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“You’re nervous,” Luke observed.
“What? I’m not nervous,” Arin deflected, shooting him a sideways glance. She moved the bag of gifts from her left shoulder to her right.
He met her with a knowing look and a wry smile. “Arin, you know full well that I can feel it. You’re nervous– why?” It wasn’t accusatory, rather gentle concern.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. She did know that he could pick up on her emotions, and that trying to deny it was futile. Yet she’d still try, mostly out of reflex. She was a decent liar, and most people she knew would be none the wiser that she was incredibly anxious over the prospect of a family holiday celebration. Luke though, she could hide nothing from. “I don’t know,” she conceded. “I guess it’s just… I’ve never really celebrated any sort of holiday before.”
“Not even Empire Day?”
Another eye roll. “I don’t count that one. Besides, that was all military parades and propaganda films. It wasn’t nice dinners and gift exchanges and family time.”
“Is it the family part that has you nervous? You see them almost daily.”
“No, no— I don’t think there’s any good explanation, if I’m being honest. It’s just unfamiliar, I don’t know what to expect.”
Luke smiled at her and gave a light chuckle. “I know what you mean. It’s new to me, too. Most of us, I think. I’m sure Han and Leia are just as nervous to be hosting.”
“Yeah. I’m really glad it wasn’t us. At least Leia has some experience with holidays. Probably.”
“Probably,” Luke agreed.
The turbolift came to a stop at Orowood Tower’s thirtieth floor, and as the doors opened Luke took Arin’s hand. He pressed a quick kiss to her temple as they stepped out of the lift and made their way to Han and Leia’s large apartment, Artoo trailing behind them.
As soon as they stepped into the home, Arin was met with the scent of food and the sweet, earthy notes of pine. The apartment was decorated with red, green, and gold, with warm lighting coming from the many lamps around the rooms and the living area’s single artificial fireplace. Leia met Luke and Arin at the door, greeting them enthusiastically and immediately wrapping her brother in a hug. The embrace she gave to Arin next was no less warm and welcoming. “Merry Christmas!” Leia said. “Come in, Han’s cutting the roast now!”
“It smells amazing,” Luke replied as he and Arin followed Leia to the kitchen.
“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells,” Han said. “I’ve never made one of these before. Not really sure what I’m doing.” He took a break from carving to look up at Luke, giving him a lopsided smile. “Hey kid, good to see ya.”
Luke grinned back. “You as well, Han.”
“How have you two been?”
“Great,” Luke said, exchanging a kind look with Arin. She smiled contently at him and squeezed his hand. “We’ve been great.”
Han looked to Arin and flashed her a teasing expression, nodding towards Luke. “He treating you well?”
“Exceptionally,” she answered, feeling her cheeks warm.
“Big adjustment, living with a Jedi, isn’t it?”
Arin shrugged. “Not really. I’ve gotten used to his quirks.” She looked at Luke. “Most of them, anyway.”
“Most of them?” Luke repeated.
“When I walk into the living room and see you sitting cross-legged like two meters off the ground, it can be a little startling,” she said through a quiet laugh.
“Yeah, Leia’s got her little… Jedi quirks too,” Han said.
Leia lightly smacked his shoulder. “You appreciated them when it came to getting the star on our tree.”
Arin looked toward the living room, studying said tree in front of the large windows. It was several meters tall, adorned with tinsel, twinkling lights, and ornaments, with a glowing star on top and wrapped gifts beneath it. “It’s really pretty,” Arin commented, letting go of her partner’s hand and beginning to walk toward it.
“Alderaanian jack pine,” Leia said sentimentally. “Not many around anymore outside of conservation arboretums. Han and I were able to get a permit to have this one. When I was little, my family would always make a trip out of getting a tree every year. I’ve missed celebrating the holidays— it’s so nice to finally be able to do it again.”
“Is Christmas an Alderaanian thing?”
“It is. We aren’t the only people to celebrate it, but it did start with us.”
