Work Text:
(1)
Leia was unusually wound up this evening. It was a week after the yearly day of remembrance for Alderaan, and she was still struggling.
“The more life goes on, the more I feel like I’m forgetting. That we’re all forgetting. When it was war time, you know, it was a constant reminder because of what we were fighting for. And of course I’m glad we have peace now. But I just… I don’t want to be sad about it all the time. I just don’t want to forget that part of me. Or for other people to."
“Do you feel like they are?” Han asked her seriously.
“It sometimes feels like… if I don’t perform being Alderaanian, then it’ll simply disappear. I wish I could just have some badge on me that says ‘I am Alderaanian,’” Leia said dryly.
“It’s never going to disappear,” Han told her gently.
“I know,” sighed Leia. “It’s not even about other people, really. It’s more that I’m worried I’ll forget, if I don’t have a permanent reminder that isn’t just sadness.”
“But maybe… you could carry some symbol or something?”
“What, like carry around our flag?” Leia laughed.
“No, sweetheart. Like a necklace or something of Alderaan. I don’t know.” Leia could hear the hesitancy in his voice from her laughter, and she felt a wave of guilt. She reached over to squeeze his hand, smiling up at him.
“A necklace could be really lovely, actually. Maybe I could find a jeweller here to make me something customized.”
Han nodded, although he still looked deep in thought. He always gave so much attention to the wild thoughts she just threw out into the air. Leia sometimes didn’t know how she’d be able to cope with her own mind, otherwise.
“What are your thoughts on tattoos?” Han asked carefully.
Leia looked at him, then paused, staring off into the distance.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never really thought about it.”
It was the truth. It wasn’t that she had anything against tattoos, or somehow found them scandalous or grotesque. It simply was just not a common thing for the world in which she grew up. Obviously she had seen plenty of beings around the galaxy with tattoos, but as it had never been in her periphery on Alderaan it was simply something she’d never formed an opinion on.
“Well, a tattoo of Alderaan would be a way of having some permanent memorial. I mean, you’d literally have it etched into you wherever you go. Can’t get much more symbolic than that."
“I suppose,” Leia mused.
“You don’t have to make a decision right now,” Han said, clearly seeing that far-off look in her eyes as the tell-tale signs she was beginning to overthink. “Just something to keep in mind.”
“Yeah,” said Leia. She heaved a sigh. “Thank you,” she said to Han with a smile.
“Of course,” he said simply.
“No, honey,” she said, moving her hand up to stroke his cheek. “I didn’t realize how much I was in knots about this and you just… made it so simple. Thank you.”
Han’s face broke into a slightly bashful smile.
“You’re welcome,” he said, pressing a tender kiss against her lips.
*
Once the idea had been planted in Leia’s mind, she couldn’t let it go. She found herself fixating on the image of Alderaan etched into her skin somewhere; imagined how she would depict its continents and seas, perhaps the stars that orbited in the system nearby. She spent hours searching the holonet for ideas, determinedly trying to conjure up the perfect piece of art that she had in her mind’s eye.
“What you doin’ there, sweetheart?” Han asked one evening as he came to sit down on the arm of her chaise, nodding at the datapad she was frowning at.
“I’m looking at tattoo designs,” she murmured, punching roughly at something on the screen to save it.
“Oh yeah?” he replied, sipping his whiskey.
“Look, what do you think of this?” Leia asked him, holding up the datapad to show him a thin, minimalistic outline of a planet similar to Alderaan, its jagged continental coastlines carefully de-marked and delicate stars scattered around the planet’s orbit.
“Wow, that looks good,” Han said.
“You think?” Leia said hesitantly, looking up at him for approval. She still wasn’t entirely sure about this idea, and the last thing she wanted was to accidentally end up getting something ugly or inappropriate as a tribute to her beloved home planet.
“Yeah,” said Han, reaching over to brush his fingers on the datapad. “Look at the detail.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Leia said.
