A/N: Written for the Han/Leia Winter Exchange 2017. Happy Gift Day, spinninginfinity/yoyomarules! Working on your fic has been such a fun challenge! I loved your requests, but I wasn't sure what would make for the best present at first. After chatting for a while with you (which was delightful!), I was looking at your blog one day for clues and inspiration struck when I saw that adorable sidebar gif of yours.

This fic is based off Amy and Jake's relationship in the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode "Johnny and Dora" and a little from "The Bet". Some lines were taken directly from there, but them, as well as the plot, have been adapted as best as I could so that it would properly be a GFFA Han/Leia story. I hope the work paid off and this is everything you were wishing for!

There's a tiny reference to Amilyn Holdo and a scene from "Leia: Princess of Alderaan" that you don't need to be familiar with, but I have to credit. This doesn't make this story Disney complaint, but if your feelings are too delicate to handle a vague reference, kindly move along.

Many thanks to asmoonlightthroughthepines for her valuable suggestions, and alderaanallday, GCFB and ewokkey for their blind support, as well as the hanleiasecretsanta mods for their hard work!

Then

'What d'ya say we make this more interesting, Princess?' Han said, shuffling the deck of sabacc cards again.

Leia had been reticent at first of joining in gambling games with the pilots. It was not because it was "unbecoming of a young Princess", as some stuck-up royals would say, but she did have a certain level of authority to maintain. You wouldn't see Carlist Rieekan or Mon Mothma sitting on crates in the hangar, playing dice with the soldiers, after all. Besides, although people respected her and were friendly enough to her, she still felt out of place sometimes, as if they were kind to her out of deference to her royal status, or pity at her dead planet, rather than because she was a nice person to spend some down time with. It was a lonely position to be in.

Luke, Chewie and Han were about the only people in whose company she didn't feel like that (most of the time), and they happened to take part in those sabacc rounds, so—after Han had given her and Luke a few private lessons—she had finally decided to take up Luke's invitation and join in one of those sabacc nights. Boredom on base was good , in a way, as it meant they were safe, but it could also be endlessly frustrating. Besides, what a better chance than that to really get to know what made her comrades in arms tick, and for them to see her as a soldier just like them?

'You know I have to draw the line at gambling for credits, Captain Solo.' Drawing close the hand he'd just dealt her, Leia remained unimpressed at the captain's attempts to fluster her. 'Especially with someone who is famously in debt.'

'If you really knew anything about me, you would've said "crushing debt". Doesn't have to be credits, though, but I'll bet whatever, 'cos there's no way I'm losing,' he added with an easy shrug. Leia raised an eyebrow, looking at her cards.

'I don't have anything else you want. And vice versa.'

'You could make him officially join the Alliance if you won,' Luke piped up, his boyish expression lighting up.

Leia raised her head then. Now that was interesting. Han looked at her across the table; there was an odd look in his eye as they stared at each other.

'No. Somethin' else.'

'I thought you'd just said you'll bet whatever?' Leia asked, but Han didn't bite. Covering her disappointment, she quickly came up with something else.

'Fine. Next mission, I'll fly the Falcon.'

She thought he would refuse again, almost counted on it; that way, they could move past this ridiculous bet idea.

'Alright, you got it,' Han said, to the "oooh"s from the small crowd around them.

Leia's tone was guarded when she spoke next. 'And if I lose?'

All eyes were on Han now.

'How about a kiss?' Janson said. A few pilots whistled and cheered, stopping abruptly as Leia threw them a dirty look. These are the "perks" of mingling with the pilots.

'What's the matter, Your Highness, think you're too good for me?' Han leered at her, setting his cards down and crossing his arms over his chest. Han's mocking grin didn't waver at the famous Organa Murder Glare that was currently directed at him.

'Of course, but that's not why I'm refusing,' Leia fired back. 'I'm not kissing anyone, and that's non-negotiable.'

'A date, then. The worst date you've ever been on,' he added as Leia opened her mouth to protest. 'You've been around fancy guys for too long, Princess, we need to roughen you up a little, show you the pains of a real bad date.'

Leia snorted.

'Aren't you forgetting a small detail?' Leia held her arms out, looking around at the military hangar. 'We're in the middle of a war here, Han; when do you think we'd have the time to go on a date?'

'That's not somethin' you have to worry about.'

Han was so much better at sabacc than her, it was a risky bet… but on the other hand, what did she have to lose? He would be out of there or either of them would be dead before he had the chance to cash in his prize.

Under the stunned look of the crowd, Leia offered her hand out. Holding her gaze, Han shook it.

'Game on.'

Now

General Dodonna's weathered fingers sank into his cloud-like beard to rub his chin, his scowl accentuating the wrinkles on his forehead. Han already knew what came next.

'And you're really sure about this, Solo?'

