Author's Notes: Honestly, who even reads author's notes? Just wondering.

Anyway, school just started and unfortunately, I won't be able to publish new stories as frequently as I used to, but I'll try to write whenever I get a chance. I appreciate all your wonderful reviews, and thank you so much for reading!


Saccharine

.

Anna's eating a piece of chocolate.

It's not just candy, though. In her mouth is the most creamy, delicious, luxurious chocolate that ever existed, and Gaius wants it. He wants it so bad his mouth is watering uncontrollably and he can't bear to take his eyes off her in fear that she might have finished it.

Gods, this must look so wrong. He's practically drooling over her, probably with a lustful expression in his eyes, and that's enough to make people's tongues go wagging. Any moment now, some idiot will spot him, take it the wrong way, and go spreading rumors about him and Anna all over camp.

He can't let that happen. He has to stay cool.

Desperate to control the desire raging inside of him, Gaius looks away, squeezes his eyes shut, clenches his fists. But after a while of pure torture, he arrives at the realization that he won't be able to take his mind off that chocolate no matter what.

And Anna knows it, too. She has noticed and is looking at him with a wide smirk on her lips. And of course, being as crafty as she is, she just has to use it to her advantage.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Her expression becomes all wide-eyed and innocent, everything Gaius knows she isn't. "Would you like a taste? I forgot how much you love sweets."

Sure she forgot.

"I would give you some, but..." Anna smiles apologetically. But then she rolls the chocolate around in her mouth, savoring every second of the chocolatey goodness, taunting him. It's like she's teasing a child by holding a toy above his head, just close enough to his reach that he has to continue jumping for it. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it! This is soooo good!"

He wants to wipe that stupid smirk off her face.

"I wish you could have a taste. It's so smooth and luscious, like nothing you've ever tasted. The chocolate just melts in your mouth, and then you get your first taste of the delightfully sweet caramel..."

That's it. Gaius can't take it anymore.

He's willing to do anything for that piece of chocolate, even take the most drastic measures. An idea pops into his head almost at once, and he can't think of any other way, so he goes for it.

Without second thought, the thief lurches forward and slams his lips into the merchant's, then wrestles his tongue inside her mouth to take the chocolate. To keep her from pulling away, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her to him, holding her tightly so she can't escape.

But to his surprise, Anna doesn't fight back or even resist, just stays frozen to the spot with a completely stunned expression on her face, with the slight hint of a blush. It's the first time Gaius has ever seen her speechless, and he feels inexplicably triumphant, especially when he glimpses a taste of that chocolate.

"Mmm...sweet," he sighs blissfully, with utter contentment.

Her eyes are wide, and her mouth opens to speak but nothing comes out. Finally, she stammers, "Y-you're talking about the chocolate, right?"

Gaius smiles. "Well, what if I'm talking about you?"

He's about to say something else when he hears a noise, and turns his head to see where it's coming from. The sound turns out to be Kellam, standing there previously unnoticed, looking scandalized. With a start, Gaius realizes that Anna's body is still pressed into his, and that the other man must have seen their rather passionate-looking kissing.

Almost instantly, Gaius's whole face turns a humiliating shade of red. "W-wait!" he cries, desperate to explicate things. "It's not what you think! Really!"

Kellam's face looks almost as red as his must be. For a moment, he just stands shock-still, then throws up his hands sheepishly. "I, uh, didn't mean to interrupt anything! Sorry, gotta go!"

With that, he rushes away and promptly disappears into the shadows before Gaius can stop him. Probably to go spread rumors, the redheaded thief thinks glumly. He turns back to Anna almost fearfully, but to his astonishment, there is a wide grin on her face.

She puts a finger to her chin and smiles mischievously. "Hey, I kind of enjoyed that, actually. Want to do it again?"