“Whereabouts you wanna get it?” Han asked her, with a slight edge to his voice Leia couldn’t quite discern.
“Well, somewhere not too painful. The holonet tells me my arms or legs would be good, but that seems exposed. I was thinking… maybe here?” Leia tugged up her blouse to point at a soft part on the side of her lower stomach. Han stared for a moment, blinking.
Oh . That was it.
“What do you think?” she asked him, a slow smile spreading across her mouth. Han met her gaze, his eyes noticeably darker than before.
“Yeah. Yeah I like the sound of that.”
*
Leia carefully researched whereabouts to get her tattoo done with just as much verve as deciding on the design itself. There was no point having the perfect idea if it wasn’t executed properly. She found a number of artists she liked in Chandrila, although frustratingly most of them seemed to be booked up for months on end.
“Apparently everyone wants to get tattoos in peacetime,” Leia complained wryly.
But eventually she found someone who seemed competent and understood her vision, and also thankfully didn’t react when she told her her name.
(The last thing Leia needed was Rebellion princess gets raunchy tattoo splattered across the tabloids.)
Han came with her, even though she insisted she would be fine. It would barely be more painful than getting her ears pierced, or probably some of the more intricate hairstyles she’d had pins jabbed into her for. She was not going to make a fuss.
Then Leia saw the needle and heard the buzz of the machine and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.
“No, no,” she said, backing up the table from fear. The tattoo artist stopped instantly, looking deeply concerned.
“Hey, Leia,” Han said, jumping up to grab her shoulders. “Honey, look at me.” Leia looked up into his eyes, green and speckled and fiercely demanding her attention.
“Take a deep breath,” he told her. Leia breathed shakily in, and instantly felt a little calmer. “That’s good,” Han said. “You’re safe, you’re okay. It’s not going to hurt you.”
Leia nodded, biting her lip. The panic was subsiding slightly and she started to feel a little silly.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, both to Han and the tattoo artist.
“Oh no, it’s totally normal,” the artist said, waving a hand. Leia didn’t quite believe her, but she appreciated it nonetheless. “You absolutely do not have to go through with anything you don’t want to.”
Leia looked back at Han, her eyes wide with trepidation, but also more than a little disappointment.
“I really wanted this,” she said, slightly desperately. Han nodded, somehow implicitly understanding her conflicting emotions.
“Don’t think of it like a needle, okay,” he told her. “It’s just a pen. Just writing on your stomach. Just a little scratch, marking the ink.”
“Yes. Just a pen.”
“You think you can manage that?” Han asked her softly, somehow managing to be both concerned and not at all patronizing at the same time.
“Can we just go slowly?” Leia asked the tattoo artist.
“Of course,” she replied. “I can stop anytime.”
Leia nodded. “Okay. Then I think I can do this.”
The tattoo artist started up the machine again – just a pen, Leia reminded herself – and Han sat down next to her, blessedly not wincing as she squeezed tightly at his hand.
“Hey, you know Her Mothfulness had an idea for a fun new committee for me to join,” Han told her dryly. Leia managed a small laugh.
“What is the call of duty this time?”
Leia winced slightly at the first touch of the sharp nib against her. It wasn’t painful, exactly… it was more like an odd, discomforting tickle.
“You think I know? I got some holomail with a bunch of political lingo I did not understand for a second.”
“You should get See-Threepio to translate for you.”
“That’s not funny princess,” Han said in mock disapproval.
“Well, luckily I happen to know an expert at speaking politics,” Leia replied.
“Oh yeah? Think I can hire her services?”
“I hear she’s very in demand.”
“Tell her I can pay well,” Han said, with a small gesture of his chin. Leia smirked.
Before she knew it, the strange scratching was gone, and the tattoo artist leaned back, turning off her machine.
“Is it done?” Leia asked in surprise.
“Yes. You want to take a look?”
