#( . oh fuck‚ finally some actual plot at least this conceivably lines up with where we're at in the timeline lol

[stillsolo]

              𝚂𝙾𝙻𝙾’𝚂  𝙵𝙴𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴𝚂  𝚃𝚆𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙳  𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙾  𝙰  𝚂𝙲𝙾𝚆𝙻 the second the words left luke’s mouth.  it wasn’t the first time someone had made a crack about his relationship with chewbacca, and it wasn’t as if there was anything wrong with the idea of a corellian and a wookiee sharing more than a simple crew dynamic.  han solo wasn’t some bigoted spacefossil; he wouldn’t ever judge anyone’s personal business, let alone who they bunked with.  as long as it wasn’t hurting anyone, and — damn it, now was not the time for moralizing.

this was different. chewbacca—chewie, his brother-in-arms, his co-conspirator in a thousand getaways—had finally, finally promised himself to mallatobuck after long years of exile by tojjevvuk’s father.  to even hint at anything else, in any company, was a slap in the face to the solemn vow chewbacca had made to his future mate.

and luke had no idea. none.  not about wookiee traditions, not about the sacrifices chewie had made, and certainly not about the lead weight han had been carrying around in his gut for weeks.  han had already come to terms with the fact that chewie’s responsibilities as a husband would likely eclipse whatever debt he thought he owed.  he’d been mentally preparing for the day when chewie would leave everything behind—himself included—but that didn’t mean it hadn’t been killing him inside and subsequently plunging his mood into the depths of hell.

han solo didn’t do sentiment, didn’t do long goodbyes.  vulnerability.  but apparently, he did slow-burning heartbreak, because here he was, halfway to keyed up over a little jab he’d normally brush off in a heartbeat.

luke didn’t get it.  had he even noticed?

        ❝y’know, ’m gonna do us both a favor ’n act like i didn’t hear that, kid.❞   han’s face was a little too hot, probably a bit flushed too, and he karkin’ hated it. ❝dunno what’s your problem, but if you wanted me to quit giving a damn, you could’ve just said so.❞

LUKE COULD GROW DEFENSIVE. If he really wanted too, he could snap back easily. Instead, he stood there and tilted his head. He never took Solo as one who cared so much. The sediment didn't fly over his head. Truthfully, he liked Han. Skywalker just thought that he had something for Leia. Maybe it was a misunderstanding on his part. After all, he was just a farmboy from Tatooine who got thrust into a war bigger than himself.

Staring back at the other, a brow raised silently. His arm hurt like hell, but he was doing his best to be strong. It was expected of him, he supposed. People looked to him for hope now. If he was going to be a Jedi, then he couldn't appear weak. Guarding his arm, he knew what had happened. He did get into a tiff with an animal while protecting a village in the Outer Rim territories. They had asked for his help directly. The beast had caused fear and suffering after attacking some of the local children.

Doing what was right always came naturally. At first, he had said plenty of times before it wasn't his fight. How wrong he was to believe that. It was his fight. It was a Jedi's task to help bring peace to the galaxy and that included the small people who needed his help.

As Han got closer, he fought the urge to shift on his feet. Straightening his head, he still stayed silent. A smile crept across his face despite the heat and stabbing he was feeling from the long deep scratch that extended from his wrist to the inner part of his elbow. "So you do care. Aw, Han. You really shouldn't be fretting about little ol' me when you have a beautiful Wookie to be shacking up too." If Chewie was in earshot, he would apologize to him later. Getting under Solo's skin was at the forefront of his mind.