First Kiss: Variations On A Theme

Beauty and the Mech

~by LadyZelthePen

Artoo rolled to a stop when his sensors picked up the clanging sounds from inside the Twilight. He double-checked the time- it was well past 1200, night cycle time. There wasn't supposed to be anyone in the hangar, except for the occasional clone patrolling around, but they didn't do anything with the ships at this hour.

He rolled up to the ramp and stopped, his sensors waiting. There was another clang, followed by a vaguely familiar voice. "Blast it!"

Artoo had to investigate. He rolled up the ramp into the dim interior of the Twilight and looked around. There was no one in the main hold, but he did see…legs?

His view scan confirmed they were legs. And not just any legs; he knew them well. Artoo rolled into the cockpit and stopped. The legs were coming out from underneath the console, and so were the sounds. He whistled once in questioning, and after a moment, Ahsoka squirmed out.

"Hey Artooie," she greeted with a wave, pushing the goggles up onto her forehead. "How you doing?"

Artoo switched on his holo-projector, showcasing the time. Ahsoka frowned.

"That late already? Great…" She glanced at the little droid. "Guess you're thinking I should be in bed, huh?"

He rolled forward, bumping her leg with an accompaniment of droid talk.

"I know I should be in bed, but…" Ahsoka shrugged. "Master was trying to fix the hyper-drive on the Twilight earlier, but something's really stuck in there. I thought I'd give it a try."
She pulled out a hydro-spanner from the tool box. "It's not going that well, I guess. I can't even find the problem." Ahsoka tapped a sienna finger against her chin. "Say, Artooie, do you think you can plug into the system and find the issue? It would mean the world to me."

Artoo rolled backward with a low whistle. Ahsoka cocked her head to the side, hands on her hips.

"Oh come on, Artoo. I could really use your help. Think of it as a surprise for Master."

He turned around, whistling some more, and started down the ramp of the Twilight. She needed to get her rest, and there was no way he was going to end up her partner in crime just because-

"Please Artooie?" She caught up with him, stepping in front of him. Artoo stopped, adjusting his one eye to look up at her again. Ahsoka clasped her hands together in a pleading fashion, putting a slight pout to her lips. "Would you do it for me? I promise I'll go to bed immediately afterward." Ahsoka clasped her hands together in a pleading fashion, putting a slight pout to her lips.

Artoo sighed, even though it sounded more like another whistle. Ahsoka grinned.

"Thanks Artooie, you're the best!"

She leaned over and kissed the top of his dome. The little droid stood completely still for three standard seconds, and then he straightened. All of the instruments hidden behind his panel shot out, and Ahsoka took a step back. Artoo rolled around in a circle, emitting whistles and beeps of excitement.

Ahsoka just laughed.

"No, I don't think you're telling the truth." Threepio smacked Artoo upside the dome. "Why would Padawan Tano want to kiss you is beyond me. You should really stop making up these ridiculous stories."

Artoo stopped mid-roll and looked up at his golden friend.

"And stop looking at me like that. I don't have time to listen to your nonsense, Artoo. You might as well just forget all about it." Threepio sighed and continued on.

Artoo whistled mournfully, and then turned and went back up the hallway. Threepio was just jealous because Artoo had gotten the first kiss. Ah well… Artoo selected the component from his memory bank and titled it, then slipped it back into his 'Untouchable'.

"'First Kiss' saved to memory," the little female voice in his dome said.