Chapter Text
It had been nearly 8 months since you’d last seen Han’s smug face, 8 months since he’d set off on some grand smuggling venture that he claimed would make the two of you filthy rich.
“I’ll have more than enough credits to buy us a brand new ship,” he had said, eyes aglow with youthful excitement, “And the two of us can blast off of this space rock and never have to spend another second thinking about farming or scrounging for scraps. We’ll live a life so good the Emperor will be jealous.”
But over half a year later, you had just about given up hope of seeing the galaxy through the cockpit of your own ship. For all you knew, Han was gone for good. Perhaps the job had been rigged from the start. Smugglers were scoundrels and liars. Who in their right mind would even be surprised if one of them had turned their gun away from the Empire to double their share of the goods. One shot at Han’s head and the crew of bandits he had decided to call “partners” could walk away with his take and no one in the galaxy would know.
The likelihood of a hit gone south was incredibly high. But, as much as you hated to think Han had given his life trying to better yours, there was one possibility you feared more — what if he had left you? What if he had taken this job only to realize that being out there on his own was enough? What if he had discovered he no longer needed you to be happy? What if the man you cared about most in the galaxy had found someone new?
You were in the middle of washing some of your clothes when your droid companion, F5, hurried into the room.
“Master (Y/N),” F5 announced, “A Corellian freighter has landed just beyond the ridge.”
You looked up from the basin in front of you. Your brow furrowed. “Corellian?”
You dropped everything and rushed out of the rundown byre-dwelling you had come to call home. From over the top of the rocky ridge just south of your farm emerged two figures. Desperate to identify the approaching individuals, you braced yourself against the blowing snow with your hand blocking any flakes from getting in your eyes. It quickly became clear that the taller of the two figures was a Wookie, its long brown hair blowing wildly in the winter wind. The Wookie’s companion was much shorter. Standing no more than six feet with its face concealed behind goggles and a head wrap, the second approacher was humanoid in appearance.
The Wookie roared, causing you to flinch and grab the blaster at your hip. You pointed it at the two figures. “Hold it!”
They both froze.
“Don’t you dare move a muscle,” you shouted over the gusting wind, “I wanna know who you are and what the hell you are doing here!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the smaller figure cried out, “Take it easy, sweetheart!”
You tightened your grip on the blaster as they reached up to remove their head gear. Sure enough, with the wrap and goggles out of the way, it became clear that they weren’t a threat at all.
“It’s just me,” Han said, a smile tugging at his lips.
It took everything in your power not to scream. You dropped your blaster and sprinted over to him, throwing yourself into his welcoming arms. You couldn’t stop the tears that found their way to your eyes.
“Where the hell have you been, you jerk,” you whispered into his neck, trying your hardest not to sob like a child, “You had me so worried. I thought you’d gone and gotten yourself killed!”
He chuckled and hugged you tightly for a moment before pulling back to look down at you. “And leave you here with F5 for the rest of your life? Not gonna happen. I’m still convinced that scrap pile is an undercover Imperial probe droid,” he joked.
You laughed softly despite your tears. Han brought his hand up to caress your cheek, his gentle yes scanning yours. “I missed you.”
You leaned into his touch. “I missed you too,” you said as you grabbed tightly onto his wrist in an attempt to hold him close. Even with him standing in front of you, had a hard time believing he’d made it home after 8 long months.
Face to face with him once again, you quickly became lost in his eyes. Despite the bruises and cuts on his face that made him seem years older than when you’d last seen him, that familiar, brilliant gleam remained in those hazel eyes. No matter what the galaxy threw at him, he always seemed to maintain a sense of eagerness and hope. Nothing could ever keep him down. Not even the Empire.
Han and his newfound companion, Chewbacca, led you back to his ship. The Corellian freighter he had managed to obtain on his journey was gorgeous inside and out. With pristine white walls, glistening floors, and brand new installments, it was a picture-perfect traveler’s paradise.
You were marveling at the hologram chess game on the table in the common area when Han tapped you on the shoulder. You spun around and nearly felt your breath taken away when you found yourself presented with an iridescent bouquet of flowers. You traced your finger over the violet petals along the edge of the bouquet.
“These are for me?”
“Well, I was gonna give them to Chewie but turns out he doesn’t have a thing for spry brunettes like me…”
You rolled your eyes and gently hit his shoulder.
He laughed. “I’m kidding,” he said with a charming grin, “Of course they’re for you.”
You eagerly took the bouquet in your hands, unable to keep the excitement from radiating off of you. Stranded on a rocky plateau for years, you had desperately yearned to see the gorgeous plant life that lay in wait out in the galaxy.
Grinning softly, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled yourself against him. Like clockwork, his hands found their way to your hips. That signature crooked smile found its way to his face once again.
“Y’know, I was gonna chew your ear off about how mad I am that you were gone so long,” you teased.
He raised his brow curiously. “But?”
“But, for the flowers, I think I’ll forgive you.”
He chuckled softly, his grin spreading from ear to ear. “I knew I had a good feeling about those.”
With one hand still holding onto the bouquet and the other tangled in his shaggy, brown hair, you leaned up to capture his lips with yours. Hands gently squeezed your waist and a gentle hum against your mouth reminded you that no matter where in the galaxy you roamed, your home would always be in Han’s arms.