For trope_bingo
Jan. 21st, 2019 02:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Cry
Summary: A moment of comfort changes everything.
Prompt: Rivals to Lovers
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author’s Notes: Not completely happy with this, as it does feel rushed, and I don’t know if I got their voices down, but hey — at least I got something for trope_bingo down.
It was in the midst of trying to get back to sleep (another nightmare about Proxima) that Qi’ra heard a faint sob, fainter than faint, like it was trying to be stifled, but a sob nonetheless. Qi’ra got up in that moment, headed towards the source of the sound, and it was there that she saw Leia, her face buried in her hands.
“Your Worship...” Qi’ra began, hesitantly. How exactly did she address Leia? Han liked to address her as that just to wind her up, not that Qi’ra approved. In terms of trying to win Leia over, this wasn’t exactly what Qi’ra would call “helpful” — even though they did clash.
Leia raised her head. Her hair was slightly coming undone, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked terrible, Qi’ra thought sympathetically, though she was still very pretty — striking, actually.
“What do you want, Qi’ra?” she said.
“I was checking on you,” Qi’ra said. “Making sure you were all right.”
“Fine,” Leia said, curtly. “Just...”
She broke off. Qi’ra knew that it was whatever had happened on the Death Star. Whatever had happened. She would be damned if she knew what happened, but...
“I’m sorry,” Qi’ra said. “Whatever happened...you’re stronger than they ever were. You’re a hero, Leia.”
“I couldn’t save them...”
Qi’ra could remember the horror of seeing the floating remains of Alderaan floating outside the viewport of the Falcon. Another atrocity by the Empire. She bit her lip. “Tarkin did it,” she said. “And he’s dead now. Like he deserves to be.”
Leia nodded. “He actually said it was my homeplanet or some other planet. And he destroyed Alderaan anyway.”
“Leia...”
“I’m all right. It’s just a bad dream...I don’t have time for my sorrows; I shouldn’t even be telling you this...”
“You don’t have to hide anything from us, Leia,” Qi’ra said. “I promise.”
Leia nodded, faintly. “Thank you. You know,” and here she smiled a bit, “You’re not as bad as your partner.”
Qi’ra laughed. “He’s not that bad when you get to know him.”
Leia sighed. “Probably.” A beat. “So, talk to me. About anything. Anything at all.”
Qi’ra did. About some of the adventures that she and Han had had. Meeting Enfys Nest and her group of fighters, and so much more. Leia seemed impressed all the while. “Sounds like an impressive woman. I like her.” A beat. “You too, Qi’ra.”
And Qi’ra wouldn’t deny that there was something about that that made her heart flip.
***
Three years passed. Leia wouldn’t deny that there was something about watching Han and Qi’ra together where she didn’t know which one she was more jealous of. Qi’ra, for having a man like Han, or Han, for having someone wonderful like Qi’ra. Jealousy of one she could deal with. Jealousy of both? How did she handle that?
Han and Qi’ra had to leave, of course, to pay off Jabba. It would have been easy to say that they were just useful. Han saw through that right away, though.
“You want us to stay because of how you feel about us, don’t you?”
Leia’s heart froze in her throat. Then, “What? I — you’re together — why would I want both of you?”
Qi’ra was the one who stepped forward. “You’re not interfering,” she said. “In fact, Leia...you could say we want to try our hand at rescuing the princess.”
Leia froze. Then, "I’m not used to this. I like nice...beings.”
“And we’re not nice?” Han teased.
“No, you’re not. But — ”
Qi’ra smiled. “Just think about it, Leia."
“Don’t go.” Leia felt, suddenly, more vulnerable than ever.
“We’ve got you.”
***
It was in the Falcon, while they were doing repairs in the belly of the cave, that Leia tried to concentrate on doing repairs, but she couldn’t help but think of Han, of Qi’ra. They shouldn’t be distracting her so much, and yet here they were. Just think about it, Leia.
She couldn’t afford to. And yet...
Footsteps. Han and Qi’ra. Two people she wanted to see and yet didn’t. “How’s the repairs?” Qi’ra said.
“A little difficult.”
“Need some help?”
No. No, I can’t. And yet...
Han stepped forward. “It goes like this, y’know...”
One injured pair of hands later, and Leia drew one of them up to her mouth. Han took them, and Leia stared at him. “Stop that. My hands are dirty.”
“You think we care?” Qi’ra said. “You still look beautiful.”
Leia wouldn’t deny that her heart fluttered at Qi’ra’s words.
“There’s a good reason you don’t want us to go,” Han said. “Because of how you feel about us. Both of us. Is that right?”
Leia’s heart was already beating rapidly. Then, “Both of you.”
Han’s kiss could have made her heart feel like it had burst into bloom. He kissed her with confidence, like he had done this before, and —
He drew away, and Leia was gasping for breath. Qi’ra’s kiss was softer, more tender, and yet in a way it was like being kissed by Han, kissed by someone who knew what they were doing.
“Sir! Ma’am! I’ve isolated the reverse power coupling!”
Qi’ra and Leia drew away, Han turning around to observe an overeager Threepio. “Thank you,” he snapped. “Thank you very much.”
“Oh, you’re perfectly welcome, sir,” Threepio said, shuffling away.
Qi’ra sighed. “Well, we best get to repairs. And then...well, why don’t we spend more time with our princess?” she teased.
