Chapter Text
It seems to happen all of a sudden -- the idea of starting a new life.
Don’t get him wrong.
Han isn’t suddenly becoming a faint-hearted weakling. He enjoys the life as a smuggler, embracing all of its peaks and valleys. He's been in love with the freedom, the adventure this lifestyle has offered. He's tolerated the less pleasant package of it like being chased by the police or having to occasionally work for someone as disgusting as Jabba the Hutt, the current kingpin of Tatooine. To be frank, smuggling life is everything Han has known since he was five who ran away from the slum in Corellia.
Now, he is eighteen and the idea of starting a new life sounds less ridiculous. Despite his crazy instinct to court death from time to time, Han doesn't like the idea of dying somewhere in a tunnel of a dirty sewer. He like living, thank you very much. Making up his mind, Han starts saving some money instead of wasting it all on liquor and gambling. After that, he bids Tatooine a goodbye, moves to Naboo and enrolls in an engineering course at the city's college.
That’s right. Han fucking Solo is going to the college to get a degree. Lando’s eyes almost popped out of socket from his pure shock when he dropped at Cantina to chat and Han told him his plan. Han just shrugged. He likes engineering and a degree could be useful. As a good ol’ bastard of a friend, Lando laughed his butt off after regaining his composure. Han gave him a bird. However, several days later, the suave man appeared in Cantina bar again just to give Han a key to one of his penthouse in Naboo. It’s Han’s turn to look stunned.
“I can’t just let you sleep in that weed van of you, can I? Naboo is a civilized city – so different than this desert of nowhere. Sleeping in that suspicious van would get you arrested so fast.” Lando grinned, knowing his friend too well that Han intents to keep sleeping in his van.
Han grunted. The Millenium Falcon is not just a van to him. They’ve bonded over years and she is the only home he ever has. But Han isn't a person to refuse something that he could benefit from. Nevertheless, at first, he was suspicious of Lando’s intention to rent out his house to Han at an unbelievable cheap price. Altruism and Lando could never exist in the same sentence. Besides, that house IS nice. It’s located in a good neighborhood where all the rich and important people live. Lando is hosting a gambling for rich people. He claimed that he won (aka cheated) this house from some rich dude but didn't know what to do with it. Of course, Han didn’t believe him so he checked the house to make sure that there was nothing illegal in the building before moving in.
All day, Han is busying unpacking his belongings but there’s not many so he finishes his task within a day. The Falcon is parked nicely in her new garage. Han is preparing to go to bed -- a real bed for the first time in many years – when he hears a squeal and laughter from the house next to his. So, it seems his neighbor has children, uh? Han thoughts and dismisses it as soon as his head hit the soft pillow. He never has any interests to get to know them anyway.
Little does Han know that fate already has a different plan for him. The young man would never guess that within the course of ten years from now on, he will get to know the Skywalker family very very well, and he will fall in love with one of them.
1
The Skywalker is the most dramatic family in the world, Han believes.
Han hasn’t met any person around his new house since his course started. He has been spending all his day in the college’s library, tearing his hair in frustration at the mountain of projects that he wouldn't be able to finish. It’s always dark when he arrives home, drained. However, today Han just makes a miracle happen when he nails the last paper and manages to come home earlier. He is so looking forward to lying down on his bed as he tiredly put his car in the garage that he doesn’t notice a woman waving her hands at him from the other side of the fence.
“You must be the new mysterious neighbor my kids have been whispering about,” the woman greets, coming closer to the fence to shake the young man's hand, her smile warm and beautiful. Han is immediately enthralled. The woman is the most beautiful lady Han has ever seen.
“Yes.” He answers back shortly.
“You know, my son is very confident that you must be the intelligent extraterrestrial life form that comes to observe our planet but his twin sister believes that the house is occupied by a gambler or maybe a smuggler since there is no one in the house all day.” Unaware of Han’s stuttering at the smuggler part, the woman chuckles and continues her story as if she and Han had known each other for years and not just a few minute ago. “They both have the vivid imagination, it seems. Oh! Where is my manner? My name is Padme. Nice to meet you.”
“Han Solo” Han said, still speechless at her friendliness.Padme is the first Skywalker and the first human beings Han has met outside the college.
Padme Amidala Skywalker is a pretty awesome lady. Whenever Han comes home earlier, she would come to greet him if she is free. From the way she carries herself, Han makes a guess that she must come from a wealthy family. However, unlike the rich Han has known back in Correlia who would treat a poor orphan like him like a dirt, Padme is very kind and nonjudgmental. Han tries not to reveal much about his past when having a conversation with her but the woman seems to piece things together quickly without prodding why he is living alone. Still, she treats him the same.
