Title: Language Barrier
Author: upsidedownbutterfly
Summary: Short Han/Leia piece pre-ESB. Chewie explains why Han's still hanging around with the Rebellion. Too bad Leia doesn't speak Shyriiwook.
Rating: G

"I don't even know why you're still here!" Leia shouted after Han's retreating back. Her words were met by only a dismissive wave over the shoulder as Han turned the corner and disappeared from view. Leia huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's not even like we're paying you that well," she added grumbling.

From behind her there came a low crescendo-ing rumble that she was slowly learning to recognize as a Wookiee's laugh. "What?" she demanded, whirling about to face Chewbacca, her anger redirected towards him now that his partner and true source of her ire was out of sight.

Chewie let out a series of short howls punctuated by wuffs in response, but Leia's command of Shyriiwook was still too feeble to allow her to decipher his meaning. She glanced towards C-3PO, currently cowering in the corner, for help.

"Mistress Leia, Chewbacca says that the reason Captain Solo stays is—"

"Chewie!" Han bellowed, head reappearing from around the corner he'd just vanished down, and was it Leia's imagination or did his ears look just slightly redder than they had a moment earlier? "Come here, you big traitor." He turned toward Threepio and jammed a finger in the droid's direction: "And if you so much as think of finishing that sentence, Goldenrod, I will personally have you dismantled for scrap to repair the Falcon."

"Oh dear," moaned Threepio as if Han hadn't made that same baseless threat a hundred times before. Chewie just took off down the corridor, still wuffing merrily to himself.

Leia blinked, bewildered. I missed something, she thought to herself. She hated missing something. She glared at Threepio, but clearly the droid was more scared of Han than of her, because his mouth remained firmly if metaphorically shut.

Blast, she really did need to start learning Shyriiwook.