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Their hands almost touched on the control panel. Lando could sense the energy sparkling in between their pinkies, only about a centimeter apart, and he knew Luke could feel it too. Luke felt everything so strongly, in good and bad.
This, hopefully, was good.
They’d be in hyperspace for a while more. No one ever said hunting down a hunter was easy, and this Ochi of Bestoon clearly had experience in evading pursuers. And that meant plenty of time to catch up and talk. They really needed to talk. They both knew they did.
They had had feelings for each other, once upon a time, after the war. It had gotten pretty serious too. They had even planned a future together.
And then life happened.
Lando inhaled through his nose and stroked his mustache. One of them had to start talking soon. Luke’s eyes were somewhere far, far away. There was nothing to see in hyperspace, but Lando knew him well enough to be able to tell it wasn’t the hyperspace he was watching.
And Luke still hadn’t pulled his hand away.
Like always, he was so close, yet so far.
How silly it was, to miss someone who was sitting right next to you. And yet here Lando was, wondering what could’ve been if things had gone differently.
Well, dwelling on it wasn’t going to get either of them anywhere. It was time to bite the blaster bolt.
Lando cleared his throat. “Luke?”
Luke blinked, as if snapping awake from a trance. “Yeah?”
“I, um…” Lando coughed again and gestured between the two of them. “Did you ever… wonder if anything might’ve come… you know, of us?”
Luke stared at him in surprise, and Lando could’ve sworn he blushed. Kind of like he used to when he was younger. When they both were younger. It looked both funny and endearing with the beard.
“I did, yeah,” Luke said finally. “Lately I’ve been thinking about us quite a bit, actually. If I chose the right path in the first place.”
Lando chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. “Funny how it was never the right place or the right time. You always had your Jedi stuff, and then I had Cloud City and what should’ve been a family…”
Lando didn’t even realize he was tearing up before Luke squeezed his hand.
“Lando, I’m so sorry,” Luke said. “I should’ve been there for you so much more back when… back when it happened.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Lando answered sternly. “You had your own stuff to worry about.”
Luke only squeezed tighter. This was the longest they had held hands in years.
“I know, but…” Luke made a face. Lando could sense the guilt. “I still feel like I abandoned you, in a time when you needed me the most.”
Lando sighed and shook his head with a fond smile. “Listen, sweetheart, I’m not gonna blame you for prioritizing trying to keep the new Jedi from falling apart.”
Now Luke turned in his seat to properly face Lando. Sometimes it was so hard to believe he was only in his early forties. The beard really aged him a lot.
“Still,” Luke insisted and reached out to grab Lando’s other hand as well. There clearly was some of that youthful vigor left in him that once upon a time had been so attractive to Lando. “I’ll make it up to you, properly. I promise. When this is over, I’ll take you out and woo you the way you deserve.”
Lando couldn’t help but laugh. It had been a long time since someone had last wooed him like they meant it.
“I’m a man of expensive taste, remember that,” he winked. “Think you can handle that?”
Luke shrugged with a grin. “I’m a creative person, Lando. I think I can manage just fine.”
“Alright then,” Lando said. “When this is over, I’m all yours.”
Forever, he wanted to add. And Luke knew it, Lando was sure. The way his eyes softened left little to imagination. Luke had never been one to hide his feelings. He really was a bad influence on that account.
But they would go on that date. They would have a second chance at building their lives together. Nothing would stop them.
At least Lando hoped so.