Even Rieekan was growing tired. 'We've been through this, Jan, the information checks out. Felian is known for making deals with the Empire. General Aran was relocated to Varada six months ago—clearly a demotion, he was assigned to Kattada before that. He must be desperate to dig up something good and get away from there.'

'Yes, yes, but can we trust Solo's friend? It could well be a trap—'

'Contact,' Han grumbled. ''S a contact, not a friend.'

The words were not said out loud, but Han knew at least two people were thinking them. Can we trust this mercenary who keeps refusing to sign up for our cause?

'We can never be certain, General Dodonna,' Leia said, laying her palms flat on the holo-table and leaning forwards. 'Every mission is a risk we have to take.'

She breathed in deeply through her nose, blinking slowly, and—as if she hadn't been one of the two people Han had thought were doubting him—said, 'I trust Captain Solo's information.'

'It's not that I don't trust Captain Solo, Princess,' Dodonna said, 'but that it is too dangerous. Perhaps we should simply… cut our losses and negotiate another shipment of ryll.'

Han rolled his eyes in a ceiling-sweeping way, just barely biting back a groan.

Two weeks ago, a shipment of ryll that had been on its way to their base in Obas had been intercepted by pirates. Their medcenter badly needed the ryll to produce anesthetics and pain killers—they were running low and needed to stock up fast—but it was impossible to buy from the same provider again now, not for another couple of months. Thus, High Command had asked Han if he could use his contacts to find out the identity of the pirate and the whereabouts of the stolen goods. He had gone off world, got in touch with a few people and finally found a lead: Rik Felian, a rich Randoni pirate, was meeting with General Nix Aran of the Imperial Army to sell off the coordinates and clearance codes of the cargo. Aran had to be doing this off the Empire's grid, as there was no glory in simply buying your big discovery from a pirate, so they didn't even have to pull a big stunt—Han's intel said they would be meeting in a public place on Uviuy Exen, as civilians, most likely. They had made Han waste precious, unpaid time tracking down people and getting them to trust him only to throw his intel away like they didn't take unnecessary risks all the damn time. He could have used that time to—

Who was he kidding, if it hadn't been that, it would have been a different unpaid mission for the Rebellion. At least this one had been somewhat fun and low-risk.

'We need this, Jan,' Leia said, her earnest eyes looking directly at the older man. Han knew the loss had been eating at her—he'd caught her after hours, going over the reports of the theft, when she asked him if there was any way he could help. Dodonna might have been better prepared to resist those deep brown eyes when they looked at him like that, guileless and pleading, both things you knew Leia wasn't—Han thought he was better prepared, too, that that kind of thing couldn't affect him anymore, and yet—

'Pardon me, but I'm with the princess on this,' Han interjected, surprising himself. 'You guys need the cargo and this is your best shot. You just need to follow Felian to the meeting place and when he's gone, take out Aran and get the prize. I don't think the Imp will have back-up, this is too far off the rulebook, and if the pirate has anyone coverin' for him, they'll only care about his personal safety. You do a cover mission, in 'n' out, and bam . Ryll's back in your hands.'

'That is an excellent idea,' Leia said enthusiastically. She leaned over the screen, her fingers selecting and amplifying data. 'It says here their meeting point is a restaurant, but we don't know at what time… We can stake out the place from here, though. When they arrive, we get a table nearby. They might do the exchange in a refresher, nobody will be watching them.'

Han smirked. 'Looks like you'll need a male companion, unless you're goin' for a disguise.'

'I might ,' Leia challenged. 'Still, better I bring someone along if I have to pretend to be casually having dinner.'

Rieekan nodded. 'Very well, Your Highness, the mission is yours. This is decently low-risk and worth a try,' he added to Dodonna, who at last—reluctantly—agreed. 'We should see about fitting you with prosthetics, perhaps, and Solo—'

Leia's head snapped up. 'Actually, I was thinking of bringing Commander Skywalker along for this one.'

'Yes, Skywalker and Chewbacca should join you with a transport in case you encounter any difficulties—'

'I meant that Captain Solo and Chewbacca can wait in the transport while I—'

'Hold on a sec, there, Princess,' Han said, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling down at her. 'Why am I your driver? I came up with this idea. 'Tis my lead!'

What are you doing? his brain yelled at him. Not only he was volunteering for a mission but he was being irrationally defensive about it, as if there was anything for him to gain there. It felt like Leia was snubbing him, though, and after she'd asked him for help...

'I didn't think it would be a mission you'd particularly enjoy, Captain,' Leia said evenly.

Han stared at her. 'Think I'll enjoy it alright.'

Rieekan held up both hands and raised his eyebrows. 'Frankly, Your Highness, I think Captain Solo might be better suited for this type of mission. Skywalker can be a little… obvious sometimes.'

