With this short story I want to please who voted Han and Luke in the survey! Hope you'll enjoy (-;

The Falcon's ramp shut behind them, leaving outside the sand that whirled in the hot desert air.

Lando and Luke left Chewie, who was being half dragged because of an injury, on the first passenger seat. Leia led Han to the second one and said that she was going to have a sonic shower and change. She kissed Han on the cheek and let Luke soothe her with a quick embrace, then she disappeared: she needed to get rid of the traumas she had endured in Jabba's palace.

"We'll stay here tonight" Lando said as soon as the girl was gone. "We need a copilot, Chewie is hurt and Luke and I need to use the other ships: we must wait for Han to recover" .

Han bit back a curse and covered his blind eyes with one hand. "I'm sorry, guys" he said. "I'll do my best".

"No worries" Lando replied reassuringly, lightly patting his friend's shoulder. "Just rest and everything'll be alright".

"Would you like me to help you to your bunk?" Luke suggested.

"I can patch Chewie up in the meantime" Lando added, avoiding the wokiee's distrustful glare.

"Alright" Han agreed as he tried to turn his head towards Luke's (supposed) position.

"Come on" he heard the boy's voice say.

Han outstretched his arms and let his younger friend hold his shoulders to help him stand up. He moved his first uncertain steps until he felt he had passed by Lando's seat, so he waited for Luke to come in front of him.

"Are you there, Han?" Luke asked.

"Are you walking... backwards?".

"Of course! I don't want you to fall and land on your face".

"By the nine Corellian hells" the former smuggler muttered. "Don't let me fall".

"No, trust me" Luke chuckled. He hold his friend's forearms so that he could feel safer, and was sure that Han was relaxing visibly.

Step by step, the two friends made it to the bunk without any particular problems. Luke stopped Han in front of the bed and held him as he let himself fall on the mattress.

The blinded man lay on the blankets with a sigh of relief and made himself comfortable. When he found the perfect position he stared silently at the ceiling - or, better, at the void.

Now that the adrenaline had vanished, he was terrified: he was blind and weak because of the hibernation and he was afraid of falling asleep. He knew, rationally, that sleep wasn't like the empty nothingness he had experienced for months, but he couldn't persuade himself. He didn't want to go back in that limbo.

"You're afraid" Luke stated suddenly. "Why?".

Han shook his head; he almost didn't remember that his friend was still there. He breathed in and out, taking his time before answering.

"Have you ever tried to feel absolutely nothing? All black, all silence... not a sensation... have you tried?" he asked.
He felt the mattress flex and acknowledged that Luke was now sitting beside him.

"No" the boy admitted softly. "Not as you said it".

"I've felt nothing for six months" Han murmured. "I'm afraid that it'll be like before if I fall asleep. And if I'm blind when I wake up, I'll panic".

"I understand" Luke said, and Han imagined he was nodding his head. "Do you want me to stay here? If I speak when you wake up, you'll understand that you have all your senses back"

"Would be great" the smuggler replied, smiling to the void. "Thanks".
He lifted one hand to squeeze Luke's shoulder in a gesture of gratitude, but he only hit a shelf. He heard the boy chuckle and made a fake offended expression.

"You're making fun of a poor blind man?"he asked as he started laughing himself.

"Of course not! It's just... you were beating down that shelf with such a conviction that...".

"Alright, alright".
Han suddenly fell silent and let out a sigh.
"I wish I could see again" he murmured.

He felt Luke's hand reach his shoulder and squeeze it.

"You'll be good as new in no time" the Jedi stated.

"It'll be just as in the carbonite until I can't see" Han muttered. "It's so stressful. I want to be sure I'm alive again...".

"Try to be more optimist" Luke suggested. "Think about how happy you will be when you see Leia".

Han sighed dreamily. "Had I seen her... maybe I would have given her a real kiss".

"You'll have time for that".

"Tell me about Leia. I missed a lot... I can't see if she's changed, how she looks at me, if...".

Somehow Han knew Luke was smiling, he managed to imagine two dimples appear on the kid's cheeks.

"She hasn't changed that much" the boy said. "She keeps letting her hair grow, she's always keen on those white dresses... maybe you'll see her older, that's it. These last months have been hard, but I'm sure she'll be happier now that you are here".

"Did you and Lando take care of her?" Han asked. He hated the pleading tone in his voice, but he wasn't ashamed in those particular circumstances.

"I did my best" he heard, and he understood that Luke had bowed his head or turned to face the wall. "Actually it was her who helped me a lot. Even without you she was the strongest of us all".

"I need to see her" Han sighed. "I miss her. I need to look at her in the eyes, Luke... I want to see her smile".

The voice of the stoic smuggler, of the man who was always ready to face every cruelty of the life with a joke, cracked on the last word.

Luke couldn't resist at the sight of his best friend in that state. He helped him sit up and greeted him in a wokiee hug, trying to make him feel, since he couldn't show him, that he would always be with him.

Almost one hour passed before Han surrendered and fell asleep, exhausted and weakened by the hibernation. Using the Force Luke made his friend see Leia in his dreams: he saw him smile as he rested, and felt happy.