The artist handed Leia a small mirror which she held up to her lower stomach, and… wow. She never imagined she’d see something like that on herself.
“Oh… oh it’s beautiful,” Leia sighed, smiling. “That’s so lovely.” She bit her lip, her heart swelling at the familiar outlines of Alderaan’s continents. “It really is perfect.”
*
Han, Leia found to her surprise, was quite taken by her tattoo. He ran his fingers absent-mindedly around it, careful not to get anywhere near the still-healing skin, but still unable to keep entirely away. More than once, Leia caught him staring at her stomach when she was reaching up for something and her t-shirt bunched up, which – she had to admit – she had started doing slightly more frequently
“It’s so pretty,” Han said when they were curled up on the sofa one evening, running his fingers over her stomach.
“I think it might be fine if you… for you to touch it, now,” she said slowly. Han grinned, and very lightly ran a forefinger across the outline of the planet. Leia’s breath hitched.
“Does it hurt?” he asked her with a frown.
“Not at all,” Leia said, with a shake of her head. Han raised an eyebrow at her, then ran his finger over the inner lines of Alderaan’s continents. The lightness of his touch combined with the sensitivity of her newly-tattooed skin was sending small sparks through Leia’s stomach. Her breath caught more than once, and she found herself slowly arching up into Han’s touch.
Han shuffled slightly off on the sofa, leaning over until he could reach Leia’s skin with his mouth. Then he ran his tongue slowly across the tattoo, and Leia let out a small squeak.
“Is that nice?” he asked her a little huskily. Leia bit her lip, nodding. He gave her a satisfied grin, and dropped his head back down. His tongue traced the lines etched into Leia’s skin, leaving her quivering under his touch. It was such an odd sensation, ticklish and sending shivers across her stomach, but stirring something deep inside of her that grew increasingly needy at Han’s touch.
She could hear her own breath coming in now slightly lustful pants, with even a small moan escaping her. Han flicked his gaze up to her at that, his eyes dark and hungry. Leia looked back at him, her mouth falling slightly open with want, as the silent tension of desire reverberated between them.
Han’s mouth moved back to her stomach. Then his fingers ghosted up the inside of her thigh and over her center, and a gasping cry was ripped from Leia’s lips. She had no idea where this feeling was coming from, only that it was rapidly becoming all-consuming and she was losing the last threads of control.
They had never, ever been this quiet before… and somehow that unspoken understanding, this need to explore this without any interruption was hotter than anything Han could have said right now.
Han’s tongue licked a firm line up over Leia’s tattoo, digging into her skin as she arched up into him, then he moved slowly, so slowly , down between her legs.
*
(2)
Leia threw her head back in raucous laughter, her glass of wine tipping precariously in her hand
“And then I told him… I told him,” laughed Han tipsily. “If you outran a bantha with that, I’d give you every credit I won for the next year .”
“Oh, I can’t believe he even…” Leia trailed off into hysterics again.
“Honey, I’m tellin’ you. These outer rim kids these days…”
Han took a deep swig of his whiskey, watching her wipe tears of laughter from her eyes with a very adorable look of satisfaction.
It was still early on a Friday night, but Leia had only worked a half day so they could spend as much of the weekend together as possible. Since Ben had left a year ago, they had started making this extra time with each other first to ease the loss of his continuous presence in their lives. But now, with Ben happily settled in with Luke, regular visits, and the bliss of having complete control over her own schedule, Leia found she was reveling in this new phase of life with her husband. They had so much freedom , just to enjoy each other’s company without any pressure of time or obligations.
So she had come home from work at midday and he had flown in shortly after simply so they could spent a blissful afternoon together (mostly in bed, deliciously) and an evening enjoying some of Han’s cooking and the joys of their liquor cabinet.
“The ridiculous adventures you get up to,” Leia smiled, shaking her head. “It definitely beats the boredom of bureaucracy. I wish I could join you on some of them more often.”