You mean he can't lie to save his life? Han thought wryly.

Leia pressed her lips, clearly trying to think of a good argument for the swap, but Han wasn't going to let her.

'Did you have any other objections, Your Highness? I thought you'd wanted me to help.'

'That's right,' Leia said, glaring at him. 'Fine, then, you're going with me.'

With that settled, they commed Chewie and Luke to meet with them in fifteen minutes so they could brief them and adjust the details of the operation. Leia excused herself and headed out of the room; Han hurried to follow her outside.

'Wait up, Your Worship!'

Leia slowed down but didn't look back.

'I know what you were tryin' to do,' he told her when he caught up. Leia kept staring forward, picking up her pace.

'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Really? You don't remember we had a bet an' you lost? Time to pay up.'

She stopped abruptly and faced him, her arms crossed sternly over her ribs. 'Is this all a joke to you, Captain? Even if you come with me—'

'Thought we'd just settled I am comin' with you.'

'—this is still a dangerous, undercover mission. It's not going to be—'

'Yeah, a mission together where we get to dress up and go to a restaurant,' Han said. 'Come on, it'll be fun.'

Leia rolled her eyes, squaring her jaw before sighing.

'Yes, that's what I fear. It's a date, then.'

'Nope.' He winked at her. 'It's your worst date ever.'

Leia walked into the Millennium Falcon 's main hold gritting her teeth in annoyance, her hands fiddling with the many layers of tulle covering her body. This was a hare-brained plan. Why had she ever let Han Solo talk her into it? Force help him if he botched up their mission because of his damn bet...

Luke looked up from his Dejarik game with Chewie, his jaw hanging open.

'You look beautiful, Leia!'

Summoned by the (incorrect but sincere) expression, Han rushed into the common space from the cockpit.

'No—Kid, come on, she looks ridiculous,' he admonished grumpily. He turned to Leia then and gave her an appraising look before doing a ridiculous little bow at her. 'You look ridiculous, Your Worship.'

'Thanks, I got it the first time you said it,' she said in a faux sweet voice.

When Han had said he was taking her on "her worst date ever", it had been fun and all, but she'd wondered what that entailed. She suspected it was mostly ribbing. It wasn't like he truly wanted to put her through a miserable time—for all their disagreements and their occasional fighting, they didn't hate each other… for extended periods of time, at least. He couldn't pull an elaborate prank, either, make a show for the whole base. He was only cashing out his "date" in the first place because their mission involved a restaurant and he had been at the briefing. It wasn't down time; it was work. For the thousandth time, she trusted it wouldn't be the day Han decided to act like the man he pretended to be like most of the time and screw this up for her by being selfish and inappropriate—beyond the usual.

For now, though, his plan had consisted mostly on picking out her disguise. Her dress was like a tube shift in pale yellow over which a five year old had played arts and crafts, gluing scraps of differently textured gray tulle and lace over the bodice and giving her the puffiest asymmetrical overskirt. While the outfit was ridiculous, it wasn't meant to be sexy. The yellow skirt reached past her knees and the modest cleavage was covered by more strips of gray that crossed her chest and became shoulder straps. Her shoes were flat leather pumps that had been painted over in a similar yellow colour as the dress, but they were comfortable to walk and run with. Both her dress and shoes had seen better times—Han had picked out their clothes from a goodwill shop offworld. They were so ugly to start with, though, that it wasn't really noticeable.

Han had been changing in the cockpit, granting her the privacy of the crew quarters and 'fresher: instead of his usual combination of spacer clothes, she now saw that he'd also picked a different look for himself. He wore formal, creaseless gray trousers and a black cotton T-shirt under a textured jacket that looked like woven leather, with matching shoes. His clothes had obviously been washed and polished to a shine. Like her dress, there were subtle signs of wear and she was sure it wasn't a current style in any of the Core Worlds, but it made Han look… younger. Respectable but effortlessly trendy and casual.

And handsome , a voice she didn't bother to hush whispered in her head.

'You look ridiculous, too,' she said, tilting her chin at him. Han frowned.

'No, I don't. I look great.'

Rolling her eyes, Leia brushed back a blonde lock that fell over her eye. He'd brought her back a wig, too, saying her long, chestnut mane was too recognizable. Her new hair was straight, thin and barely hit her shoulders. She'd cringed at the honeyed highlights as she'd stared at her reflection on the tiny 'fresher's mirror: she looked like a teenage socialite.

Han strolled back to the cockpit and she followed.

'Did you have fun picking this?'

'Loads.'

'Any reason why I look like a thirteen year old Coruscanti girl on her first society party?'

'No reason,' Han said casually, sitting down and crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned back on his chair. 'But you look just like every girl I met on Coruscant when I was thirteen.'

'Do I really have to wear this all night?'

