*The level of steamy in this chapter is open to your interpretation, so read into it as little or as much as you'd like ;)
~months prior, on Onderon~
It was late by the time Ahsoka and Lux left the royal palace. Ahsoka was tired, but she wasn't ready for the day to end. Dancing at the ball with Lux felt magical, and she didn't want it to be over so soon. She sensed that Lux was having similar thoughts.
Lux held the door for her as she stepped inside and started turning on the lights.
"You still have that to-do list, right?" she asked. If she remembered correctly, there were still a number of things on it that they hadn't gotten to do the first time before Ahsoka was called back to Coruscant.
"You bet," Lux said. A devilish grin crept across his face. "And I know just the thing."
"Do I get to know what it is?"
He shook his head. "Nope. You still have that swimsuit from last time, right?" She nodded. "Good, put that on."
Swimsuit? A visit to the lake isn't quite what she had in mind, but nevertheless, it meant spending time with him. She gave him a quick kiss before going upstairs and changing. She was glad she had left the swimsuit at the cottage when she left the first time. Her motivation for doing so was to avoid the inevitable questioning from her master when he saw that she had it, which wouldn't occur if he never saw it. She didn't think she'd actually use it again.
She threw on Lux's t-shirt and stared at her lightsabers sitting on the bed. Should she take them? The chance that she would need them was low, and they wouldn't be accessible to her when she was in the lake, anyway. She didn't sense anything amiss, so she decided to leave them behind. Besides, no Jedi was ever truly weaponless; she had the force and her training to rely on if there was a problem.
Ahsoka waltzed downstairs and met him outside. Instead of walking out to the lake like they usually did, Lux hopped on the back of a speeder.
She raised an eyebrow. "Can't we just walk?"
"I want to take you to a special spot this time."
It only took them a few minutes to reach their destination. Lux stopped in a small clearing next to a cliff overlooking the lake. It was dark, but Ahsoka could see the lights from their cottage across the lake.
"It's prettier during the day time," he said, helping her off the speeder.
She took a few steps toward the edge of the cliff. It wasn't that high up, but it was difficult to judge the depth of the water below. Based on how big the lake was and the way it met the land on this side, it was probably safe to jump. Why else would Lux have taken her there?
"Senator Bonteri cliff diving? How adventurous," she joked.
He laughed. "My friends tried to get me to do it for years. Not at this particular cliff, of course, but it's a tradition to go cliff diving during the fireworks show. I've always just sat and watched from home with my family."
Ahsoka understood. He'd always spent the holiday with his parents, and this was the first one he'd have to celebrate without them. She laced her fingers in his. "Well, far be it from me to stand in the way of tradition."
"It's a rite of passage of sorts," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "There's a catch, if you're up for it."
"What kind of catch?"
He chuckled. "Our clothes stay here for the duration of the fireworks show."
"Oh." She glanced around briefly. It was dark enough that no one would see them from a distance, but she was still wary. If she needed to jump back into her Jedi protector role, it was probably best that she have at least something covering her. "I think it's best if I don't observe that part, just in case."
He nodded. "Okay. You're the boss." He slipped his shirt over his chest and folded it on top of the speeder.
Ahsoka smiled. He was just as tidy in the middle of the night on a cliff as he was at work. She'd never understand how he had the patience to be so meticulous with these things.
She followed suit and folded her shirt next to his.
"We should probably get in soon," he said. "The fireworks are probably going to start any minute."
She took his hand and looked up at him. "Together?"
"Always."
Ahsoka clutched his hand as they ran to the edge and jumped. As her body hit the water, Lux let go, and she felt her top slide up from the impact. She swore as she came up for air. She must not have tied the knot tight enough, because her top was floating in the water in front of her.
Lux came up for air next to her, beaming.
"Well that was fun," he said. He noticed her top. "Wait a minute, I thought you said–"
"I did. I guess the lake had other plans." She debated putting it back on, but, against her better judgement, she picked it up and tossed it on top of a nearby rock sticking out of the water. "Tradition, it is."
Lux followed her as she swam over closer to the shore. There was a small cove nearby where she could stand.
She turned around, and Lux had disappeared. "Lux, where–" she was cut off by a hand yanking her underwater. When she resurfaced, she hit Lux playfully on the shoulder. "Hey!"
He held her top in his hand and placed it on the rock beside them. Then, much to her surprise, he put his own swim trunks next to it.
"Tradition," he said.
"Uh huh," she said mockingly.
"What?" He joked, drawing out the "ah" sound. "When have I ever done anything halfway?"
He had a point.
She reached out and touched his chest. It was still hard for her to believe that she and Lux were together. Every kiss they shared felt like she was living a fantasy. She knew it couldn't go on forever because of her commitment to the Jedi, but for now, it was perfect.
Lux took a step forward and rested his forehead on hers. His gaze dropped, but this time, her sarcastic remark was caught in her throat as he grazed his fingertips up her thigh under the water, sending a small shock throughout her body. Their bodies were inches apart, and she could feel the energy between them.