“Hey, we can still have plenty of adventures of our own,” Han told her. “Don’t need to leave the planet to have a good time. Or even the house,” he added, with a teasing grin.
Leia laughed. “I know, and this is easily my favorite time of the week. But I just want to do something… spontaneous. Now we have all this time and this freedom.”
“What kinda thing you thinkin’ of, sweetheart?” Han said, eyeing her with a mischievous look.
“I don’t know. You’re the scoundrel.”
“Oh no no,” Han said, wagging a finger at her. “Don’t try to act like I’m the only one who causes trouble. I know you too well for that, princess.”
Leia bit her lip, smirking. “Do you want to do something a little… rebellious?”
“Honey, just say the word and I’ll join any rebellion you like,” Han told her, his voice dropping slightly.
“What if… we got tattoos?” Leia suggested, shooting him a slightly challenging look. Han’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“You’re serious?”
Leia nodded.
“Tattoos?”
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“I don’t know. Something silly. Something matching.”
Han was eyeing her up, looking increasingly interested.
“Whereabouts?” he asked her. Leia quirked an eyebrow.
“Wherever you want.”
Han sat back, sipping his drink as he attempted to keep his cool.
“Okay. On your ass.”
Leia laughed, her jaw dropping open a bit.
“Honey, you know that means on your ass too?”
“Small price to pay.”
“Okay. Fine. On my ass. Our asses."
Han looked immensely smug, and more than a little turned on. This idea had a lot of potential.
“Alright,” he said. “Ass tattoos. Of what? Something matching, yeah?”
“Yes.”
“What about…” Han murmured something so obscene that Leia found herself blushing and giggling furiously at the same time.
“You’d have to get that too,” she said, raising eyebrow at him.
“’S’not like that’s a problem. Although,” he said, shooting Leia a look. “I don’t think you’ve ever needed directions.”
Leia bit her lip, utterly failing to hold back her broad grin.
“I need to be able to look this tattoo artist in the eye,” she reminded him. “And my Senatorial colleagues, when that’s inevitably leaked to the press.”
“I think it would just spice up your next campaign, but point taken.”
“We should just do something silly, it doesn’t have to mean anything at all.”
“We could get each other’s names?” suggested Han, sipping his whiskey.
“Seems a bit too cutesy.”
“Hey! I am cute!” Han said, with a jab on his chest, his drink swaying slightly.
“Oh, I’ve got it!” Leia said, sitting up. “We should get our drinks!”
“Our drinks?”
“Yes! A wine and a whiskey! Well, we each get each other’s. Because this is what we always drink. And it’s what we’re drinking right now, when we thought of this. It’ll be like… a silly reminder, of tonight and all the nights we get to spend together, now.”
Han’s face softened a little.
“That’s still pretty cute, sweetheart,” he said.
“Well then it’ll suit you just perfectly,” Leia told him.
*
If the tattoo artist they found in some slightly seedy corner of Chandrila thought anything of a 40-year old woman, and her now slightly graying husband, appearing in his shop on a Friday night to request matching tattoos on their asses, he didn’t say anything.
(A slight nudge from the Force didn’t help either.
“Are you allowed to do that??”
“What Luke doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”)
Leia winced, as always, at the sight of a needle in front of her.
“Hey,” Han said, stepping in front of her line of sight. “Just a pen, remember?”
“Just a pen,” Leia said, smiling faintly. She took a deep breath then lay her head down on the bed, clutching Han’s hand tightly.
It tickled more than she remembered, although maybe that was just the placement this time. She should have been embarrassed, really, having her pants half down her ass in front of a man young enough to be her son. But the wine was definitely still flowing through her, and Han was right there holding her hand, his thumb absent-mindedly brushing her skin, and she felt so free and uninhibited she simply didn’t care.
“Looks great, sweetheart,” Han said approvingly.
“Does it look like a whiskey glass?” she asked.
