Dialogue the First

He was standing at the entrance, wearing his dress uniform as she had requested. He was handsome. More than that. The eyes of every woman in the restaurant stopped on him at least once. Men always look good in uniforms. Handsome men, more so.
He was adorably nervous. Looked around. Checked the time. Heard a stir behind him, and turned.
For a second he forgot to breathe.
She smiled. The world righted itself, and he walked up to offer her his arm. "You look ... my god, Serenity... you...."
She pulled him close, kissed him swiftly on the lips. The string of pearls at her neck were warm from her skin, and when she pressed against him he could feel their warmth. Small drops of gold-encrusted jade dangled from her ears, offsetting the elegant curves of her face. For a moment, he wondered why she hadn't covered the scar over her eye, but he found it comforting and familiar. He didn't ask.
It took him longer to process the dress.
As she had told Garrus, it was bright red. The bold color suited her magnificently, and was covered with tiny gems and gold embroidery that sent the light dancing when she moved. The sides revealed just the right amount of her amazing legs. Black shoes, her toes peeking out, painted red to match her dress. Over her gloves - black - she was wearing a collection of bangles, gold and jade, that jingled musically as she walked.
He had no idea what they had for dinner. They sat at their table, making love to each other with their eyes and making an effort to eat. He remembered that he had cleaned his plate and she had insisted that he had seconds of something, but he had no idea what he had eaten. All he could remember was that Serenity was very, very beautiful.
He remembered dessert very clearly. A chocolate cake, with a frosting that seemed to distill the very essence of chocolate, and strawberries on the side. She had eaten all the strawberries, one by one, covering them in the frosting and then licking them clean before devouring them while he watched. They had been talking about a book while they ate. He couldn't remember the title or a single word of the discussion. But he remembered tasting chocolate every time he kissed her for the rest of the night.
They danced together after dinner. Slowly. Grinding against each other to the heavy rhythm of human music in the dance hall attached to the restaurant. Arms wrapped around each other, whispering empty words where every phrase translated to: "I want you. I need you. I love you."
At last, kissing her, tasting chocolate on her lips for what had to be the hundredth time, he knew he couldn't take it any more. The wildness of his kiss made her smile, and she led him from the dance floor to a hotel, instead of the ship.
The room was beautiful. The bed was huge. She lay down on it, her dress a bright streak against the pale sheets, and pulled him down on top of her.
The dress, beautiful as it was, wasn't meant to be handled in the same way as military issue clothing. It ripped under his hands, making her laugh with wild joy as she pulled him closer. She writhed under him, kissing every inch of exposed skin as she stripped him of his clothes. She stopped to pull off her gloves.
"Leave the bracelets on."
She gave him her sweetest half-smile, and leaned back on her arms. The metal rings struck each other, chiming softly with every movement. He kissed her shoulders, her bare arms, her hands, her fingers. Music seemed to spill from her, soft moans and metallic tones, the hush of skin on skin as she wrapped herself around him, panting with need. She pulled his head back up to hers, kissed him as if the secrets of her soul were hiding somewhere on his lips. He stripped off the last of his clothes, and she wrapped her incredible legs around his waist, locking her ankles together behind him. He entered her easily. She kissed him again and again, raining kisses all over his face and neck as they moved together. Her bracelets chimed in sweet rhythm. She arched again, begging him to enter deeper with incoherent cries and the motions of her body. She buried her hands in his hair and held him tightly, and he knew she was close. He let himself thrust harder and deeper, kissed her again and again, seeking the taste of chocolate on her lips.
She cried out his name over and over as she came, waves of orgasm washing over her in a passionate flood. He came soon after she did, kissing her wildly and holding her tightly enough to leave a bruise on her shoulder.
She ran a hand down the side of his face, trailing her fingers through his sweat. Her eyes never left his. They lay together in silence, basking in warmth and sweat and love. Eventually, she moved her legs, shifting herself to more easily hold his weight.
"Were we getting up?" he asked.
"Oh, hell no. We're just getting started."