'You know the rules, sweetheart. The date starts now and ends at midnight, I decide what you wear, what you eat and—don't have much of a choice for where we go but it'll do. Oh, and there's one more rule.'

He stood up, one arm braced on his hip, and gave her a serious look.

'No matter what happens, you're not allowed to fall in love with me.'

Leia looked him straight in the eye, head cocked to a side.

'Won't be a problem,' she deadpanned before marching out.

Two minutes after Leia had exited the cockpit, Chewie walked in and sat on his chair. He checked his controls even though they were still half an hour away from coming out of hyperspace and there was nothing for Chewie to check. Han would have assumed he'd gotten bored of playing Dejarik or had come to keep him company, but the way the Wookiee kept growling softly to himself, in a forced casual way, made him think something else had brought Chewie here.

'What got your fur in a knot?'

['Me? I don't know—']

'Cut it off, will ya?' Han said gruffly. 'You're gearin' up for somethin', I know, so spit it out, pal.'

['Fine. Just be careful with the Princess,'] Chewie said quietly.

Han's eyebrows shot up. 'Careful? What the hell do you think we're gonna be doin'?'

['Going on a date.']

'A fake date!'

['Is it a fake date for both of you?']

'Come on, Leia wouldn't go out on a real date with me if it killed Vader.' Han snorted. 'Scratch that, maybe then she would.'

['I meant you.']

'Wh—?' Han gave his partner a look that was both incredulous and outraged. Sometimes he wished the Wookie would mind his own business. 'The hell are you talkin' about, Chewie? You know I'm just messin' around with her—not messin' around that way, just havin' a laugh. 'M not gonna touch a hair of her head.'

['I know you won't. I wasn't talking about that.'] Chewie titled his head to a side as he considered his next words. ['Han, do you know why little Wookiee boys pull the fur of little Wookiee girls on playgrounds?']

''Cos you're all kriffin' nuts who get off on violence since you're cubs?'

Chewie let out an impatient yowl. ['No—because they like the Wookiee girls and that's the only way they know how to get their attention!']

'What are you sayin'?'

['You're always teasing her but still going on missions with her, you try to make her mad but you look after her, and now you asked her on this date. I think somewhere down deep, you like the Princess. "Like her" like her.']

'Okay, that's straight-up insanity.' Han waved a dismissive hand and turned back front. 'How much jet juice did you have before we took off?'

Chewie didn't relent. ['There's nothing wrong if you like her, but don't play with her. Unless she wants to, but tell her first.']

Han looked over his shoulder and then glared at the Wookiee. 'Stop that, I don't like Leia that way, okay? What's gotten into you?'

[You said once you'd settle down if you found someone like Malla. This one is like Malla. Same hair and everything, except you gave her an ugly wig—']

' Chewie. ' Han's menacing tone was final, although it didn't stop his friend from chuckling under his breath.

To Han's peace of mind, they were quiet until the alarm that signalled the end of their hyperspace journey pinged and then as they brought the ship to atmo.

'You could have rented something more… respectable.'

Han smirked at Leia, leaning his elbow against the edge of the transparisteel canopy of the speeder. He had insisted on choosing the vehicle they would use during their stay on Uviuy Exen, too. They were outside the restaurant, sitting on an old CFF-56 model that looked like it had gone through several hands, none of them particularly careful. The rusty colour of the paint had been fashionable once but with the sheen gone, it now looked just like it was bathed in rust; stuffing peeked out from the leather-covered seats and the engines would jerk them back for several meters after ignited.

Leia had almost been tempted to ask him if he was allergic to good taste, but she'd bitten her tongue. She knew she was expected to complain—that was the butt of the joke, the rich girl suffering through a cheapskate date—but she wouldn't have on better times and she wasn't going to do it now, where the "date" was just an excuse for something bigger.

'Thought the Alliance couldn't spare credits on frivolity.'

'The rental that didn't smell like old cheese was only a few credits higher,' Leia argued, unable to help herself.

'Every little bit counts, Princess.'

'I think it reminded you of your ship.'

'Okay, that's hurtful. An old, smelly speeder is just right, or it wouldn't be the worst date of your life.'

'Oh no, nothing will ever be worse than the date I had with my cousin's smashball teammate.'

Han straightened up on his seat. 'What happened?'

'He thought the Old Republic had become stagnated when they let the quota of female Senators exceed the 40%,' Leia said, cringing inside at the memory. 'He also said he thought I was younger because I should have shed my "baby fat" already.'

Han looked horrified. 'What?'

'He probably needed me slimmer to drag me more easily to his man cave.'

'Tell me you had him beheaded.'

Leia laughed, although she appreciated that Han's reaction seemed genuine.

'At least punched him, come on,' he begged.

