Chapter Text
Chewie is already grown by the time Ben is born. He’s had his fair share of adventures already with Han and Leia—like the time he got lost in Yellowstone for three days before they found him, covered in dirt with squirrel fur stuck in his teeth. He trots excitedly around Leia’s swollen ankles as she rubs her protruding belly. It won’t be long now.
He thinks maybe his days for adventures are over.
But there are new adventures—resting lightly on his paws over the edge of the crib to see baby Ben sleeping, nudging him awake and then licking him till he giggles. Chewie loves the joyful giggle that Ben gets when he licks him.
He knows they’re going to be the best of friends.
When Ben learns how to walk, it’s a little bit painful. He sometimes pulls on Chewie’s fur to help himself stand. But Chewie takes it all in stride, and soon enough, he’s trotting after Ben as he runs around the house.
Han and Leia laugh as they take pictures.
Chewie is not fond of the mushy food they feed Ben. He’s learned that the hard way, after licking orange goo off the little one’s face. Disgusting.
When Ben is able to talk more, he tells Chewie things. He talks about the other kids in preschool and how they think he’s weird. “But that’s okay, because you’re my best friend, Chewie.”
It’s a chilly autumn day when Han is at work and Leia is in the kitchen baking cookies that their friendship is truly tested. Chewie barks out a warning, seeing that Ben is reaching for the toy airplane that has fallen into the pool. The cover has come off of the edge from the high winds. Of course the stubborn Solo boy won’t listen to him.
He falls right in.
Chewie wastes no time, bounding down the deck steps to go in and rescue his best friend, pulling at his sopping shirt by the neck and dragging him as best he can to the edge where a distraught Leia helps pull him out.
It’s you and me, kid. He thinks as he curls up next to a drying Ben by the fire, contentedly eating one of the freshly baked cookies.
He’s older now—his fur a bit shaggier and his eyesight not what it used to be. Still, he follows Ben everywhere.
In the winter time, the Solo family goes to their lake cabin, so Han can do a little ice fishing. It’s a tradition they’ve had ever since Chewie can remember.
Ben is a happy kid—smart and quick, if still a little weird. He has a couple of friends now that come over from time to time, including a little girl who wears her hair in three buns. Chewie thinks he’s sweet on her, but they’re still young. They’ve got all the time in the world to figure that out.
He lumbers after his favorite boy in the snow, and Ben lifts his arm for Chewie to come snuggle underneath. It’s shaping up to be an especially cold winter—and though he’s not sure how many he has left—he’s never felt more warm than cuddled up next to his favorite human in the galaxy.
It’s you and me, kid.