A/N: Welcome back! I'm doing a 'kiss/ sweet moment' fic challenge over on tumblr, so I'll be posting a lot of them over here! If you have any of your own, send me it over there! It may take a while, but I promise I'll get to it when I can! Hope you enjoy this one! Make sure to let me know what you think- feedback seriously motivates me like no other!

2. Caught

"Elena, your grandmother is going to kill us!"

Elena laughed and glanced over her shoulder at her friend, Mateo, who watched her nervously as she picked up one of her grandmother's treats. The two of them had wandered down into the kitchens when she remembered that her grandmother had prepared fresh Guava Pastelitos. During a break from their magical training, Elena and Mateo had found her working hard on the delicious dessert; and followed their noses to the sweet smell of the pastries. Luisa had eyed Elena critically, knowing all too well that her granddaughter would try to sneak a few off before the luncheon she had planned for the next day.

"Elena." She had warned, a threatening wooden spoon in her hand, "I have a hard enough time trying to keep your grandfather off them! The Pastelitos are for my luncheon. In other words, STAY AWAY."

A warning that had gone unheeded.

"Don't worry, Mateo! She isn't going to kill us over just one! We can share it!" Elena said, breaking the dessert in two. She turned to face him, holding his share out. Mateo eyed it warily, but still took it from her hand.

"I'm pretty sure she said to keep away from all of them."

"A suggestion!" Elena laughed again, before she walked over. She playfully bumped him with her hip when she saw he still looked uncertain. Mateo's heart raced at her sudden closeness. "Relax, Mateo! Just enjoy it! They're one of my favorites! Besides, I am going to be Queen in a few months!"

Mateo raised an eyebrow at her eagerness, and his lips quirked into a grin. Sighing in defeat, he lifted up his treat as Elena did the same.

"Salud!" Elena cried.

"May Luisa be merciful." Mateo prayed. They smiled as their eyes met, and they lifted the treat to their lips.

Whack!

"Ay! Dios Mio! Who put that bucket there?" An older, irritated voice grumbled from down the hall.

Elena and Mateo's eyes widened in panic, and they glanced around the corner as a shadow descended on the floor of the kitchen. Mateo stepped back, reaching behind to grab Elena. "Elena.. We're going to get caught!" He whispered anxiously. There was silence, and Mateo turned his head, "Elen– AGH!"

Elena firmly grasped the belt of his robe, and tugged as hard as she could. Mateo stumbled back into Elena's arms, just as she reached just past him to shut to door to the broom closet. Darkness enveloped them in the crowded room, and Mateo found himself wedged between a very hard door– and a very soft Elena.

His breath froze in his throat, though not just from fear of getting caught. The deafening silence was heavy on his ears— his racing heartbeat even louder. She was close.. so close he was sure if he moved his head even an inch, his nose would brush hers. Her body was pressed against his, and he wondered if she could feel his erratically beating heart against her chest.

Elena looked up at Mateo, trying to find his eyes in the darkness. Her breath came rapidly, the adrenaline from before still coursing through her veins. When her eyes finally met his, she felt a tingling warmth spread through her chest. She hadn't realized how close a fit this closet was.

As the footsteps wandered closer, Elena smiled at him faintly— a mixture of reassurance and anticipation, and she grasped the soft fabric of his robes.

The two could hear the footsteps right outside the door, now, and Mateo tried his best not to appreciate the way Elena help him tighter. It was bad enough that they were nearly caught snacking on the pastelitos, but to have to explain the closet, too? Mateo made a faint distressed noise, and closed his eyes.

Elena watched his face and every emotion that played on it. When his eyes shut, Elena found herself trying to memorize every detail. Her eyes traced the soft curls that framed his face, and the slight curve of his nose. She watched as his eyelashes fluttered open, and revealed a stormy golden gaze— one that she couldn't remember ever seeing before. Her eyes drifted down to his mouth, and she heard an audible swallow as his fingers pressed into the small of her back.

Outside, Luisa made a tutting noise, no doubt noticing the missing pastelito. "Francisco!" She grumbled, before turning on her heel. The footsteps echoed further away from the closet, and Elena, distracted as she was, barely noticed.