“If you need anything, we live next door. And Han, please come join our dinner sometimes.” She offers every time they meet. Han never doubts her sincerity but he doesn’t plan to accept the offer. The world which someone like Padme and her family reside and his seem to be incompatible, and Han wants to stay away from mingling with the rich. Padme senses his thought too but instead of stopping, she makes it a mission to make Han say yes. It’s somewhat become a game that Padme would magically pop up from nowhere while Han is outside doing his stuff just to ask him to come for a dinner. Han avoids at his best. Still, he doesn’t understand why the lady is so stubborn. Many years later, Padme would admit to him that she didn’t want him to live in solitude and also she felt like Han's stubbornness to open up challenged her diplomatic skills and fueled her determination to befriend the teenager. Han would lie if he said he was surprised. Every Skywalker is a weirdo in their own crazy way although Padme is the most normal one of her kin.
To avoid Padme’s passive-aggressive strategy to offer him a dinner, Han usually stays in his house.
Han is lounging on his couch, one hand holding a cup of coffee and the other a textbook as he glares at it for being unnecessarily difficult when the doorbell rings. He lets out a groan before marching to the door and yanking it open.
Two kids aged around eight are looking up at him. Annoyed from being interrupted, Han barks,
“What do you want?”
The brown-haired girl put her hands on her hip as she glares back at him. “Is that your way of greeting a guest?” She sasses. Han stares at the girl, then he notices the boy, presumably the sassy girl's brother standing beside her who looks less confident as he is twisting his hands. He has blond hair and the largest pair of blue eyes. The kids are cute but all Han ever sees at that moment is how they dress. The girl is wearing a white dress and has the weirdest kind of braids that looks like she glues two cinnamon buns on her head. And the boy –is he just wearing a cardboard box over his body?
“Nice Halloween costumes, kids. Still no candies.” Han comments. The boy blushes as he seems to take Han’s sarcasm as a compliment. The girl, on the other hand, isn’t impressed.
“We are not here for a candy, you nerfherder!” She scolds.
“Leia, don’t be rude!” The boy whispers furiously. Han smirks, well this is entertaining. He likes the girl’s spirit. “Sorry, little princess. If you may excuse me, your highness, I need to go back to my study – by the way, how can you glue those cinnamon buns on your little head?”
The girl—Leia’s face reddens in embarrassment. She turns to her brother and accuses, “I told you, Luke! This hair looks ridiculous!”
“No, it’s not! It’s iconic.” Luke reassures his upset sister. Han is preparing to quietly shut the door when the boy notices and yells first. “Wait!”
Han let out a sigh, “What’s your business, kids?”
“W…well,” the boy begins. He stops as if to compose his mind and then the dam seems to be broken, “First of all, we don’t usually dress like this. We were doing this for a play – Leia here—“Leia huffs and crosses her hands “was playing a princess of the rebellion force who just got captured by the empire and was going to be tortured by Darth Vader the lord of the dark side which was played by me and this cardboard box was to be his life mobile life support system—“
“Luke, gets to the point.” Leia rolls her eyes.
Han is speechless. The kid sure could talk. “Darth what—oh, forget that. Kids, just go play somewhere else, okay? I’m busy here.”
“Wait! M... Mommy asked us to come tell you that she wants to invite you to dinner.” Luke squeaks out. Han blinks, then, it dawns on him.
“You all are Padme’s kids.”
“Yes.” Leia says, looking proud when Han mentioned her mother’s name.
“Would you come to the dinner with us?” Luke asks, hopeful.
“Nope.” Han quickly replies. His paper wouldn’t write itself. But Luke gasps, suddenly wearing a look of a puppy that has just been kicked. It almost looks like he never expects someone could turn down his mom’s offer and it hurts him personally. When he looks at the kid’s disappointed and hurtful eyes, it makes Han feel a bit guilty for no reasons.
Leia eyes Han with her openly distrust, “See, I told you that he would decline and he did. He looks too suspicious. Must be doing something illegal behind that door.”
“Hey, watch your word, little lady.” Who the heck raises this girl? She is savage as fuck. Han is internally questioning Padme’s parenting skills when Luke looks up at him with his too expressive blue eyes.
“No one denies mommy’s invitation. She would be sad and she is a good cook. You have to come,” the boy pleads. “Please. Don’t listen to Leia- she is pessimistic I know you’re a good person!”
This is the first time that Han experiences something as powerful as Luke Skywalker’s ‘I believe in goodness in you’ stare. Such a destructive weapon that easily make Han’s wall crumbling down. As Luke’s eyes become watery, Han begins to feel real panic. Han Solo must be a scoundrel but he doesn’t make a kid cry.
“You’re making my twin brother cry – you’re such a bully,” Leia seizes the opportunity, precisely hitting Han’s soft spot.
“I’m not crying, Leia!”
“Sssh you. It’s working. It's called social pressure. Keep giving him the stare and he will have no choices but come or risk being stigmatized as a bully!” The girl whispers, albeit loudly. The kid still has to learn more about being secretive. Han shakes his head.
“I can hear that you know. I’m still standing here—ugh fine. I’ll come.”
Luke brightens up immediately which reminds Han of the sun peeking out from the cloud, while Leia gives him a warning. “It’s at 7 pm. You better not be late.”
