    --haha I'm okay

    And then the way they make this sort of list of yes and no things for their own celebration <3

    Seriously, I'm so glad you posted this!! Loved it. Please post it to AO3 later so I can bookmark it.

    (I'm nearly weeping, you guys have no idea how much I've struggled because Blogspot wouldn't let me comment from Firefox?? So anyway... hi)

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    1. I'm glad you persevered and were finally able to post. I wish I had some insights into the technical issues, because I know there are lots of people who for some reason can't seem to comment even though they've tried. I wish I could fix it!

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    2. I’m sorry it gave you so much grief! It brought me such joy to get your comment though! LOL Corellia. It seems like all we think about when we think of it are spicy foods and whisky and sex holidays (or is that just me?). :P Can’t thank you enough. :)

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    3. @Zyra, I added Blogger and Blogspot as exceptions for accepting third-party cookies! That was the whole issue

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  8. Oh, my heart... I love how Han doesn't give up, even when Leia argues intellectually against celebrating Sweetest Day. Then this: "He made a gruff noise, but he squeezed her tighter, and she knew that he knew." <3 <3 <3

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    1. You know Han and Leia- he never gives up, and they always know that they know!!! ;) Thanks for reading and commenting, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D

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  9. (Hey folks, I've lurked here for a little while but I'm gonna try and come out of the woodwork more often, starting with this review because this fic was so good and I so appreciate imnothere24)

    AAAAAAAH THIS WAS ADORABLE!!!

    Like others have already said, I love how perfectly you captured the tentativeness of a relatively new relationship, how they both want so badly to love each other well but they're also a little insecure.

    Your description of what a "typical Sepday" involves is so wonderful. I love this picture of pleasant domesticity and what "normal" after the war might look like for them.

    "He could go quiet, and reminiscent of that night he had shared with her in the days after the battle on Endor— deck out the Falcon, make her dinner, spend a lot of the night in bed." *MELTS*

    Both of their opinions on Sweetest Day seem so in-character — Han being generally turned off due to its sappiness, and Leia having some well thought out philosophical reason which she passionately elucidates. I also love your depiction of the Corellian, Alderaanian, and other versions of Sweetheart's Day (and how Leia is eager to celebrate the Corellian version) — seems fitting. ;)

    "On Alderaan, we said that justice was the social embodiment of love" — ASDJGHGKH; THIS. IS. SO. GOOD.

    There were so many little details in this that were just wonderful. I particularly loved all their little physical interactions; so tender and intimate.

    Overall I enjoyed this so much! Thank you for sharing it and I'm looking forward to reading more of your writing!

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    1. It’s so good to see you on this board!!!! (I've more or less been a lurker too til now-ish, but a passionate one. ;) ^^) And thank you so much for reading my fic and giving me such a nice comment! :)

      Yes, if there’s anything Han Solo is not, it’s a sap, right? (Lololol, okay, Han, whatever you say.) And yeah, I feel like (privately) celebrating her sexual relationship with Han comes more naturally than (potentially publicly) going through a performative ritual of romantic love. Maybe that's just me though!

      They would say that on Alderaan, wouldn't they?! I like the idea that Leia is always a *little* bit like "JUSTICE IS LOVE" whenever the topic of love comes up, even though she's good at acknowledging and valuing her more personal forms of loves] (the love she has for Han, the love she has for Luke, etc.). Someone else in our galaxy said something similar to that, but I must have changed the quote enough that I can't figure out who. ^^

      Their physical interactions were very challenging, so I'm glad they worked for you. :)

      Thanks again for your specific comment I really enjoyed it! Welcome to the board, I hope you find community here!

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  10. Yes, I need to start leaving reviews too ::g::

    Oh I love this! I love the details - them walking around the market and Han cooking and arguing about foyer tables. Plus the discussion of the holiday itself - what got meshed into it and the commercialization (and I want a meter high nerf!) Here they are, after the war, just on a typical Sepday at the market, like all the other couples who haven't been through what they've been through. Also, the emotions are spot on - just a treat.

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    1. If I could give you (and everyone else) a meter-high nerf for your thoughtful comment, I would. :D I'm so glad you liked it!

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  11. This is a sweet, adorable fic, and I love it to bits. There are so many wonderful little elements that make it special, from Han getting jabbed by the GFFA equivalent of Cupid's arrow, passing a cup of kaffe back and forth, having a 'discussion' about the necessity of foyer tables...all of it just right for where they are at in their relationship, and perfectly in character for them both. Very nice job, I hope you keep writing and giving us more to enjoy!

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    1. I was telling CV that its very gratifying the foyer thing worked so well for everyone. Sometimes I'm not always sure how much detail is too much and I was a little worried that was gratuitous, because it can be so hard to maintain any kind of objectivity with your own writing, you know? I didn't take it out because a) I really liked it and b) my beta (the lovely amilynh who I haven't seen around this particular board but many of you many know from elsewhere) didn't say anything about it. So I'm glad it was so obviously the right choice in hindsight, lol.

      Continuing to write is the goal! Its kind of a challenging time right now, but I do enjoy it and I'm really trying to make the time for it. It does help to know that there are potential readers. :) I owe OtterandTerrier a smut piece, so I guess we'll all see if I can do that... ^^

      Thank you so much for reading and commenting!!!

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    2. imnothere24 wrote: I owe OtterandTerrier a smut piece, so I guess we'll all see if I can do that...

      I think I may be speaking for a lot of people when I say YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  12. I really loved this. The word that keeps coming to my mind is that I loved the "peacefulness" of it, as they're having a misunderstanding, but they're both trying to find the best way to negotiate out of that misunderstanding without tempers flaring, because they both know that Sweetest Day or not, they're in this together. Really lovely.

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    1. Thank you! I really wanted to show the maturity of their relationship post-ROTJ, even though they are still figuring some stuff out. :)

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  13. I love it! It's perfect, because Han Solo is not sappy or sentimental, but he is deeply romantic. I love how their interactions really show the contrast between the love they share and the practiced motions of the commercialized holiday they're contemplating taking part in. It's a way for them to further identify and clarify the feelings they have for each other. It's delicious and lovely and so satisfying to see Han embrace this love and connection he never thought he would have with someone else. It's also just perfect how Leia picks up on that without Han having to move to expository dialogue. It shows how much she understands him, and how sensitive Han really is, even though he'd rather everyone think he's a scoundrel! This is like warm fuzzies, fluff with substance! So much love! And of course Leia likes celebrating this holiday Corellian style... ! Yeah... if I were Leia I'd want to celebrate like that every day, many times a day... HA! Wonderful little story! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks for the comment! I'm glad the way they resolved it worked for you, it was challenging to not let Han be overly talkative but it just didn't fit for me here. :) "Fluff with substance" is a compliment that just warms my heart!!! ^^

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