***
 Leaf-turning on Corellia
 2001 Angelia Sparrow
 ***
 
 

 "I've never seen anything like this."  The forest arched above the men, red
 and gold, brown and green.  Violent pink leaves showed on vines that a week
 before had been sedate green-blue.  Tiny rachis ran over the branches, and
 down the tree trunks, gathering the food for the coming dormant season.

 "I can't believe we've been bonded twenty years and I never brought you here for Leaf-turning."

 Luke scuffled his feet in the fallen leaves, listening to their dry rattle.
 "It's amazing."  He stooped to pick up an unusual purple one. "What's this
 one?"

 "That's a flamepetal leaf.  They always turn purple."  Han picked up a
 couple of damp brown ones and rolled them between his hands before holding
 the twist up for Luke to smell.

 "Nice.  Spicy."

 "Vana tree.  Smells exactly like Spice.  You smoke it instead of eat it or
 chew it, and  it just gives a little buzz.  Wila and Ingi used to sneak me
 out of the  house when I was a kid, and we'd sit out here and smoke the
 leaves and watch the rachis."

 "Bet Elka loved that."  Luke was well acquainted with the temper of Han's
 oldest sister.  It had only sharpened with age.

 Han snorted and leaned against a tree.  "You have no idea.  Wila and I'd
 try  to sneak in, but we'd be so buzzed Elka always caught us.  She finally
 got  fed up one Leaf-turning when she'd caught me three times in one week and
 sent me to Grandad."  A cock-eyed grin of memory lit his face.  "Guess
 who'd  taught Ingi how to smoke the leaves."

 Luke laughed and pressed close, catching his mate between the bole of the
 tree and his body.  "Thank you for bringing me.  This is gorgeous."  He
 kissed Han, loving the smell the cool wind had left on his hair, the
 sun-warmed taste of his skin.  The open bantha-leather greatcoat was warm from the sun, and
 soft with age under his hands.  He slid questing hands
 under the shirt.

 Han flinched away from the cold fingers on his stomach and broke the kiss.
 "Your hands are cold."

 "Seems like everything's cold these days."

 "Come in here and warm up."  He relaxed and let Luke lay his hands on his stomach as he
 gathered his mate into his arms, wrapping the greatcoat he wore around both of
 them..  The palms warmed quickly,  but the fingers were still cool when
 they  moved up his chest to toy with the  curly hair, and rub his nipples.
 Luke's  mouth was demanding against his  neck and shoulder, and one leg had found
 its way between Han's and was  pressing solidly, with a nice rocking motion.

 "Here?" Han asked, taken aback by the fierce suddenness of the onslaught.

 "Where better?"

 "Insatiable mind bender," Han whispered between kisses.

 "Irresistible scoundrel."  Luke had his own layers of tunics as well as Han's shirt open, and was
 working on the pants.

 "Gonna just shove me up against a tree and have your way with me?"

 "You want me to?"  Luke pulled Han down to kneel on the forest floor with
 him.  "I'd rather do this."  Letting Han brace against the tree, Luke
 pressed in close, opening his own pants.

 The leaves swirled around them as they made love against the tree.  The
 afternoon light slanted golden through the trees, gilding Luke's hair to
 remembered youth, tipping Han's own iron-grey strands with gold.

 They slumped in each other's arms, still wrapped in the coat,
the air cooling as the purple shadows of the woods began
to lengthen.  Slowly, joints creaking from staying in
 one position too long, they rose and began the walk back to Elka's house.

 "Wait a second."  Han stared at the ground, and tracked the depth of the
 purple leaves, pulling Luke along by the hand.  "There it is."

 The trees twined around each other, their yellow bark grown together in
 places until the trunks were inseparable.  The foliage had turned from
 green to the dark purple, and the two-lobed leaves were starting to pile in
 drifts around the roots.

 A single golden flower bloomed on a low branch, its outer petals already
 drooping with anticipated frost.

 "The last flamepetal of the year."  Han reached up and plucked it.  It
 filled his cupped hands, and its scent wafted over them, rich and sweet.
 Luke covered Han's hands with his own, and looked at his mate.

 "Make a wish," Han said.  "It's good luck to wish on the last one of the season with your lover."

 "Forever," Luke said, the word affirmation, promise and wish all at once.

 "Forever," Han agreed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  He
 leaned over the flower and Luke met him halfway.

 The first star of the evening appeared through the canopy of leaves hanging
 in the dark blue sky like a seal on the promise.
 
 

 *end*