She shook her head. 'I couldn't make a scene. The first point, I argued against. It was hard not to call him an idiot. He realized how angry I was and changed topics, so I thought I could at least finish dinner before never seeing him again.' Leia thought of all the other non-political but equally dumb nonsense she'd had to put up with. She was 18 and she hadn't really been looking to date, especially someone she didn't know that much, but she hadn't been able to turn him down. He was handsome and didn't look nearly as stupid as he turned out to be. 'I did tell him he was an obnoxious pig and I hoped his dick would fall off before I left the table.'

Han's eyes crinkled at the corners and then he was shaking with laughter. Leia had been carefully checking the restaurant and contrasting every new arrival with the visual data identifying Felian, but now her gaze lingered on Han, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

'That's not makin' a scene?'

'Of course not, nobody else heard me. What was your worst date ever?'

Han looked up front, checking the entrance of the restaurant as he thought.

'Haven't been on many dates , sweetheart.'

'Worst pick-up, then,' Leia insisted. 'Come on, I told you mine.'

'Alright, alright. Last lady I tried to chat up insisted on doing my astrology birth chart to see if we were compatible.'

Now it was Leia bending over in laughter. 'No way! Were you?'

''M not compatible with anyone who thinks they need to know my birth chart.'

Leia was about to tell him about the time an old friend had used astrology to save them both from being boarded by Imperials, when she spotted their pirate's expensive speeder parking on the platform outside the restaurant's entrance.

'He's here.'

They watched as he stepped out, a wiry human with sleek black hair and a gleamy robotic arm that was purposefully uncovered by the tailored clothes and clutched a small case. He walked to the other side of the speeder and opened the door for a richly dressed woman.

'That's weird. I doubt Aran will be too happy to have a witness for their transaction,' Leia commented.

'Maybe they're not having dinner together,' Han said, grabbing a pair of binoculars and following the couple until they vanished inside. 'Maybe Aran will meet him in the 'fresher, like you said.'

'That's right.' Leia checked her wig in the small hand mirror she'd brought. It looked hideous, but it seemed real. 'Let's go, hotshot.'

It was an elegant establishment, at par with Felian's obvious tastes. It was also rather popular, it seemed. Leia had been afraid they wouldn't be able to get in without a reservation when she'd looked up the place, but not knowing when their targets would should up, she hadn't dared book them a table. Now she saw it had been a risky gamble.

'Alright,' Han whispered, turning to her as they walked into the place. 'Do you have a visual on—'

Leia elbowed him and discreetly tilted her chin up. Right in front of them, Felian and his date waited for their table.

Han quickly covered up, smiling charmingly at the others. '—the hostess stand? Hey. Table for two, please.'

'I'm so sorry,' the hostess, a human woman, said, checking the screens in front of her. 'There's nothing available.'

Han frowned and tensed in a stance that Leia recognized: he was going to demand a table, and hell be damned. That would probably get them kicked out or, even worse, would tip off the pirate.

Putting on her sweetest smile while silently cursing at herself, Leia grabbed Han's arm and snuggled up against him.

'Oh no! Tonight's a really important night for us. Jooni and I just got engaged and this is where our first date was.'

A glance passed between her and Han before he said, 'Oh yeah, it'd mean so much to Doré and me. Trust me, I woulda made a reservation, but I didn't know if she was gonna say yes, so…'

'I loved how nervous you were, you little nerf,' Leia cooed, and with a final stroke of inspiration, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Han on the cheek as the hostess, Felian and his date looked in on the exchange.

Having played sabacc against him (and lost), Leia knew his mask wasn't easily shaken. Her move must have been completely unexpected, though, because right before dutifully turning back to the hostess, Leia caught a glimpse… not of smugness at getting a kiss out of her in the end but of genuine surprise in his eyes, and something that seemed like pleasure, too.

'You are just so sweet together,' the hostess said, the many rings on her fingers glittering in the soft ambience light as she touched her chest in a gesture of tenderness, then moving over her screens. 'You know, I'm sure I can find room for two young lovers. If you can wait over there…'

After thanking the hostess, with her hand still wrapped around Han's arm, Leia led them to a small table in the waiting area.

'Lovers, huh?' Han muttered, arching an eyebrow at her.

This was why she'd wanted to bring Luke. Although, on second thought, she reckoned Rieekan was right: Luke would have blushed and stuttered, and even then believed Leia had meant something by it, probably, when she hadn't.

It had felt odd to kiss Han, though. Not really how it would have felt kissing Luke.

'Sorry about springing the engagement and romantic stuff on you,' she said calmly, keeping a tight control on herself to avoid showing how nervous she suddenly felt.

She expected Han to tease her mercilessly about it, to make some joking insinuation to rile her up, but he just said, 'No, no, that was great, it's what got us in here.' Leia couldn't conceal her disbelief as she stared back at him, but then he added, 'Cheek kiss was a bit much. Very wet.'