“Yeah… just about.”
It turned out that was a generous approximation when Leia inspected the tattoo in their bathroom mirror an hour or two later.
“Well… I guess it’s the thought of the thing, you know?”
“I think my wine glass is spilling over,” Han said, peering at his left ass cheek. Leia giggled, and then he grinned at her in the mirror, and they both ended up in peals of laughter.
“This is so ridiculous,” she said.
“Yeah, but I love it,” he told her.
“You do?”
“Yeah. I like doing ridiculous things with you,” he said, turning to wrap his arms around her.
“Me too,” she said, leaning up so she could kiss him. Han ran his hands down her body until he was squeezing her ass, and she winced slightly. “Okay, still a little sensitive,” she said.
“Sorry,” Han said, nipping at her lip like he wasn’t in the slightest. “I can kiss it better.”
“Mm, I know how you like my tattoos,” Leia murmured.
“Turn around,” he whispered. Leia pulled back to look at him quizzically, and he pushed gently at her until she was facing away from him. She watched in the mirror as he knelt down, pulling gently at her pants until the curve of her ass was exposed. She smiled and rolled her eyes slightly as he predictably began running kisses round the edge of her new tattoo, but then his hands moved up to massage the bottom of her ass cheeks and –
She sighed, pressing slightly back into him. Okay, that felt pretty good.
“Who knew a smudged glass of whiskey could be so sexy?” Han murmured into her. Leia gasped as he nipped gently at her skin.
“You did, when you knew exactly what your suggestion would lead to.”
Leia keened forward slightly, gripping onto the bathroom counter in front of her as Han’s hands moved harder against her.
“Seemed fitting. It was Corellia’s finest.”
“Mm, you can say that again.” She moaned deeply as his hands moved lower, curving under her ass until he was just between –
“Careful princess,” Han said against her skin, as her knees buckled slightly under her. “You’re going to spoil my fun.”
“And what fun… would that be exactly?” Leia asked, as Han moved his fingers between her. He slapped her un-marked ass cheek with his spare hand, then stood slowly up until he was pressing into her. He caught her gaze in the mirror, his eyes dark and full of teasing intention, as he moved his hand back between her legs.
Then he leaned forward to nibble at her ear lobe and whisper, “Bend over, sweetheart.”
*
(3)
Leia strolled happily back to her apartment, still smiling at the events of the evening. Despite the late hour, there was a lightness in her step. Rey’s joy had been infectious, buoyed by the mischief and affection from Poe and Finn. It warmed her heart to see some of that heavy weight of guilt and trauma lifted from her. Of all the things she wanted to pass onto the next generation, that wasn't one of them.
Han was waiting up for her when she got back, his face breaking into a broad smile when she walked in the door.
“Hey sweetheart,” he said. “How was your evening?”
“Oh, it was a real treat,” she laughed, pressing a kiss against his lips before she collapsed into a seat at the breakfast counter.
“Here, I made you some food,” Han said, placing a bowl of creamy pasta in front of her. Leia moaned at the sight.
“God, I love you,” she said, digging in hungrily.
“Yeah, yeah,” he grinned.
They snuggled up together on the sofa after Leia had eaten her own bodyweight in pasta, and Leia recounted her stories of the evening whilst she nursed a cup of tea.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Poe look so shocked,” she told him, chuckling at the memory.
“Can’t believe anyone would ever underestimate you after seeing you down those brandies at Lando’s casino,” Han told her.
“Yes, I do think that was one of my more impressive feats.”
“I love having such a talented and successful wife.”
Leia laughed, leaning happily back into him.
“It’s funny sometimes how little they know,” she mused. “These people we were – well, are – behind their grand perceptions of us.”
“It’s nice to have secrets,” Han murmured. “I like keepin’ that version of you to myself.”
Leia smiled, wondering how best to reveal what else they had been up to that evening. Perhaps this was something she should keep until exactly the right moment.