The Skywalker twins then depart for their house, leaving Han stood still at his doorstep. Han let out a low chuckle at himself, Han Solo who just being tricked by a pair of young brats. Their childish strategy of persuasion is ridiculous but it somehow manages to put a smile on his face.
Padme discovers Han’s newfound soft spot of the twins, especially Luke’s kicked-puppy look (must be from Leia) and mercilessly takes advantage of his weakness to invite him more to her house so she could feed him.
It’s about the third or fourth time since he’s been invited to the Skywalker’s house that Han finally has a chance to dine with the father of the family. Now he knows how Leia has got that personality of her. Since Han has known the twins, they are nothing alike. While Luke is soft, reserved, optimistic, and too trusting -- traits that he could see a resemblance in his mother -- Leia is energetic, fierce and mature than her age. Having known him now a week, the girl still doesn’t trust him yet which makes her gullible twin to stand up to defend Han’s honour. Listening to the twins' arguing over his innocence is kinda funny.
Unfortunately, Leia’s father seems to share the same opinion as his daughter. And Anakin Skywalker is a fearsome man. And it’s less funny when he is also a cop, Han’s former career’s mutual enemies. He believes Anakin doesn’t know what he’s done before because had he known he’d have Han’s ass arrested so fast already. This guy clearly hates him.
Han is sitting in the living room of their house with Anakin while Padme and the kids are busying in the kitchen. The uncomfortable silence is so thick it could be cut with a knife or Anakin’s glare for its equally sharpness quality. Han refuses to be intimidated.
“So, you’re from Tatooine?” Han raises his eyebrows at the man's question.
“No, I’m Corellian. But I worked at Cantina in Tatooine.”
“Hmm, an interesting place you chose to work, Mr. Solo. A place of scoundrels and villains.”
“Ani!” Padme reprimands, as she coincidently walks into the room to fetch them to the table. “Be polite.”
“What? It’s true.” Anakin shrugs, giving Han the most annoying smug look before joining his family. Han narrows his eyes. That bastard. Han is trying to not be an asshole in front of him because he’s Padme’s husband and he respects Padme but Han Solo is not going to just sit back and tolerate anyone’s bullshit without giving it back.
The dinner is intense as Anakin tries to get to Han’s nerve again. “So, what’re you doing here, Solo? I bet you would find Naboo different than the city you’ve lived. We have laws and the strongest police force here. Starting some ‘kind’ of business might be harder than expected here, don’t you think?” Padme gives her husband a warning glare. Bless the kids who are playing with each other and unaware of the adult's conversation.
Han just smirks back, unperturbed by the cop’s challenging stare. “I don’t know, Mr. Skywalker.” He pretends to ponder, “I’m here just to study engineering. I’m pretty good at it too. Experiences at Cantina sure 'help' a lot.”
Anakin’s eyebrows twitch as his face looks more and more thunderous, Padme changes the topic.
“That is wonderful, Han. I’m so happy that you are doing well with your study.” Anakin seems to want to voice his disagreement but Luke's ears perks at the word 'engineering' and beats his father to it. The kid turns his attention to Han and he asks “Are you going to be a pilot?”
Padme laughs and even Anakin’s eyes soften at his son’s innocence.
“Are not you want to do engineering too, darling?” Padme asks. Luke nods eagerly.
“Yes! I’ll be the best pilot on the planet. Then, I will pilot a spaceship too.”
Han couldn’t help but chuckle at the kid’s enthusiasm –it’s naïve but nevertheless endearing.
Leia rolls her eyes fondly at her brother. “I think politics and international relations is much more interesting than tinkering things.”
Luke pouts and gives his sister a scowl. “I think it is boring- you like boring stuff, it makes you boring.”
“Here we go again” Anakin sighs.
“No, I’m not – you’re. You're the only one who is into this stuff.” Leia said.
“No, I’m not. Right, Han?” Luke protests and seeks Han’s support. Originally, Han wants to be left out of their silly argument but he sees the kid’s hopeful eyes and realizes the truth that he couldn't just say no to that face.
“Sorry princess, but flying is cooler. And seeing stars and galaxies? Coolest. Period.” Han winks at Luke and the blond looks at him in awe like Han just hangs the moon, the sun, and the entire solar system.
“I know you can’t be trusted” Leia sticks her tongue at Han but there’s no heat in her words. Leia doesn’t seem too upset as Han is siding with Luke because Han makes her brother happy. And Leia will tolerate him even he is a dummy that thinks politics is boring because Leia loves her brother.
“He is such a huge nerd like you, Luke. You can keep him.” Luke blushes furiously as he’s poking his vegetables on the plate, his ears and cheeks turning adorably pink from embarrassment. The adult just laughs off at how the twins just distributed Han like he is their new toy. Tension seems to melt away and the dinner proceeds peacefully till the end as Han bids the Skywalker goodbye. He is not aware of how Luke is stealing a glance at him, determination forming behind his bright blue eyes.