A/N: This is, obviously, AU. I've had it rattling around in my brain for a while. I'm going to do my best to post a new chapter every weekend.

It was late on Hoth. Not so late that everyone was sleeping; she was sure at least a few of the Rogues were holed up in one of the rooms playing sabacc and drinking whatever Han had managed to procure for them on his last offworld mission. But by this time, she was usually in her own tiny cot on Echo Base, shivering as she tossed and turned in layers and layers of uncomfortable clothing. If she was lucky, she might get an hour or two of unbroken sleep before the nightmares kicked in, or her alarm blared, or her comm went off with the latest emergency.

It had been a long day, as they all were, but for whatever reason, Leia hadn't been able to face another restless night alone after her 12-hour shift in the command center. Maybe it was because, since the Rebellion's victory at the Death Star, she felt like they'd been hiding more than fighting-one step forward, one step back. Maybe it was because morale was low, and who could blame the troops? The base was frigid and, thanks to the tauntauns, it didn't smell too great either.

Maybe it was because a certain pilot had showed up around midday and handed her a warm, freshly cooked meal without a word before making some excuse to talk to Rieekan, and the indulgent lunch had made settling for the status quo-stale ration bars and sleepless nights in a cold bunk-just unbearable enough that she was willing to change things up.

Just go back to your bunk, Leia, she argued with herself as she wandered down the corridors, destination firmly in mind. No good can come of this.

I might warm up and get some damn sleep, that'd be pretty good, she reasoned internally.

You can't just go to a man's ship in the middle of the night. There are implications!

But I'm so cold! His ship is warm. He'll still be awake. No harm in having a drink and taking advantage of the Falcon's heating systems.

Please. You don't want sleep.

I'm not initiating anything!

But you're also not planning to stop it…

If she was being honest, it wasn't the first time she'd had this conversation with herself. Her feelings towards Han were… complicated. Most days, he was a dear friend. A lot of those days, he was also an adversary, someone who knew just how to push her buttons. And then there were the days when he felt like... more than that. Those were usually the days they engaged in loud arguments that had made them the topic of much discussion around the Hoth headquarters.

I'm not planning anything. I'm just going to let things happen for a change. Is that so bad?

Yeah, until he tells the whole base about it, or takes off the next day…

Deep down, Leia really didn't take Han as the type to gossip, but his leaving was a genuine concern. He talked about it all the time-if it wasn't his debt to Jabba, it was that the Rebellion wasn't his cause, last three years be damned.

Entering the hangar, she was relieved to see that the Millennium Falcon's ramp was already down, despite the late hour. Han had given her the codes, but entering them herself would have drawn much more attention to the situation, both from the Falcon's occupants and any passersby working the late shift.

Well, he can't possibly be sleeping if his entry ramp is down, right?

Maybe he has company, Leia, did you ever think of that?

Leia stopped short. She'd seen the way the other women looked at Han, made excuses to brush against him, talk to him; he hadn't rejected any of them outright, but she hadn't seen him return their affections either.

It's fine. I'll just sit with Chewbacca and have a drink.

You didn't come here to see Chewie.

Shut up. We're doing this.

Taking a deep breath, Leia climbed the ramp-and bumped right into the chest of Captain Han Solo himself.

He stared at her curiously for a moment and she felt her cheeks flushing. Before she could come up with an explanation for her presence, he drawled, "I was just about to close up for the night, Princess."

"I'm sorry," she breathlessly offered in reply. "I should go-I'll go. I'm sorry."

Han grinned at her. "Nah, it's all right. Come on in."

She took a few steps forward and Han entered the code to close up the boarding ramp behind her, then motioned to the main hold. "Just closin' it up so we don't get any drunk Rogues crashin' the party," he explained, not wanting her to feel trapped. "Ah… you need anything? Want a drink?"

"Yes, please. Anything that'll help warm me up," Leia sighed, relieved that he wasn't making a big deal of her being there.