“I will say, Finn definitely keeps Poe and Rey on their toes.”
“Yeah? That kid makes me proud, sometimes.”
*
Leia took a quick shower before bed, letting the alcohol and chemicals and adrenaline wash away from her. She carefully soaped her newest tattoo clean, smiling to herself at Han’s imminent reaction, then turned off the water and wrapped herself in a large, fluffy towel.
When she emerged in her nightshirt and robe, Han was already in bed, the lights dimmed, peering at pages of what Leia assumed were the latest predictions for the sublight trials. Leia climbed into bed next to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” murmured Han back, slightly absent-mindedly.
“I have something to show you.”
He turned his head, interest piqued.
“You do?”
“Mmhm.”
Han dropped the magazine on the nightstand and turned his full attention to her.
“So…” Leia began, trying to bite back a grin. Han raised an eyebrow. “We took a slight detour between the bar and arriving home.”
“Oh?” said Han, crossing his arms in front of him with a smirk. “A detour?”
“Yes. Well… a planned detour.”
“If it’s planned, it ain’t a detour, princess. That’s just a whole other stop.”
“The technicalities aren’t important,” Leia said, with a wave of her hand. “We ended up at a tattoo parlour.”
“Yeah, that’s usually what happens on my nights out too.”
“Well, Rey got this tattoo, and… it doesn’t matter exactly. But she wanted to get it covered up. So Poe and Finn, wonderful friends that they are, suggested they take Rey for a few drinks to cheer her up, and then go with her to the tattoo shop in solidarity.”
“And this is what you got roped in to chaperone.”
“Yes. Rey was feeling a bit embarrassed earlier, so I didn’t want to spill her secrets.”
“Why was she embarrassed?” Han asked, frowning a little.
“Honestly, some things are better left in the depths of Coruscant’s dive bars,” Leia told him, and Han nodded tactfully.
Then something dawned on him. “Wait… what exactly did you want to show me, sweetheart?”
“Well,” said Leia. “When we were at the bar, Poe had the brilliant idea that we all get tattoos, to show support for Rey.”
Han looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and anticipation.
“ All of you?”
“Yes. All of us.” She bit her lip, grinning up at him.
“Well, hey! I wanna see!”
“Okay, but – just one last thing. There’s a small bit of backstory.”
“This ain’t the backstory already?”
“No. Ssh. Poe suggested, in his unending wisdom, that we each get a symbol of something we love.” Leia smiled a little shyly. “And, well, obviously you are what I love, so…”
She rolled up her sleeve, and showed Han the miniature Falcon neatly etched into her forearm.
“Oh my god,” he whispered, his mouth falling slightly open. “That’s… sweetheart…” He looked up at her with wide eyes. “Did you do this for me?”
“Well, I don’t know anyone else who owns this ship,” she teased softly.
“It’s… it’s my ship,” he said a little incredulously, staring at her arm. “On you!”
“Yes, honey,” Leia said, with a small laugh. He looked even happier than she had imagined. “Do you like it?”
“Sweetheart, I love it,” Han said reverently. He looked back up at her with very overwhelmed eyes. “I love it. I love it.” He reached out and pulled her towards him, kissing her fiercely. “I love it, and I love you,” he said.
Leia giggled as he turned her slowly back onto the mattress, peppering her with kisses as he climbed on top of her.
*
Leia lay awake for a while into the early hours of the morning, the buzz of the day still slowly wearing off her. She was sure Han was asleep, when he tightened the arm curled around her and pulled her a little closer.
“The tattoo. How was it?” Han murmured gently, and she knew he wasn’t talking about the pain.
“It was fine,” she assured him softly. “I had a slight wobble for a moment but I think I held it together before anyone noticed. Just a pen, remember.”
“Just a pen,” he whispered, squeezing her affectionately. Leia pressed a kiss against his chest, and finally felt herself fall slowly into sleep.