Arin set down the bag of gifts by the tree and admired some of the decor. “Well, thanks for sharing your traditions with us. And, thanks for inviting me. I know that this is a family celebration, and I’m not exactly family but—”
Leia squeezed Arin’s shoulder. “Arin, you might not be my immediate family, but I still consider you family just the same. I’m really glad you could join us.”
“Thank you, Leia,” Arin said softly, giving her a quick, genuine hug.
As they separated, Leia’s eyes flicked to the tree, and she smiled at Arin. “I want to show you something— you’ll get a kick out of this.”
Arin followed her around the tree, and they stopped at an ornament with a small holo at the center. Three smiling people were in frame: Han, Leia, and— “Is that Luke?” Arin asked rhetorically, squinting to see the small image better.
Arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and the man in question kissed her cheek. “It is.”
Arin couldn’t help but snicker at how he looked in that holo. Far younger, and with a far goofier grin. She turned her head to look at him as he moved to stand at her side, one arm staying around her. “How old were you when this was taken?”
“Nineteen,” he answered.
“You look a little… different.”
“That was before the Wampa attack,” Luke said with a snort. “I was a little more symmetrical before that creature broke my nose— and face.”
“It’s a shame,” Han called jokingly, “he used to be a looker.”
“Han!” Leia scolded mildly.
Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head with a tight smile. Arin couldn’t help a laugh as she turned towards him. “Don’t worry,” she assured. “You still are a looker. I honestly think I like your ‘non-symmetrical’ face better.”
“Do you, now.”
“Yeah. That guy,” she nodded at the ornament, “is almost too cute. Just looks like he’d be really irritating.”
“He was,” Luke agreed sheepishly.
From the entryway of the apartment came a Wookiee roar, followed by Chewie and Lando walking into the space. Leia, Luke, and Arin returned to the kitchen for another round of greetings and hugs. Artoo had found Threepio, and they conversed off to the side while everyone else caught up with each other. Arin meandered around the kitchen with Chewie, checking out what the meal options would be before returning to Luke’s side and carrying on the conversations with her friends— her family.
After a few moments, Arin noticed Lando’s eyes drifting above her head, toward the ceiling. His smile turned a little mischievous, and she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. “Hey, lovebirds,” he called, getting not only Luke’s attention but the rest of the party’s. “Look up.”
Arin and Luke both tilted their heads up, and she saw that where they were standing— the threshold between the kitchen and the living room— had a little bundle of leaves and berries hanging down from the ceiling. The two of them looked at each other in mild confusion. Threepio excitedly spoke up. “You are standing underneath mistletoe! In Christmas tradition, when two beings find themselves beneath it, they must partake in a display of physical intimacy!”
“A kiss,” Han clarified with a smirk. “You gotta kiss each other.”
Arin and Luke were suddenly as shy as they had been when they’d first started developing feelings for each other. They both hastily blurted excuses and denials to the amusement of their friends. “No, come on, you guys don’t want to see that!” Luke said.
“Yeah, that’s not necessary!” Arin agreed with a nervous laugh.
“Hey, we didn’t make the rules!” Han reinforced.
Leia nodded with a smile. “You guys wanted to experience a traditional Alderaanian Christmas, this is part of the tradition!”
“Come on, I’m sure you two do this all the time,” Lando added.
Arin’s face felt like it was on fire, and she rolled her eyes as she looked at her partner. He laughed breathlessly, and they caved under the pressure of their friends— not that Arin really needed much more pressure. She’d jump at any opportunity to show Luke affection, she was just more skeptical about all the eyes on them. They stepped closer to each other, and Arin closed her eyes as she and Luke shared a firm but sweet lingering kiss, earning loud cheers and claps. She grinned as they separated, dropping her forehead to Luke’s clavicle to hide her face against him. He held her close as they shared a timid laugh, and he pressed another kiss to the top of her head.
“Alright,” Han said. “That was nice, but I’m hungry— can we eat now?”