Leia chuckled. 'Well, I don't know what to tell you. Doré is sloppy.'

Han grinned at her. Something somersaulted annoyingly in the pit of Leia's stomach, right before a service droid rolled up to them.

'Thanks for waiting; your table is ready. If you'll just follow me…'

'Well, the honeymoon's over,' Leia muttered to him as they got up and followed the droid. 'We're back to being Han and Leia, on a mission-'

'Maybe, but we're still on our date, sweetheart,' he shot back, giving her a wink.

Right, the blasted date . At least, Leia thought, it wouldn't be as bad as continuing to pretend they were an actual, engaged, in love couple—

'There you go,' the droid said, showing them to their table, where a bottle of champagne and a tray of oysters waited. 'A gift from fellow diners, for your engagement.'

Leia's eyes followed in the direction the service droid gestured. Rik Felian and his date raised their glasses at them and smiled.

The worst part of the arrangement was that they had felt obligated to finish the champagne.

They didn't believe that Felian had sniffed them out: the expensive entrées and alcohol were nothing but a nice gesture from a man who enjoyed his wealth. Therefore, they didn't think they were being watched with suspicion, but it was very likely the pirate or his companion would still check to see that their gifts were being appreciated. What kind of giddy, newly engaged couple would they be if they snubbed the champagne? Han didn't want to find out.

It was a fine bottle and it wasn't much once he'd shared it with Leia, but he didn't like the idea of them being even slightly intoxicated while on a mission. He had a high tolerance to most alcohols, but he wasn't used to champagne. After insisting on taking this mission, he couldn't screw it up.

Other than that, their table was located in such a good spot that they were able to keep an eye out on Felian as much as he could check on them, but far enough that Han and Leia didn't have to fear being overheard. They had to be on alert for whenever Felian got up from the table; in the meantime, though, they were free to have dinner without overacting much.

When Leia had attempted to order, he had stopped her—'Choosing your dinner was part of the arrangement, remember?' he'd said. He had ordered one of the cheapest things on the menu besides the salads. Leia had sighed in resignation but said nothing. Han had taken great pleasure in smiling smugly when she'd closed her eyes and sighed again, this time in appreciation, after taking the first bite.

Somehow, he'd imagined he'd have more fun with this. He didn't imagine in what way—he had been having a great time, alone here with just Leia. When she wasn't bossing him around or trying to enlist him for her cause, she was fun to have around. Even if her idea of conversation was to take digs at him and his ship, part of him enjoyed it, in a masochist way.

7He hadn't expected to spend so much time looking at her, though, the look on her face when she fielded his antics with exasperating dignity, the few glimpses he'd caught of her staring at him, the way her eyes got when she talked about her life before the rebellion. How beautiful she was, even in the ugly dress and wig that were nothing like her.

Another plan that backfires, Solo.

He hadn't expected her to kiss him on the cheek, either—when she let her guard down, Leia could be astoundingly affectionate. He'd gotten a taste of it when he'd come down to Yavin IV, right after the Death Star had turned to debris, and she'd hugged him and Luke. She still hugged Luke sometimes, when they reunited after missions, but not Han anymore.

Maybe that was why it had thrown him off so much.

'Look, he's going to make the drop' Han muttered. Across from them, Felian and his date had stood up from the table, the woman heading to the front entrance while the pirate made his way to the back of the room. Han and Leia got up at the same time and followed down the hallway where the man had disappeared.

They spotted Felian inside the kitchen, shaking hands with a man wearing the garb of a chef.

'There's the buyer,' Leia said, but Han shook his head as the other man turned slightly and they got a better look of his face through the shelves of pristine dishes and cutlery.

'That's not Aran. An' he's not makin' the handoff,' he added, as Felian's case was still firmly held under his arm.

'Maybe he's just actually saying hi to the chef?'

Han gave her an odd look. 'People do that?'

In that moment, Felian turned their way, eyes widening in recognition.

'Oh crap, he saw us,' Han muttered. He looked at Leia, heart racing—in two seconds, Felian was going to walk out of the kitchen and into them, ask them why the hell they were following him, unless…

He made up his mind before he could process what he was about to do—gathering Leia into his arms, he bent down and kissed her on the mouth.

Leia was stiff at first, unresponsive in her shock; then, as if she'd regained control of her senses, her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him back. It was Han who felt like the wind had been knocked out of him now. For a flash moment, everything but the movement of Leia's lips against him faded away.

'Excuse me.'

Leia broke apart, although she left her arms around Han. Her cheeks were tinged with pink and he thought her eyes were a little glossy before he looked over at Felian.

'Oh, hey. We were just lookin' for a place to, uh…'

'Boink,' Leia blurted out, immediately putting on something that was a cross between a sweet smile and a cringing grimace.