His breath quickened as she lowered her hands, tracing each muscle and feeling every inch of his smooth skin.
"Kriff, Ahsoka..."
She was vaguely aware of the fireworks lighting up the sky above them as he moved his hands to the front of her chest and brought his mouth to hers. His kisses were firey and passionate, and Ahsoka found it easy for her to relax in his embrace. She rested her hands on top of his as he kissed the smooth curve of her throat, sucking gently at her skin. It was going to leave a mark, but she didn't care. She could smell his citrus cologne and the faint scent of sulfur from the fireworks above them.
His hands were shaky as he reached down and began to tug at her bottoms.
"Can I?"
"Please."
He slowly tugged at the bottoms and slid them down to her ankles. She kicked them off and let them float up in the water next to them.
A few months ago, she never would've even considered swimming in the lake naked with Lux, but now, she found it strangely liberating. She was past the point of caring about rules and lived in the moment, freeing her of any doubts she had about her future with the boy in her arms.
A low moan escaped his lips as she pulled her body against his. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her skin burning from the heat of his touch. She trailed her lips across his jawline, feeling his smooth skin; he used to have the slightest bit of stubble there when he had first kissed her on Carlac. The Republic Senate had really sharpened him up.
She often wondered what a handsome politician saw in an athletic, military type like her. She had never thought of herself as attractive or beautiful, but the more Lux said it, the more she felt it. He had a way of inspiring confidence in herself that no one else could.
"How did I get so kriffing lucky?" he whispered, a tremor in his voice. "The hottest girl I ever laid eyes upon... She loves me."
His breathing grew heavier as their bodies moved together, creating a smooth rhythm against the racing of their hearts. His soft gray eyes were full of unspoken love. The beauty of what they had was that he didn't have to say anything for her to know how he felt about her. Showing her as he did now was enough.
She wanted to stay in this moment with him forever, but she knew she would eventually have to go back to Coruscant and pretend this never happened, at least around her masters. Now, though, she blocked out thoughts about what they were, what it might mean, and what kind of trouble she'd be in if anyone found out what she was doing. All she could think about was this moment and how much she wished things were different.
As the fireworks show came to a close, Ahsoka rested her head on his chest.
"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
There was movement on the cliff above, and Ahsoka froze.
"Did you hear that?" she asked in a hushed voice.
He shook his head. Because of her lekku, her sense of hearing was usually better than species without them. The noise had been far enough away that it was probably just out of his range of hearing. She could sense that someone was there, though, and she couldn't help but wonder how much they'd seen.
She positioned herself in front of Lux, ready for anything.
"Relax, lovebirds," a voice said as peaked out over the ledge. "It's just me."
Lux pulled Ahsoka behind him, shielding her from view. It was a kind gesture, seeing as she was currently completely exposed, but she wasn't sure how effective that would be against someone looking down on them from above. Thank the force it was dark.
"Jaryn?" Lux shouted up at the figure. "What the kriff are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming back to Onderon!"
Jaryn sat down, his feet dangling over the edge. "Well I was going to surprise you and watch the fireworks with you, dear brother, but you were a little busy." Ahsoka knew she was blushing hard, and she could feel Lux's embarrassment. "Since when do you take girls here?"
"Jaryn, stop!" Lux shouted back. "This is not what it looks like!"
"Lux, this is exactly what it looks like," Ahsoka said, softly.
"Okay true, but he doesn't need to know that," he said to her before turning his attention back to Jaryn. "How much did you see? You didn't.... watch, did you?"
Jaryn laughed. "No, you pervert! I saw the two shirts up here instead of just yours, so I didn't bother looking for you. I sat on your speeder bike and watched the fireworks all by myself up here."
Ahsoka swam over to their clothes and slipped her swimsuit back on as they talked. She handed Lux his swim trunks, and he did the same.
"How did you even find us?"
"You forget that I'm a local, Lux. I know all about the reckless teenage traditions and thought I might find you here. Who is that with you, anyway?"
"Uhhhhh," Lux glanced at Ahsoka, his eyes begging her to answer this one.
"A friend," Ahsoka shouted up.
"A girlfriend?"
Ahsoka hesitated. They had never talked about labels before, and being new to the whole romance thing, she didn't know if she qualified as Lux's girlfriend.
"Yeah," Lux answered.
"That girl from Chaz's party?" Jaryn asked.
Ahsoka wasn't sure how he even knew about that, but as long as he didn't make the connection that the girl at the party was the same Jedi he'd met on their first night in the cottage, she would be fine.
"Yes," she called out.
"Kriffdammit," Jaryn said. "I owe Chaz twenty credits now." Ahsoka laughed. "Since I'm clearly the third wheel here, I'm going to head out. I'll see you guys tomorrow maybe?"
"Yeah. I'll call you later," Lux shouted back.
Ahsoka planted a kiss on his cheek. "What an evening this has been."
"You got that one right, sweetheart. I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have spent it with."
She smiled and rested her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, listening to the gentle ripple of the waves around them. "Me neither, love. Me neither."