Leia smiled. If nothing else, she was looking forward to it.
Summary: A moment of comfort changes everything.
Prompt: Rivals to Lovers
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author’s Notes: Not completely happy with this, as it does feel rushed, and I don’t know if I got their voices down, but hey — at least I got something for trope_bingo down.
It was in the midst of trying to get back to sleep (another nightmare about Proxima) that Qi’ra heard a faint sob, fainter than faint, like it was trying to be stifled, but a sob nonetheless. Qi’ra got up in that moment, headed towards the source of the sound, and it was there that she saw Leia, her face buried in her hands.
“Your Worship...” Qi’ra began, hesitantly. How exactly did she address Leia? Han liked to address her as that just to wind her up, not that Qi’ra approved. In terms of trying to win Leia over, this wasn’t exactly what Qi’ra would call “helpful” — even though they did clash.
Leia raised her head. Her hair was slightly coming undone, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked terrible, Qi’ra thought sympathetically, though she was still very pretty — striking, actually.
“What do you want, Qi’ra?” she said.
“I was checking on you,” Qi’ra said. “Making sure you were all right.”
“Fine,” Leia said, curtly. “Just...”
She broke off. Qi’ra knew that it was whatever had happened on the Death Star. Whatever had happened. She would be damned if she knew what happened, but...
“I’m sorry,” Qi’ra said. “Whatever happened...you’re stronger than they ever were. You’re a hero, Leia.”
“I couldn’t save them...”
Qi’ra could remember the horror of seeing the floating remains of Alderaan floating outside the viewport of the Falcon. Another atrocity by the Empire. She bit her lip. “Tarkin did it,” she said. “And he’s dead now. Like he deserves to be.”
Leia nodded. “He actually said it was my homeplanet or some other planet. And he destroyed Alderaan anyway.”
“Leia...”
“I’m all right. It’s just a bad dream...I don’t have time for my sorrows; I shouldn’t even be telling you this...”
“You don’t have to hide anything from us, Leia,” Qi’ra said. “I promise.”
Leia nodded, faintly. “Thank you. You know,” and here she smiled a bit, “You’re not as bad as your partner.”
Qi’ra laughed. “He’s not that bad when you get to know him.”
Leia sighed. “Probably.” A beat. “So, talk to me. About anything. Anything at all.”
Qi’ra did. About some of the adventures that she and Han had had. Meeting Enfys Nest and her group of fighters, and so much more. Leia seemed impressed all the while. “Sounds like an impressive woman. I like her.” A beat. “You too, Qi’ra.”
And Qi’ra wouldn’t deny that there was something about that that made her heart flip.
***
Three years passed. Leia wouldn’t deny that there was something about watching Han and Qi’ra together where she didn’t know which one she was more jealous of. Qi’ra, for having a man like Han, or Han, for having someone wonderful like Qi’ra. Jealousy of one she could deal with. Jealousy of both? How did she handle that?
Han and Qi’ra had to leave, of course, to pay off Jabba. It would have been easy to say that they were just useful. Han saw through that right away, though.
“You want us to stay because of how you feel about us, don’t you?”
Leia’s heart froze in her throat. Then, “What? I — you’re together — why would I want both of you?”
Qi’ra was the one who stepped forward. “You’re not interfering,” she said. “In fact, Leia...you could say we want to try our hand at rescuing the princess.”
Leia froze. Then, "I’m not used to this. I like nice...beings.”
“And we’re not nice?” Han teased.
“No, you’re not. But — ”
Qi’ra smiled. “Just think about it, Leia."
“Don’t go.” Leia felt, suddenly, more vulnerable than ever.
“We’ve got you.”
***
It was in the Falcon, while they were doing repairs in the belly of the cave, that Leia tried to concentrate on doing repairs, but she couldn’t help but think of Han, of Qi’ra. They shouldn’t be distracting her so much, and yet here they were. Just think about it, Leia.
She couldn’t afford to. And yet...
Footsteps. Han and Qi’ra. Two people she wanted to see and yet didn’t. “How’s the repairs?” Qi’ra said.
“A little difficult.”
“Need some help?”
No. No, I can’t. And yet...
Han stepped forward. “It goes like this, y’know...”
One injured pair of hands later, and Leia drew one of them up to her mouth. Han took them, and Leia stared at him. “Stop that. My hands are dirty.”
“You think we care?” Qi’ra said. “You still look beautiful.”
Leia wouldn’t deny that her heart fluttered at Qi’ra’s words.
“There’s a good reason you don’t want us to go,” Han said. “Because of how you feel about us. Both of us. Is that right?”
Leia’s heart was already beating rapidly. Then, “Both of you.”
Han’s kiss could have made her heart feel like it had burst into bloom. He kissed her with confidence, like he had done this before, and —
He drew away, and Leia was gasping for breath. Qi’ra’s kiss was softer, more tender, and yet in a way it was like being kissed by Han, kissed by someone who knew what they were doing.
“Sir! Ma’am! I’ve isolated the reverse power coupling!”
Qi’ra and Leia drew away, Han turning around to observe an overeager Threepio. “Thank you,” he snapped. “Thank you very much.”
“Oh, you’re perfectly welcome, sir,” Threepio said, shuffling away.
Qi’ra sighed. “Well, we best get to repairs. And then...well, why don’t we spend more time with our princess?” she teased.
Leia smiled. If nothing else, she was looking forward to it.