'Yep, boink,' Han said in a cheerful voice. 'That's how we call it.'

Felian seemed to buy it. 'I get it. Newly engaged kids. Enjoy.' He gave them a last smile and a farewell nod before walking off.

'Thanks.' Han looked over his shoulder until Felian was far enough before releasing Leia, who stepped back. 'Good. Okay. Good. We kept our cover intact. Nice work.'

'Quick thinking out there,' Leia said, nodding a little too much. 'Very quick. Very professional.'

'Yep. Very. Let's… get back on the mission.'

'Right.'

Back inside the speeder, Han was taking them out of the parking platform and preparing to tail Felian while Leia commed Luke.

'Aran didn't come but we think Felian is meeting him now,' she said. 'We're following him.'

'Oh, okay,' Luke answered. 'So you guys just had dinner? How was the restaurant?'

Leia felt the adrenaline kick in again, the rush of blood making her feel both dizzy and paralyzed.

'Such a normal time!' she said in a high-pitched voice.

'Whoah. Why are you being weird?'

'Your Worship and I kissed,' Han interjected before Leia had a chance to come up with something else.

Luke's voice seemed even higher than Leia's had been. ' What? '

In the background, Chewie growled something that sounded like, ' I knew it! '

'To keep our cover from being blown. We didn't have a choice,' she said firmly, looking out of the windshield. 'It was just for work. It was nothing.'

'Alright, made your point,' Han muttered, frowning. His bad mood seemed to dissipate momentarily as he pointed at the speeder a few meters in front of them. 'He's pulling over.'

'Wait—guys, but what—?'

Leia cut off the communication with Luke, her mind focusing on the mission. They were next to the Shwuy State Park and Felian seemed to be going in alone, his case clutched under his arm as if he'd never let go of it.

They parked out of sight of Felian's speeder and got down from theirs, casually strolling into the park and subtly following the pirate from a distance, hiding behind trees and tall, trimmed bushes. He stopped next to a holographic sculpture and sat on a bench, looking at his surroundings in an captivated way, as if it was natural to leave your date waiting on the car while you got some fresh air.

'Looks like it's a handoff after all,' Leia said, as she and Han positioned themselves more securely behind a tree until they waited for Aran.

'Hey, we're cool, right?' Han suddenly asked her, a concerned look on his face.

Leia had been almost tempted to play dumb and ask 'About what?', but she didn't think she could pull it off. She'd been way too conscious of the space between them ever since they'd left the restaurant, every brush of Han's body against her making her skin flush and tingle.

'Yeah, totally,' she said instead. 'We're fine.'

'Good. Wouldn't have wanted to make things... uh, awkward, y'know.'

'I thought making things awkward around me was a personal goal of yours,' she said, careful to keep her tone light.

Han raised his eyebrows and pointed at his chest.

'You think I'd kiss you just to make you uncomfortable? Or as a prize? Nah. 'S no winnin' unless you wanna kiss me back, Princess.'

He gave her a crooked smile that came off a bit… sad , she thought.

'Bet now this is your worst date ever, though.'

Leia licked her lips and scratched her arm self-consciously. She couldn't really say it was.

'Only because the portions were so tiny at that dumb restaurant,' Leia said, forcing a small smile. 'I can't wait to be back on base. You know what I'm going to get?'

'Yeah, you're goin' to nick one of the Redor sauce sachets from my stores, then you'll go to mess to see if they have any nerf steak sandwiches and a cup of that Gatalentan tea I brought back a while ago,' Han said easily, putting his hands on his hips.

She stared at him in disbelief. 'That's exactly what I'm going to get.'

'Yeah.'

Was she so predictable, so obvious in her choices, or did he really know her that well?

'Han, look,' she whispered urgently, pulling him so he'd be better concealed by the tree. Accidentally, he was now closer to her, too. A second man had arrived, his gait too proud and stiff despite the civilian clothes he wore. He sat down next to Felian and said, 'The firebugs are all out tonight.'

Leia knew it had to be a code: she had seen no firebugs during her walk through the park.

'Indeed, they're glowing bright,' Felian said before getting to his feet and walking off, his mysterious case left behind under the bench.

Han put a hand on Leia's shoulder and pulled her further to the side, away from the path Felian had taken: he passed by the tree behind which they hid without seeing them. That move, however, left them exposed on the other side, giving Aran, who had just raised his head, a clear view from them.

' He's looking at us! ' Leia hissed.

If he took a different path, their mission could potentially be ruined.

'Well, this is happening,' she said, bracing herself before she grabbed Han's face to pull him down to her and kissed him. There was a soft thud as his back hit the trunk of the tree. His arms flew to hold her back, and for a second she was taken aback at how immediately he responded to the kiss.

