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1.
This is it, his time has come, this is the end. Lando always knew he would die because of some stupid gamble, he never should have gone along with this plan, it was way too risky. He was lying on a filthy bunk on a cold prison cell in the basement of a gangster’s palace, he stared up at the stained ceiling and wondered how long he had left. Days? Weeks? Surely, no more than that - he’d really conned them, they would want him dead as soon as possible.
Shivering slightly, he shifted onto his side and wished they hadn’t taken his cape away, he could have kept warm in that. It was bad enough they were going to kill him, but at least they could have let him look good while doing it. It was frustrating not knowing how it was going to happen or when they were going to do it, he hated waiting. Lando had been kept in the stinking cell for four days now, given only one meagre meal and a cup of water a day by a surly guard. His fear had faded a bit and he was now becoming bored. Just when he thought he might try sleeping, there was a faint scuffling sound.
Sitting up, he tried to hear what was going on in the corridor outside. He knew it wasn’t time for food, so something else must be happening. Perhaps they were going to do it right now. The fear returned, and he had to stop himself from being sick. Come on, Calrissian, don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you scared. Be brave. He took a couple of deep breaths and stood up, feigning confidence.
There was more scuffling, a few grunts, and then the heavy, metal door opened slowly to reveal a tall, masked figure. An executioner? He wondered, looking carefully at the dark clothes of the stranger. He wasn’t going to make the first move, so he just stood there, face blank.
The person reached up and undid their mask, dropping it on the floor.
“Han?!” Lando exclaimed loudly, causing Han to bolt forward and slam his hand on Lando’s mouth.
“Shhh. What you thought I’d just leave you here?!” He asked in disbelief, slowly removing his stand and stepping backwards. “We gotta go right now, we don’t have much time before -“
Lando cut him off, throwing his arms around Han’s neck and kissing him squarely on the mouth. As Lando pulled away, he almost burst out laughing at the flabbergasted expression on Han’s face.
Han’s mouth gaped open, “We’ll talk about that later, first we gotta escape, come on.” He turned and he paused, reaching back to grab Lando’s hand.
2.
Lando couldn’t remember exactly how long it had been since he’d been home, definitely years, how many he couldn’t say for sure. He’d left his home planet as soon as he was able, eager to explore the galaxy and have some adventures. There had always been something inside him that wanted to travel, to encounter different cultures, to expand his horizons. And if he came across a few high-stakes gambling games on his journeys? Well, that would just be a bonus.
He had been lucky enough to do what he wanted, experiencing things he’d never even dreamt of. But now, he was home. After docking his ship, he sat in the cockpit, unable to move. He was really here. It didn’t seem real. When he had received the holo-message from his mother he hadn’t been able to say much apart from promising he would be home right away.
His father had died after a short illness. His mother had told him about his father being sick but Lando hadn’t taken it too seriously, he’d assumed that his father, who had always been healthy, would have no trouble recovering. There had been a tinge of worry, a moment when we thought that maybe he should pay a visit, but he was far away and busy so the moment passed and he didn’t go. He regretted that now, perhaps he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Eventually, he dragged himself up and out of the ship, knowing he could not hide in the vessel forever. He had to face what had happened. There were tears and hugs with his family, emotions ran high, and Lando found himself exhausted quickly. But that was just the start of the visit, it was the next part he was dreading the most - seeing his father. He was taken to a dimly lit room, filled with sweet scented white flowers, where his father lay neatly dressed in his favourite smart outfit.
He was alone now. “Hi dad.” He felt strange saying that out loud. Blinking back tears, he moved closer to his father’s body, sitting carefully in the chair next to him. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I should have been here.” Reaching out he lay his hand on his father’s chest. “You know I love you, right? I love you so much.”
Lando could no longer hold back the tears and they flowed freely down his face. It was terrible seeing his father so still. He thought back to how vibrant, how alive he had always seemed, always on the move with a smile on his face. It seemed impossible that he had died. The memories washed over him - sitting on his father’s lap as a young boy listening to him happily conduct business, the tight hug he had given Lando as he left to travel for the first time, the witty jokes he was forever telling that never failed to make Lando laugh, when he taught Lando how to make the best hot chocolate in the galaxy. He thought about the strong morals and work ethic his father had tried to instill in him, and how he had rebelled, choosing instead to drift around and get in to as much trouble as possible. There had been fierce arguments and tense reconciliations over holo-message, so many ups and downs, so much wasted time.
“I hope I didn’t disappoint you too much.” He leaned in closer, wiping the tears from his face. “I want you to know how much I appreciate what you taught me. I know you probably think I’ll never use it but I promise you dad, I promise, I will do better. From now on, I’m going to try harder, I’m going to work hard and do the right thing. No more mucking around.”
He sat and looked at his father, taking in his handsome face which sadly looked much older and frailer than the last time he’d seen him. Lando willed whatever was out there in the universe to deliver his words and his love to his father.
He stood up, and bent down, kissing his father tenderly on the forehead. “Love you dad.”
3.
There had been too much alcohol, Lando hazily realised that as he pulled the bottle away from Leia. She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips as Lando secured the lid and placed it under the table. They had nearly finished the bottle of aged whisky that Han had hidden in a secret holding box in the Falcon, no-one would have found it, unless, of course, they were a previous owner of the ship like Lando. It was good stuff, which was surprising since Han never took that much of an interest in what he was drinking.
Han. Lando thought sadly. Right, he was why they were in the Falcon, he was why they had gotten so drunk. Leia was devastated and Lando was wracked with guilt, that was why alcohol had seemed like a good idea. But now, Lando realised it didn’t fix anything and all it had done was ensure they were going to have wicked hangovers in the morning.
“We should get some sleep, Princess.”