Han stared at her as if he had a few ideas about how to warm her up, but instead grabbed a couple of bottles of dark liquid from the cooler. Once his back was turned, he let his mind wander. He'd bitten back every urge to make an inappropriate comment or innuendo in the last few minutes, but he knew there were only two reasons she'd seek him out late at night. Either something was really wrong, or…

No way, Solo. Don't even think about it. She's probably just cold and sleep-deprived, like she says. Telling himself to keep his hopes in check, he joined her at the game table in the hold. "So what's goin' on, sweetheart?" he drawled-not unkindly, but with only a hint of his usual teasing.

"Well," Leia started before licking her lips nervously, "My quarters were… so cold. I know you keep the Falcon warm, so I thought… I hope you don't mind." She took a long gulp of her drink and stared up at him.

You thought I'd warm you up? It took everything in his power to bite back that question. "Well, I always tell you you're welcome here," he growled before wondering if that sounded too innuendo-laden. "And the kid," he added quickly to attempt to negate any possible damage. "I mean-you're both-you can come whenever. Don't know how you sleep in this ice palace."

"I haven't been," Leia admitted. "I don't sleep well under the best of circumstances, but with sub-optimal temperatures on Hoth it's been even worse."

"Still havin' nightmares?" he asked gently.

She nodded, knowing there was no point in denying it. They'd been on too many missions together for her to keep it a secret. She thought back to one of their first shared off-base assignments, holed up in a hostel with Luke and Han, waking up screaming in the night and scaring the hell out of both of them. She'd never been more embarrassed, but somehow they made her feel better in a way no one else could. And long after Luke had fallen back asleep, Han had played cards with her while telling stories of his adventures with Chewie, taking her mind off the vivid dreams. "I think Hoth is making them worse," she admitted. "Maybe because of the cold. I can't ever get into a deep sleep."

"Sleep here tonight," Han replied without thinking. Upon seeing Leia's alarmed look, he added, "Uh, I mean-we got the spare cabin, and it's a hell of a lot warmer than your quarters. You're gonna have a hard time bossin' everyone around if you don't get some rest," he teased.

Leia considered carefully. Her first instinct was to say no, because that's what she always did, but the idea of sleeping somewhere warm and comfortable was too good to pass up. "Chewie won't mind?" she asked.

"Chewie's already bunked out for the night, but no, he wouldn't mind," Han promised, hiding a smile behind his palm. "And I think you left some personal stuff here from the last few trips, so you should be set there."

"Okay," Leia agreed with a small smile. "Thank you." She tipped the bottle to her lips and took a longer sip, only to let out a gasp. "That's spicy!"

"Yeah, it's made with Corellian peppers. Kinda hard to get, so I gotta hide 'em from the Rogues," Han drawled before taking a sip of his own beer.

"Well, thank you for sharing," she replied. "I love spicy things." Her cheeks tinged pink as she realized that could potentially be a double entendre.

It was another drink before Leia truly started to feel herself relax, and one more after that until she and Han were laughing over stories of their pasts, sitting dangerously close to one another at the Dejarik table. That nagging voice in Leia's head occasionally chimed in, but she silenced it every time with another sip, another giggle, another shift of her hips in Solo's general direction.

"So we hightail it to the Falcon, and this grunt is waiting there thinking he's gonna get a big payday," Han said, in the middle of a story. "And before he even gets a shot at me, Chewie comes up behind him and rips his damn arms out!" He let out a loud laugh and Leia couldn't help but chime in. She found herself close enough to Han that she could smell him, that combination of engine grease and Corellian musk she knew to be distinctively his. As she playfully placed a hand on his chest, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and it felt unnervingly natural.

"What about you, Your Highness? I'm sure you had some crazy adventures before Luke and me pulled you outta the Death Star."

