Padmé tried to ignore his blatant but innocent seeming attempts at touching her skin at every opportunity, she tried to ignore the tingles and shivers it sent down her skin or at least she didn't show it. She put her hands into the oversized gloves while Anakin dipped his head all the way down to adjust the wires on her boots that connected the foot controls.
All the audience down on the ground could see was the top of Padmé's helmet and Anakin's legs and rear. They did not hear Padmé gasp suddenly, nor did they see her eyes widen as something ran down the side of her leg.
She glared down and was met with Anakin's upside down impish grin.
"You behave yourself, Padawan!" She gritted in a low voice. She moved her hand out of the glove and reached down to push his hand away from her leg.
"This line has a small problem, your majesty." He said loudly as he caught her hand tight in his and raised his eye brows in challenge. "Ah! The cold Queen feels something," He whispered holding onto her hand. "Even through this," he pinched the clothe of her pant and caught a bit of her flesh making her flinch. Padmé kept a bland face so that the bystanders did not have an idea of the teasing game going on under the seat.
"Anakin, please! This is no time for games." She hissed. The visor was raised so he could see her eyes but the rest of her face was hidden by the helmet so that if she kept her voice low no one could see that she was speaking.
"I need to just brush the metal tips." He called out in a louder voice.
She tugged at her hand, making sure no one knew she was struggling. "Let go!" she hissed.
"NO!" He answered, "Call the guards, I dare you."
"You are in great trouble young man!" She warned all the while intent on the console.
He smiled and kissed her hand languorously, Padmé closed her eyes. This is agony she thought as his fiery lips sent flames up her arm.
"I am already in great trouble, highness," He hissed. "Do you have any idea how I suffer each day without you, dear Queenie? How long and endless the days are? And how much longer are the lonely nights?" His eyes grew distraught and his hold loosened on her hand. "You never should have…"
She suddenly pulled her hand away and it came free.
Anakin straightened, slowly; keeping his eyes fixed on her accusingly until the very moment his head cleared the side of the craft.
"I think she's ready to roll, Highness," He said clapping his hands as though to shake of the dust. He was now Anakin the engineer, his gaze fixed on the dials with not a shred of the mischief of a moment ago.
"So how do you bring it online?" Padmé asked still peering at the dead console and screen.
"Ah! Yes, this fighter will not budge if you don't have the proper authorization." He dug out a small datapad from one of the many pockets on his suit. "Luckily, I have the authority to issue it."
He took out a stylus and scribbled something on the datapad then held it out to her. "Put your thumb print here and I'll transfer the info to the main terminal." Padmé took the datapad from him. It was a pilot's request form for access to the F-24.
"Do you want me to show you where to put it?" He asked under his breath. But she knew; how could she miss it with the lines of instructions and crooked diagrams he'd jotted.
"My beautiful weezly cyaboo, press your lovely thumb here." He had written in one corner below the form, an irregular arrow, circumventing the message pointed to a dented circle where she was supposed to put her thumb print.
Padmé did as instructed and returned the datapad, her eyes on him as he his head bent to sturdy it.
'You need a cold shower, Lover Boy!' She had scrawled with her nail under his message. Anakin smiled to himself, giving her a side-glance. He pointed the datapad at the terminal then turned back.
"You are now one of the chosen ones, highness!" he smiled. Press your thumb against the white patch on the left of the console for verification. She did and the inside of the fighter suddenly lit up. The screen flared up with the Naboo security force's insignia and then the flight computer greeted Padmé and introduced itself, rambling on in a monotonous tone about the craft's specs and intuitive new interface.
But Padmé wasn't listening, not only was the freepios old history to her but the project had been her rival for Anakin's attention, even on their honeymoon she had had to use all her charm to keep her husband from drifting back to talking about it. What interested her, though, was the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen meant for ship to ship messages or feedback from the astromech droid.
A smiling ball came bouncing through knocking around an assortment of letters, the ball exploded and the letters lined up. "Sweet Heart, Will love to take a cold shower, but only with you."
Padmé shook her head, a reluctant smile tugged at her lips but she kept her gaze on the screen, she was having a hard time keeping this charade, she only had to look once at her lover to foil it. More messages followed, each more lewd than the first.
Padmé shook her head, "You don't give up easily, darling?" She wanted to ask.
"Jedi Skywalker, can we start testing the ship, I really don't have the time for full introductions." She said instead.
Anakin turned away from the datapad, which he was using to send those lascivious messages.
"Of course, your majesty!" He said his face a picture of an honorable Jedi. "Let me give you a quick start lesson to get you on your way." He bent slightly and pointed to the console.
"The green button is the main ignition, and the two blue buttons powers the repulsor lift and the auxiliary thrusters. We'll need to use those now as this place is too small for the main engines. Of course you could use voice commands to start the ship but..." He tapped the menu and the computer stopped its monotonous rambling and a menu with several choices appeared.
"At this moment, though, I want to demonstrate the bio-interface so we'll go on manual choice 2."
Padmé reached out and tapped the relevant button.
"Manual choice 2,"The computer announced, "This craft will now respond to bio-reflex commands only, to over ride…"
Anakin pressed a button and interrupted the voice and the menu cleared. "Now join both hands and press your palms together; be warned this craft is very, very sensitive to your every move, as soon as you press your hands together it's programming is initiated to respond to the movements of your hands and feet therefore you must not make any careless or superfluous moves with them."
Padmé froze then carefully brought up both gloved hands and pressed the palms together cautiously. Suddenly the auxiliary engines came to life, whining sharply, startling Padmé; her hands flew apart and the engines died down abruptly.
Anakin smiled. "You see! Highness, how responsive she is!" Padmé gave him an accusing you-could-have-warned-me-look. But he ignored it "Now try again." Slowly, as he instructed Padmé joined her hands and the engines came online again.
"Keep them joined, now push then upwards. Slowly." She did. "Make it slow; make it smooth and no jerking. Keep your hands close to your chest." Anakin instructed as the plane lifted slowly of the ground;
Light as a feather, she thought and smiled, "This is easy, I already like her." She looked over the rim of the open cockpit and caught a glimpse of the group of people shrinking away below.
"I wish you were so easy to maneuver." Anakin said as he straightened, towering above her.
She glanced up to give him a dirty look as he stood there balanced on the wing, his hands on his hips. "I wish I could use this glove to shut you down just like that."
Anakin chuckled, "Oh! You can shut me down just like that, all you have to do is give me a kiss and I'll probably be too dazed for the next few hours." he bent low, bracing both hands on the rim of the open cockpit, and brought his face close to hers.
The plane was now directly above Panaka and his group. They could not see the young Jedi as he was now completely obstructed by the underside of the broad wing. The noise of the engine and the height made it impossible for their voices to be heard, all this made Anakin brash and careless.
"Don't Anakin!" Padmé warned, as his lips touched her cheek. "Someone might see us!"
"No one will see us if we are quick,"He said as his hand came to her chin.
"No! Anakin this is no place for fooling." Padmé said chuckling as she used one hand to push him away. With a wrench the plane tilted sharply. Anakin lost his balance and fell back. Padmé's eyes grew wide in horror as she reached out to grab him, the plane squealed and banked sharply, almost vertical. She had a glimpse of small figures staring up at her then she caught sight of a black figure tumbling down helplessly and she screamed.