intermediate ✰ luke skywalker

031

"I'm doing my best, babe. How's this?"

"Worse, stop—"

Thankfully, a series of amused beeps interrupted them, Artoo proudly extending a nifty laser gun and breaking through the steel clasps. The three of them raced towards the stairs, rescuing a hapless Threepio on the way. They reached the deck, Luke spotting them immediately and shouting at them.

"Get the gun! Point it at the deck!"

Leia mounted the barge canon quickly, rotating so that she was facing the deck. Luke was there in an instant, wrapping an arm around her waist, his other hand clutching one of the mast's rigging ropes.

"Avery!" Leia called, grabbing the other girl's hand in hers.

"Not a good idea. He can't carry us both," she protested.

"I most definitely can. Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight," he replied.

She sighed, doing as he ordered, feeling her wrists burn when she struggled to stay secured around him as they soared through the air. She was proud to have only stumbled during their landing.

"Let's go. Don't forget the droids."

She turned to see the sail barge exploding behind them, flames consuming the heaps of steel and wood. In the stolen skiff, they navigated around the fire. Artoo and Threepio were retrieved rather quickly, and a collective sigh of relief could be heard as they finally departed from the chaos.

She collapsed onto the floor, closing her eyes and breathing hard. The sand did nothing to ease the pain she felt all over her skin, her bandages becoming dirtied as they flew. No one said anything for a long moment. Han had been the first to break the silence.

"So, we gained someone," he muttered to Luke, the young Jedi pulled from his thoughtful gazing by the statement.

At last, he let himself take in her appearance. She felt a wave of insecurity crash over her, and she attempted to shield herself from his calculating eyes. He sighed, kneeling down to face her better.

"Tell me what happened," he pleaded, gently trailing his fingers down the cloth wrapped around her neck. "You've been crying since I first saw you."

The declaration startled her, and she brought a hand up to feel at her face. It was puffy, she noted, and still damp from the tears she'd never realized she'd allowed to escape.

"They said it'd heal soon," she reasoned, trying to close in on herself.

Luke placed a knee between her thighs, leaning forward and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We don't have to talk about it right now," he offered, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip, "But don't shut me out, okay?"

She nodded, some of the tension leaving her body, and she gladly accepted the invitation for a hug. Burying her face into his neck, she sighed. He was so warm, so safe, and she never wanted to leave his side again.

"Thanks for the introduction, kid," Han muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sorry," the other boy replied sheepishly, "Han, this is—"

"Thanks, but I can do that. Avery Adams; former university student, current member of the scouting division, girlfriend to Leia Organa. I know you can't see right now, so I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm much more attractive than whatever you're imagining. Did I miss anything, Luke?"

From behind Han, Leia masked her giggle as a scoff, her hand coming up to conceal the small smirk on her face. Luke looked moderately bothered, though he seemed more relieved that she'd regained some of her humor, and simply let out a sigh. Han, for his part, was trying to sort through the information she'd unloaded onto him, quietly repeating everything she'd just said. He squinted, turning around to face Leia.