She exhaled shakily, her breath fanning across his neck, and although they had almost been caught, she was almost certain it wasn't fear that had left her breathless. She couldn't explain the sudden urge— close as they were— to pull him closer. There was a strong desire burning at the pit of her stomach, and in that moment she decided to do something about it. Mateo watched as her gaze shifted to his mouth again, and his heart raced as she bumped her nose against his chin.

"Elena.."

It was meant to be a warning. But when her name fell from his lips in a breathy whisper, Elena's chocolate brown eyes looked deep into his, and whatever reservations he had vanished in an instant.

His heart raced as Elena's hands grasped his robe, pulling him to her as her lips crashed onto his.

Mateo responded almost immediately, his own hands encircling her small waist, and he pulled her impossibly closer.

Elena sighed, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and the insistent pressure of his own lips meeting hers. Her fingers crept up his back as he slanted his mouth across her lips, and she found her own kisses becoming more urgent. This had been coming for a long time. Almost too long. They had danced around this urge for so long, both of them too distracted as they found their places in the kingdom. Now that the gates had been opened, Elena knew that things would never be the same.

She pulled away for a moment, taking a second to catch her breath before Mateo kissed her again— hard— and again, peppering her mouth with burning kisses. Elena reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth hard against her parted lips. She could taste the faint sweetness of the pastelito on his lips, and she smiled at the satisfied noise Mateo made.

Her lips pulled away for a second, and she kissed the side of his mouth. She kissed that same curve of his nose, and just below his hazel eyes. Her hands slide down to hold his face as she kissed his flushed cheeks and chin and every bit of him that she memorized moments earlier.

"Elena.." her name came out like a prayer, and Mateo's eyes slid shut. He was dizzy with the sensation, as her lips descended on every inch of his face. When they returned to his lips again, he eagerly responded. God help him, if this moment could last forever, he would gladly stay prisoner to it.

His lips slid just beneath her chin, and Elena's head tilted back. She sighed, bringing her hands back up and into his hair. He kissed along her jawline enjoying the sound of her breaths at his ear. She grasped his shoulders now, and Mateo captured her lips in his again— both far too gone to notice anything else in the world.

Including the sounds of the footsteps that had returned just outside the closet door.

CLICK

The two separated instantly with an audible smack of their lips, and Elena and Mateo gasped, their heads jerking back to the door. The door was still closed. Mateo looked back to Elena, his hair adorably disheveled and lips swollen, and he arched his eyebrow.

"Was that—"

"You know," Luisa called haughtily from the other side of the door, "If you two ladronitos wanted to hide from me, you might want to try being a little quieter!"

Mateo looked at Elena's still flushed face helplessly, and Elena groaned dropping her head against his chest.

"Abuela…"

"Here I was, feeling a little bad, and ready to come over and bring you two a little snack." She said dramatically. "Only to find that you two have helped yourselves… well at least tried to judging by the pieces on the floor." She paused, thoroughly enjoying their distress. Mateo, no doubt, was on the verge of having a heart attack and Elena was beginning to piece together what her abuela's tone meant.

"Abuela?" Elena said lowly, suddenly suspicious.

"I was wondering what I could do to get back at you two. But I'm feeling a bit merciful. So I figured since you two seem to be enjoying each other's company so much, I'd leave you two alone…"

Elena hastily reached for the doorknob behind Mateo as she realized what the clicking sound meant.

It was locked.

"Abuela!" Elena cried, shaking the knob a couple times more. She looked up at Mateo, who had a look of panic on his face, and pulled the door once more. "She locked us in!"

Mateo groaned, and dropped his head back against the door with a thump. Luisa laughed, and sat down on a nearby chair.

"Don't worry, you two! I'll just be right here enjoying a little pastelito! You two take your time!" She took a bite, and smiled. "Oh, this is delicious!"

Elena sighed, defeated, and dropped her head on Mateo's chest, arms snaking around his waist. Mateo glanced down at her briefly, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his chin resting atop her head.

For all the fun Luisa was having, Elena knew she was going to be in trouble once they got out. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of woods and spice from Mateo's robe— no doubt from all the herbs and potions he handled— and exhaled.

She may be in for it when she got out, but after what she just shared with Mateo, she wouldn't take back any of it for anything in the world.