Coffee-stained Streets

Why We Love Cats

photo by pavel dvorak

This Must Be the Place - Brendon Burton

Depressed Earth 2 Superman: Everything on ur earth is a corrupted version of mine it all sucks

Bruce: excuse u but my son is the objectively most perfect son out all the possible universes

DE2S: shit…ur right…

“I see four pups in your future, more by bond than blood.”  she’d said.  The math wasn’t hard, one by blood- that could wait until he found a wife- and three he’d have to go find himself.

A good future he thought, one he intended to earn.

1

Sometime during that first mad escape from Mimban he realizes Han Solo is a dangerous mix of smart and stupid.  He is honest though, at least to Chewbacca, and didn’t treat him like the animal other humans did.

But he clearly needs looking after.  

Not long after he thinks this Han saves his life.  If anyone asks Chewbacca will tell them that’s why he follows Solo, a life debt is a serious thing.

But in truth it has more to do with the kindness hidden under the jokes and facade of toughness.  This one has been alone his whole life and is still good at his core.

And if he is honest with himself, he had decided he was keeping this one the moment he grunted out an escape plan for them both in truly terrible garbled Shyriiwook.

Now he just has to teach Han not to talk his way into anything he can’t talk  his way out of.

2

Luke Skywalker is shockingly naive the first time Chewbacca met him. Newly orphaned, for a second time, he still looked around with wide guileless eyes that got him in trouble almost immediately.

When Han takes the job from Luke and the Jedi not even trying to pretend he isn’t one Chewbacca knows this job will be different.  

He did not anticipate exactly how different.

Han fidgets restlessly and grumbles to himself.  Chewbacca does not say anything, but he keys the coordinates for Yavin into the hyperdrive.  He doesn’t submit them.  Not yet.

“Kriff.” Han hisses.  “I must be crazy.”

Now he submits them to the navicomputer.

“We need to go back.” Han says, dumping them out of hyperspace.  Chewbacca immediately begins wheeling the ship around just as the navicomputer spits out a route.

Han looks from the computer to him. His mouth twists like he doesn’t know whether to frown or smile.  

In the end all he does is say “Right, let’s go make sure Luke doesn’t get himself killed.” and takes them to lightspeed again.

A very real concern, Luke is altogether too sure he’s the storybook hero.  

They’ll have to teach him to take better care of himself.

3

“Can someone get this walking carpet out of my way?”

He doesn’t respond.  The girl is angry. So angry she is lashing out at everyone even her rescuers.  He can only begin to imagine how she feels.  His home is imprisoned, trapped in the Empire’s iron grip.  He know what it is to mourn a homeworld in chains.  

He cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose his world entirely.

Later, after they have escaped and are on their way to Yavin Leia comes to find him alone in the cockpit.

“I’m sorry,” she says, quietly.  Her rage cooled for now.  “About earlier.  I shouldn’t have insulted you like that. Especially when you risked your life to rescue me.  I just-”

All at once whatever blocks she had in place fail.  Her eyes tear up and she whispers, “They’re dead.”  She covers her mouth for a moment, like she wants to deny what she’s said.  But the tears flow harder and she continues.  “They’re all dead.  Everyone-”

Words fail her then, but she stands there weeping silently for a moment, before Chewbacca simply scoops her up and holds her in his lap.

(She’s such a tiny thing, full to bursting with anger and sorrow)

He rocks her gently, and croons calming nonsense, and lets her cry and cling to him.

This is not the first hug she’s given him.  It will not be the last, but with luck there will not be more this full of pain.

“You cannot muscle your way through grief,” he tells her, even though he knows she doesn’t understand.  “You must weather it instead.”