Week 10: By numbers
(Talon Karrde, Shada D'ukal)
One
The first kiss was a joke. Literally. Once a year, business aboard the Wild Karrde came to a halt for Corellian Fleet Week Festival and everybody who was anybody in the Smuggler's Alliance was there. By tradition, any captain caught without a drink in hand when the Heron Horn sounded was obligated to capitulate to his crew.
Shada D'ukal was later informed that Talon Karrde had never been caught empty-handed until the year that she attended on his arm. Coincidence? Possibly. But he indulged the chants of "Kiss her!" without hesitation and the kiss didn't end when the Horn stopped.
Two
The second kiss was in the privacy of his cabin and, if asked to recount the experience, she'd remember that she'd been shaking. Maybe it was because she'd been burned by men before. Maybe it was because she and Talon were alone and she was wondering if he'd meant it when he'd held her in his arms at the party. Or maybe it was the earnest way he looked at her, the reverent way his lips brushed her fingers, the gentle way he cradled her head… Maybe because everything about him told her that he'd meant every second of it.
Three
The third kiss was on the dance floor at Luke and Mara's wedding. During the reception, they danced at an appropriately chaste distance to stave off gossip, but after the new couple made their departure and the lights went down, he led them into a discrete corner and pulled her close. His suit coat was stiff against her satin dress and she brushed her fingers through his hair as they swayed together. Under the cover of darkness and foliage, he leaned down, trailing his lips lightly over her neck and bare shoulders and she no longer cared who saw them.
Four
The fourth kiss burned her mouth when she pressed it against his feverish forehead. He was alternately hot to the touch or drenched in cold sweat, all the while protesting that he wasn't sick and did not need a nurse. Damn stubborn man. She called a doctor even though he told her not to and threatened to put him in a Baragwin headlock if he didn't take his medicine.
He tossed fitfully in his sleep and she held his hand and wiped his face with cool cloths. Two days later, her name was his first coherent word when he awoke.
Five
The fifth kiss started in the weapons hold and moved into the cargo bay. The rest of the crew were out on a supply run and they were getting ready to join them, but somewhere in the midst of checking the levels on blaster charges, the guns and comms suddenly seemed to lose importance. The travel bags were forgotten with the ammo and their jackets got discarded among the spare engine parts. They made it to her cabin, barely, before shedding boots and belts - everything else ended up tangled in the sheets.
The kisses after that? She lost count.