"Before the Death Star, I was a Senator from the time I was 14," she replied dryly. "I'm afraid I didn't have much time for adventures before… all of this. Although I did miss curfew sometimes. And Father said that as a child I constantly slipped away from my instructors and guards."

"Yeah, I bet you were a little hellion," Han said with a grin. "'Sides, leading a rebellion and taking down the Empire is a pretty big adventure, if you ask me. When I was your age, I was still bummin' around the Outer Rim, tryin' to get two credits together for my own ship."

"And that was… how many years ago?" she asked slyly. Han had always avoided any questions of a personal nature, right down to his age, but she had a feeling he might answer tonight.

"Why you wanna know, sweetheart?" he queried charmingly. Upon seeing her disappointed look, he sighed. "Ten years ago. No, wait-11. Damn, I've gotten old."

"I must seem like a child," Leia responded somberly.

"Nah, you're old for your age," Han responded easily. "I always forget you'n Luke are the same age."

Leia flashed him a sad smile. "I'm not sure if that's a compliment. I sometimes wish I had more time for… teenage debauchery. I never imagined things would change so quickly."

Han couldn't stand the tragic look on her face, so without even knowing why, he tightened his grip around her and landed a kiss among the mass of hair on her head. "You're still young," he murmured. "You got plenty of time for debauchery." The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about what he was saying. Instead of being offended, however, Leia seemed to be deep in thought, so he followed it up with a wink to lighten the mood.

Leia pulled back a bit and stared up at him. Her gaze met his, unblinking, for a few moments. For so long, she had dismissed Han as an uncaring mercenary, yet here he was knowing exactly what to say. Again. "Why did you bring me lunch today?" she asked softly, hands playing at the collar of his shirt.

"Cause you never eat enough," he replied unapologetically, playing with the loose tendrils of her hair.

Leia looked up at him. "You care if I don't eat enough?" She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"'Course I care," he finally murmured.

Let things happen, she told herself as her face drifted towards his, her hand reaching into his hair and pulling her closer.

Their lips met gently at first, a careful exploration. Not yet satisfied, Leia pushed for more, opening her mouth and exploring his with her tongue. After a few moments, his hands moved from her shoulders to her waist, pulling her closer as she kissed him like it was the last thing she would do. It was only when she needed to breathe that she pulled away, chest heaving softly, only vaguely wondering what in the seven hells she had done.

"Did… did you just kiss me?" Han sputtered after a moment.

"Ah… no?" Leia replied helplessly, her face feeling unusually warm. He gave her answer a charming smirk, tilting his head at her. Before she could articulate anything else, he was back for more, his lips pressing to hers with a forceful passion as his hands gripped her sides. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life, her mind a jumble of warring thoughts like Too much, too much! and Oh, this is very nice.

"Did you just kiss me?" Leia echoed when they finally broke apart.

The arrogant smirk became an eager grin. "Hell yeah," Han replied eagerly.

Neither of them were sure who initiated the next round of contact, but before either knew what was happening, Leia was on her back on the curved bench and Han was climbing over her. His perfect mouth left her lips and kissed a trail to her neck, teeth lightly nipping the skin there. Leia felt a mild panic as his hands traveled over her body; not because she wanted it to stop, but because she didn't.

And then she stopped thinking, because Han's tongue made its way to her ear, which was shockingly erotic. She let out a surprised whimper and arched her back-

-hitting her head on the holochess table with a thunk.

It ruined the moment, but they both laughed about it lightly while pulling apart, Han rubbing the spot where her head hit the table and then kissing it gently as she apologized repeatedly.

"Not your fault, Princess. This ain't exactly a luxury cruiser. We, ah, might be more comfortable in my bunk," he murmured in her ear.

"Okay," she whispered, barely recognizing the sound of her own voice. She extracted herself from the booth, Han following behind her, and he grasped her hand in his. He was staring at her curiously, like he couldn't quite believe this was actually happening. That makes two of us, Leia mused.