Leia’s glared at him with a sharp, imperious stare, “Don’t call me that.”
Ah, Lando thought, glancing away with guilt, Han probably called her that.
“We’ll get him back. I won’t stop until he’s safe.” He said earnestly, for what felt like millionth time that evening. “I had no choice, I had to -“
Leia waved her hand, “I know. I know.” Her voiced softened, “The Empire always gets what it wants one way or another. If you hadn’t made the deal, they probably would have just killed you and taken over Cloud City. I just hate that Han suffered because of it.”
”He’s tough, y’know, if anyone can survive this, it’s Han.” Lando moved closer and put his hand gently on her arm, trying to provide friendly comfort. “You’ll have him back before you know it.”
Leia shuffled closer, taking comfort in his touch, before looking up at him with eyes brimming with tears. “And I’ll do whatever it takes.”
”I’m sure you will. I’ve never met anyone like you Leia, your strength is incredible. I wouldn’t want to get in your way...”
They looked into each other’s eyes, the warmth of the whisky flowing through them, then Leia suddenly moved forward, planting a kiss on Lando’s mouth.
He jerked away, eyes wide, as Leia clapped a hand to her mouth in horror.
”I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that!”
”I know you didn’t.” Lando paused, staring at her meaningfully, hoping to convey he really did know she didn’t mean it. “Believe me Leia, I’m flattered, you are a wonderful, intelligent, strong, beautiful woman and if things were different, I would -, y’know....in a heartbeat.” He stopped again, “But I know you love Han and he loves you, I could see it as soon as you two landed. We’ve just drunk too much and we’re both upset. It was mistake.”
“Right.” She nodded in thanks.
”We’re just friends, that is...if you’d like to be my friend after all this?”
”I think I can do that.”
4.
Lando sprinted as fast as he could, the wind blowing his cape backwards. They were hot on his heels, his very expensive leather boot heels, but he had an advantage - he knew the twisty, confusing, crowded streets in this wretched city better than these wannabe gangsters. The credits he had won, perhaps not in the most fair way, weighed heavily in his pockets. He didn’t feel guilty though, this lot were scum and would only use it to cause trouble. If anything, he was performing a public service by conning them.
Weaving effortlessly between traders, stalls, and shoppers laden with purchases, he was close to where he had docked his ship. Nearly there. He was breathing heavily but it was a glorious feeling to flee with winnings like this. It had been ages since he had ran like this, like a kid, it was exhilarating. A rather large, old droid nearly caused him to trip as it moved awkwardly through the street, but he caught himself in time, spinning like a dancer. Lucky. He laughed, he had been more than lucky today.
There was a sudden burst of angry shouting and swearing from behind, he didn’t turn to look, knowing better than to take his eyes off the path in front of him. He hoped at least one of them had fallen into the filthy dirt street, it was a pity he wouldn’t be able to see it. He was minutes away from his ship now, and, as he ran, he reached into his shirt pocket and grabbed the security key, ready to use it to open the doors. He held it tightly in his hand, relishing the feel of it.
What a haul, he was going to have one hell of a time spending it. He could foresee parties, shopping sprees, ship repairs, maybe even a fancy new apartment. It was rare he had this much at once and he was going to enjoy every single credit of it. A blast whistled past his ear, bringing him back to the present, so he zig-zagged as he darted down the main thoroughfare, hoping to give them more trouble with their aim. It worked, turns out they were as good at hitting a target as they were at gambling, which is to say, not very good.
Turning a corner quickly, he raised the key towards his ship, racing aboard the ramp as it lowered. Lando had barely boarded when he slammed his hand on the button to raise the ramp. It shut with a quiet thud just as they rounded the corner, blasters aimed squarely at the ship’s engines, shooting relentlessly.
But Lando was faster, he was already in the cockpit, turning on the powerful shields. The blasts rebounded off, causing them duck down. As he engaged the engines, he looked at them through the cockpit windows, they straightened up and glared back at him, shouting in fury. He put his hand to his mouth, waiting until they were all looking, and then blew them a big, dramatic, lip-smacking kiss.
They became even more furious. He couldn’t wait to tell Han about this.
5.
The water was warm and a pleasing shade of light blue, like the colour of a spring morning, with swirls of mint green floating through. It had a woodsy, citrus smell which was pleasing to both Lando and Luke. They drifted through the tranquil waters of the isolated lake happily, enjoying the peaceful sounds of the forest around them.
“How did you find this place?”
“I can’t reveal all my secrets.” Lando winked cheekily, causing Luke to snort with laughter.
”I’m serious, this is amazing.” He closed his eyes, a small smile gracing his face. “When I was on Tatooine, I could never have dreamt that I would visit somewhere like this.”
Lando watched Luke as he floated gently, “That’s why I brought you here.” He said in a serious tone, “I want you to see everything the galaxy has to offer. You deserve it.”
There was a splash as Luke righted himself, feet on the ground, arms waving gently in the water to balance himself. “It’s perfect.” He paddled closer to Lando, licking his lips, “You know, someone might think you’re trying to be romantic.”
”Me? No, I’m far too cool for anything like that.”
Luke smirked, swimming gently around Lando. “Yeah, you’re right, this is just a friendly naked dip in a remote lake. No romance here.”
Lando sniggered, he was so happy and relaxed, he spoke without thinking, “I love you.”
Luke hovered in the water, so close but not touching, his eyebrow raised, “You-...you do?”
What the hell, Lando thought, throwing caution to the wind, this was as good a time as any, if anything it was the perfect time, “Yeah, I love you.”
”I love you too.” Luke floated closer, splashing gently as he leaned in, kissing Lando firmly. It was a passionate, exciting kiss. One they would both remember for a long time.