~ ~ ~
Dinner was had in the dining room, and it was some of the best food Arin had ever eaten. Dessert was even better. Leia had prepared a couple traditional Alderaanian dishes, which also followed the theme of being delicious. It was incredibly easy for Arin to fill a plate with more than she was capable of eating, and by the end of the meal she felt as if she’d not be hungry again for a few days. As she enjoyed the meal, she had a brief moment where she lamented what the galaxy had lost with the destruction of Alderaan— what Leia had lost. Almost as soon as Arin’s emotions shifted, Luke’s hand found hers and he squeezed it, brushing his thumb over her knuckles soothingly. She still occasionally felt guilt over her prior allegiance to the regime that committed that atrocity, and Luke knew that. He always assured her that she didn’t need to feel that way, and while the frequency of the guilt had dwindled, it still sometimes crept up on her. Thankfully, this moment of sorrowful reflection was brief. It was hard to stay upset when the atmosphere was so full of peace and happiness, and it certainly helped that Leia— who out of the group had been the most affected by the event— was all smiles. Arin permitted herself to let go of the guilt and enjoy this celebration, enjoy the fact that these traditions hadn’t been lost with the planet.
After dinner, the party moved to the living room to exchange gifts— something that Arin had been fairly excited about. She and Luke had put a lot of thought into what they’d get for their friends, and based on their reactions it seemed like they’d done a good job. Now, the six of them were settled in on the couches and chairs with their attention on the holiday film playing on the holovision. Arin sat curled up with Luke on the couch under a blanket she’d gifted him, resting her head against him and admiring what he’d given her— a braided leather bracelet with an engraved charm of Tatooine’s twin suns woven into it. “You really made this?” Arin asked him with some awe.
“I did,” he affirmed, slowly brushing his fingers through her hair. “During my last mission, I met a man who made jewelry. I expressed interest in learning how to make something for you, and he taught me how to weave and work with leather. When I returned home, I drew up a design and got the charm engraved, then did my best to remember what that man taught me. There was… a lot of trial and error.”
Arin chuckled as she put two and two together. “So… all those nights last week that you came home late….”
“It wasn’t because of meetings or training,” he confirmed. He touched the bracelet. “I was trying to make that look… acceptable.”
“It’s amazing, Luke. The engraving especially is… it’s beautiful.”
“To be honest, I thought it’d be a lot more difficult to decide on a design, but it wasn’t. I knew almost immediately what I wanted to do.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Tatooine was where both of our lives completely changed, for the better, I think. It was where I started my journey as a Jedi….”
Arin smiled. “And where I decided to turn my back on the Empire. You’re right, I don’t think I could think of better symbolism.”
For a moment, she just continued to study the bracelet. Then, she looked up at Luke. “I’ve actually got something else for you too.”
“Something else? The blanket wasn’t it?”
“No,” she said, standing and gently pulling at his hand. “Come with me for a second.”
He looked at her with some questioning as she led him away from the living room and brought him outside to the balcony. She held his hand and met him with a soft smile. “You know I’m not great with being sentimental, especially with an audience. So, I wanted to wait to give this to you in a more private setting.”
Arin reached into her pocket and brought out a small, flat, wrapped package, handing it to Luke. Her heart skipped with fresh nerves as she watched him delicately open it. He carefully revealed a small silver charm on a string, its design almost identical to the pendant on the necklace she always wore— a winged serpent wrapped around a small blue-white stone. “Whenever I miss you, you tell me that through the Force, you’re always with me,” Arin said. “I… wanted to give you something to remind you that I’m always with you too.”
“Arin,” he breathed. A grin spread across his face as he looked her in the eyes. “This is… this is perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, feeling a little bit bashful.
“I already know where I’m going to put it.”
“In your X-wing?” Arin guessed.
He shook his head. “I was thinking, my lightsaber. That’s always with me when I’m not at home. I think this would look even more perfect on it.”
She looked at him kindly. “I’m really happy you like it.”
“I love it, Arin,” he said, pulling her into a tender embrace. “I love it, and I love you.”
Warmth spread from her face through her entire body, and she pulled back a bit to look at him, bringing a hand to his cheek. Despite him telling her that daily, it had yet to feel any less special than the very first time he’d said it. “I love you too,” she whispered, and then she kissed him lovingly, feeling like the luckiest person in the galaxy to have someone in her life as perfect as Luke.