Opening her eyes despite herself, she saw that Aran had picked up the case and taken the path that would lead him, like Felian, right past their hiding spot. She kissed Han for a few more seconds, dimly wondering if he remembered at all they were supposed to be keeping watch, until Aran's back was a few feet behind them. Drawing her blaster from under the folds of her overskirt, she let go of Han and turned, firing a precise, silent shot.

The Imperial officer fell heavily, the case dropping from his slack hand at his side.

The mess hall on Obas was empty at this time of night, save for a small figure sat alone at a table, a sandwich in one hand and a datapad in the other. Steam rose up from a cup in front of her, giving her face a mystical halo.

Han walked up to her, trying to make his steps noisy to avoid spooking her.

After they had checked the case to confirm it was what they were looking for, they had rushed back to the speeder and flown away to where the Falcon lay in wait. They didn't talk about the kiss or much of anything else. Luke and Chewie had seemed to be obviously trying to bring up the subject since Han and Leia had set foot on his ship, but only dared to do so after Leia had gone to change her clothes. Han had quickly shut it down.

Leia had spent the rest of the trip locked away with her datapad, writing her report of the mission, and Han had sat it out alone in the cockpit. If hyper-rapture was real, he would have given it to himself as he'd forcefully stared out of the viewport in a failed attempt not to think about the night.

The kiss—or rather, the way Leia had responded to his first kiss and the one she'd given him herself—had been a complete surprise. Not exactly unpleasant; he liked kissing. He'd just never imagined a world where he got to kiss her without getting punched.

As attractive as Leia was, it wasn't that what pulled him in to her, which had made it so easy to think that Chewie was wrong, that he did not like her that way, but so damn hard to figure out why he kept coming back to her. Of course he knew the kisses hadn't really been given with a romantic intent, he wasn't stupid.

They had ignited something in him, though.

He was sure Leia didn't feel the same way: the sheer awkwardness that had begun to grow between them since the restaurant had been almost palpable. She was probably wary that he would hit on her.

Han cleared his throat.

'Hey,' he said when she raised her head. 'You commed?'

'Yes, I need you to sign this.'

'Sure.' He took the datapad and stylus from her and scribbled down his name without reading the report, then pressed his thumb to validate it. 'How's the sandwich?'

'Really good. Do you want one?' Leia looked over her shoulder, ready to summon one of the service droids before Han said, 'Nah, I'm good.'

He thrust a hand on his pocket and fished out a sachet of sauce, then dropped it on the table in front of her.

'I already got one,' she said, lifting her sandwich to show him.

'I know. Keep it for next time.'

Leia frowned. 'Why? Where are you going?'

Han saw now how the gesture could be interpreted, although he felt a tiny jab of pleasure, seeing her upset at the possibility of him leaving.

'I mean so you don't have to break into the Falcon just to steal my condiments.'

'Oh, okay,' she said uncertainly. 'Thanks.'

Leia looked at her datapad, still in his hands, and Han gave it back. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, but Han couldn't bring himself to leave.

'I have to say, thanks for not going overboard with the date thing, although I'm glad to be wearing my own clothes again', Leia commented, glancing at Han's handiwork on her screen. She was back on her white coveralls, hair down on a single, loosely-tied braid and face clean of make-up. This Leia looked much more comfortable in her skin than the dolled up version he'd had dinner with. She was more beautiful, too.

This Leia is never going to kiss you , Han thought, then mentally kicked himself for going down that path.

'You, uh, keepin' the dress for your next date?' he asked, trying to sound teasing, go back to his former self and their usual relationship.

Leia chuckled. 'No, sorry. It's now part of the Alliance's stock, in case another unfortunate soul ever needs a cocktail attire. You need to return yours, too, by the way.'

'Would if it hadn't been mine in the first place, Princess. Don't look so shocked,' he added at Leia's expression.

'I'm not,' she said, slightly defensive. 'It just didn't seem like your usual style—not that it looked bad —'

Han crossed his arms and gave her a smug look.

'Liked what you saw?'

Instead of a smartass answer, Leia pressed her lips together and looked away before focusing back on him with a serious expression.

'Given the circumstances, I could see how that might have seemed like flirty teasing on my part, but…' She cleared her throat and put her sandwich down, wiping her hands before interlacing her fingers. It looked as if she was about to pray or explain something to a small child. 'Look, Han. Tonight was… weird. I just want everything to go back to how it was, you know?'

'Yeah, no, I know.'

'We make a good team. I don't want to mess that up,' Leia added, leaning forwards over the table.

'Hey, Leia, I get it. It was work stuff, alright? Nothing personal.'

'Right.'

She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't. He didn't need to hear anything else.

'See you around base,' Han said, patting the table before turning his back to her and walking away.

He was beginning to think he'd broken one of his own rules after all.